Spanish cultural policy in the field of digital culture has evolved from an initial focus on content industries and intellectual property protection towards a broader framework centred on digital transformation, innovation and creative ecosystems. Current approaches emphasise access, experimentation and the integration of culture within wider digital economy strategies.
Public policy combines support for digital cultural production with initiatives to expand access and strengthen infrastructures. Programmes such as eBiblio, which provides free access to digital reading materials through public libraries, illustrate the growing role of digital services in widening cultural participation. Earlier measures focused on combating piracy and promoting legal access to content; these have progressively evolved into more comprehensive strategies aimed at supporting sustainable digital markets, digital literacy and user engagement.
Support for digital creativity increasingly operates through collaborative spaces and innovation centres. Established initiatives such as ArtFutura and OFFF Barcelona remain important reference points connecting digital art, design and audiovisual culture. Production and research centres such as Hangar (Barcelona) and LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial (Gijón) provide infrastructure for artistic experimentation in technology-based practices. At the same time, participatory models have gained prominence through initiatives such as Medialab Prado (Madrid) and Hirikilabs (San Sebastián), which promote collaborative creation, open innovation and citizen engagement in digital cultural processes.
Territorially, digital culture policy is increasingly structured through regional ecosystems and specialised clusters, including the Land. Audiovisual and Digital Content Cluster of Andalusia, the Audiovisual Hub of Catalonia, and the Audiovisual Hub of the Cultural Industry of Galicia. These initiatives connect cultural production with innovation, training and technological development, reflecting broader efforts to strengthen regional creative economies and support emerging sectors such as videogames, immersive media and digital content creation.
Recent policy debates focus on the implications of artificial intelligence, platformisation and digital sovereignty. In response, the Cultural Rights Plan 2025-2030 incorporates measures to strengthen digital infrastructures, promote open and interoperable technologies and expand access to cultural resources. These include the creation of an Office for Digital Democracy, which provides technical guidance and training for cultural institutions; the development of platforms for the circulation and preservation of digital content; and support for multilingual access and more flexible copyright frameworks.
Additional actions aim to enhance digital participation and preserve cultural diversity, including the consolidation of digital heritage infrastructures such as PARES, museum documentation systems (DOMUS and CER.es), and the Spanish Web Archive. The Plan also supports digital cultural creation through initiatives such as the introduction of a National Video Game Award, the expansion of digital skills programmes (e.g. DigitARTE), and the provision of resources for community-based digital creation.
Finally, the Spanish Agency for Cultural Action (AC/E) contributes to the analysis of digital cultural trends through its Annual Report on Digital Culture, which examines evolving practices in the cultural sector. The most recent edition (2026), Mapping the Use of AI in Spanish-language Digital Creation, highlights the growing impact of artificial intelligence and the increasing segmentation of cultural consumption, raising new challenges for cultural policy and governance.
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