Aragón Play set for June 24 beta launch with 2027 roadmap

The launch of Aragón Play represents a significant shift for Spanish regional public media, moving beyond simple VOD websites toward sophisticated OTT ecosystems. By integrating HbbTV and AI-driven personalization, CARTV is attempting to recapture younger audiences that have migrated to global streamers. Concretely, the phased rollout through 2027 highlights a growing trend among local broadcasters to prioritize technical sovereignty and platform agility over third-party distribution. This move signals a more competitive regional landscape where local content value is maximized through modern UX and cross-platform accessibility. Watch for initial registration numbers and the performance of HbbTV integration this fall as a health check for the secondary rollout phase.

The digital pivot of Corporación Aragonesa de Radio y Televisión (CARTV) reflects a broader structural change in the Spanish media market. Per Advanced Television (February 2026), streaming revenues in Spain surpassed traditional television for the first time in 2025, reaching €3.58 billion. This milestone was driven primarily by the rapid adoption of advertising tiers and regionalized content strategies. Public broadcasters like CARTV are facing an urgent mandate to modernize; data from IntechOpen (2022-2023) shows that Spanish regional public media lost approximately 35% of their traditional linear audiences over the previous decade. Platforms like Aragón Play are the response, following the successful blueprint of RTVE Play and the Basque broadcaster EITB’s Primeran platform.

The technology stack behind the project also signals the growth of Spanish tech firms in the global B2B streaming market. The main developer, hiberus, is a Zaragoza-founded consultancy that has recently expanded into a global player. Per Enjoy Zaragoza (March 2026), hiberus grew more than 20% in 2025 and integrated Telefónica Tech’s businesses in Mexico, Colombia, and Chile in early 2026. The Xalok CMS framework used for Aragón Play is already operative in major global newsrooms like Corriere della Sera and El Tiempo.

Regulatory pressures are also influencing these strategic shifts. Per Total Tele (November 2020/updated context 2026), Spain’s General Audiovisual Communication Law has incentivized local production through reinvestment mandates. By building its own OTT infrastructure, CARTV ensures it can directly manage subscriber data and content rights, insulating itself from the audience drain seen on linear channels. This strategy prepares the broadcaster for a projected market where digital video advertising in Spain is expected to approach €2 billion by 2029, according to PwC projections cited by regional analysts.