SkyShowtime arrives in Spain and reshapes the streaming landscape
It took a while for the launch to arrive, but Sky Show Time has been with viewers for more than a week now. Spain ended up being one of the last markets to receive the service. The timing could not be more telling, coming as a wave of controversy was sweeping Netflix after it announced an end to shared accounts. With a price point that is hard to resist, the catalog size may be smaller than some rivals, yet SkyShowtime brings a curated mix that keeps the debate lively. Is the core library shrinking as rights shift? Will the catalog be split among platforms, or is this a staged transition to avoid a sudden overhauling of the entire lineup? The content slate appears more moderate, yet there are ambitious classics promised and still to be announced. The premieres that perform exceptionally outside the country’s borders continue to spark excitement, even if immediate access is not universal.
Among the legacy titles fans hoped to see there is Twin Peaks. The series that reshaped television more than forty years ago remains elusive in Spain, where rights once rested with Movistar and blocked Netflix from carrying the show. Now it feels like a global puzzle with few clear answers. The drama found a renewed path through Showtime, which shaped its return to television with agent Cooper at the center six years ago. That setup made it easier to assemble a slice of the catalog for nostalgia seekers.
Frasier, another classic, has not retained its full former sheen. Eleven seasons and 265 episodes still make for a hearty lineup, yet rights investments are a constant conversation in the streaming world. Netflix reportedly paid handsomely for Friends and Seinfeld, while The Office has shifted platforms and is now part of the new service. The question lingers about whether it will exit other catalogs. Still, news of a new Frasier season with the return of the psychiatrist played by Kelsey Grammer helps temper any worries about the absence of the beloved show.
SkyShowtime’s arrival in Spain also marks the premiere of Strange New Worlds, the latest entry in the Star Trek universe. Christopher Pike commands the ship for the new era, yet Discovery remains up in the air. The series vanished from Netflix after Paramount decided to launch its own platform and the fourth season could only be seen in Spain on Pluto TV. With SkyShowtime now in play, fans hope the Discovery era will join the lineup. On the broader Trek horizon, the arrival of the final Jean Luc Picard arc on Prime Video raises the question of whether all Star Trek titles will eventually land on SkyShowtime.
Another challenge is that some series will offer only a subset of episodes while others on the slate run short. Viewers will still be able to catch long-running favorites like Grey’s Anatomy, The Simpsons, and NCIS, but complete access to every season may require looking across platforms. A notable observation is CBS holds a treasure trove of evergreen titles that remain highly sought after by many services. Netflix also keeps a sizable catalog of popular titles, which could influence how aggressively other platforms chase rights.
However, the gaps in the catalog extend beyond classics. This season’s new series like Natasha Lyon and a detective-dramatic tone from a creator linked to a well-known streaming giant have raised questions about how a show’s origin story shapes its streaming journey. A crime procedural format with weekly mystery puzzles also reflects the growing demand for puzzle and suspense-driven content across platforms.
On the brighter side, SkyShowtime has secured complete runs of several acclaimed programs such as Dexter, The Good Wife and its sequel The Good Fight, Battlestar Galactica, Mr. Robot, Nurse Jackie, and more. It has also reacquired some titles from the European HBO catalog, which weathered a recent industry shake-up. The result is a lineup that is never truly idle, with new episodes arriving as others reach their end. Viewers can look forward to a steady stream of familiar favorites alongside fresh surprises that broaden the service’s appeal.