La Cadena SER

What La Cadena SER does

La Cadena SER is Spain's leading national radio broadcasting network, founded in 1924 and operating as Sociedad Española de Radiodifusión, S.L.U., a wholly-owned subsidiary of PRISA (Promotora de Informaciones S.A.), the publicly listed Spanish media conglomerate that also owns El País. The company operates an extensive network of more than 40 wholly-owned regional and local AM/FM radio stations covering all of Spain's autonomous communities, anchored by flagship stations in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Sevilla, Bilbao, Murcia, Coruña, Valladolid, and Cádiz. Its programming portfolio spans national and regional news, sports (with particular emphasis on football), entertainment, and cultural content, distributed through traditional radio broadcasting, digital streaming on cadenaser.com, iOS and Android mobile applications, on-demand podcast platforms, email newsletters, and active social media accounts across X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and WhatsApp.

The company's core technology combines legacy radio broadcasting infrastructure with multi-channel digital distribution. Its product portfolio is anchored by flagship radio programs including Hoy por Hoy (morning news, hosted by Pedro Blanco), Hora 14 (midday bulletin), Hora 25 (evening analysis), El Larguero and Carrusel Deportivo (sports), El Faro (cultural), Nadie Sabe Nada and Hora Veintipico (humor), and A vivir que son dos días (weekend lifestyle). The podcast library covers news, sports, history (SER Historia), cinema (El cine en la SER), and science and technology (Serendipias), distributed through the company's own platform and third-party podcast apps. Sub-brands Los40 (younger audience music), Cadena Dial (Spanish music), and Radiolé (flamenco and Spanish music) extend the network's reach across demographic segments. The platform operates as a single unified service rather than a modular architecture, with content distributed across broadcast, web, mobile, and on-demand channels.

Cadena SER operates a free-to-access media model funded entirely by advertising, with no subscription or paywall. The company monetizes through two primary streams: traditional broadcast advertising (spot ads, sponsorships, and branded content aired across the national network and regional stations) and digital advertising on cadenaser.com (display ads, native content, and sponsored articles). It serves the general Spanish-speaking audience seeking news, sports, entertainment, and regional content, with particular depth in localized programming tailored to specific Spanish autonomous communities. As a wholly-owned subsidiary of PRISA, Cadena SER operates within a diversified media group rather than as an independent entity, with PRISA group resources supporting content production, journalism, and digital infrastructure.

Name

La Cadena SER

Legal name

Sociedad Española de Radiodifusión, S.L.U.

Website

https://cadenaser.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1924

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

La Cadena SER is Spain's leading national radio broadcasting network, operating more than 40 regional stations and multi-platform digital channels to deliver news, sports, and entertainment to Spanish-speaking audiences under PRISA group ownership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621), Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832), Communications Services, Nec (4899)

akta.pro primary industry

Spanish-Language & Multicultural Radio Networks (MPABABAG)

Keywords

• Radio broadcasting
• News media
• Podcast streaming
• Digital audio content
• Advertising-funded media

Headquarters

HQ city

Madrid

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Broadcast Advertising: Traditional radio advertising including spot ads, sponsorships, and branded content aired across the national network and regional stations
2. Digital Advertising: Online advertising on cadenaser.com including display ads, native content, and sponsored articles on the news website

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

La Cadena SER operates a national Spanish radio broadcasting network delivering real-time news, sports, cultural, and entertainment programming through a flagship national station and more than 40 regional/local stations across Spain. The offering is distributed across analog/digital radio broadcast, live streaming via the cadenaser.com website, dedicated iOS/Android mobile applications, an extensive on-demand podcast library, and a daily email newsletter, funded through broadcast and digital advertising.

Product overview

La Cadena SER is a Spanish radio broadcaster and online news platform operated by Sociedad Española de Radiodifusión (S.L.U.), part of PRISA media group. The offering consists of a unified radio and digital news platform with multiple integrated components: live radio streaming across 40+ regional stations throughout Spain, on-demand podcast distribution, and a mobile application. The core portfolio includes flagship programs like news bulletins (Hoy por Hoy, La Ventana, Hora 14, Hora 25), sports programming (El Larguero, Carrusel Deportivo), cultural content (El Faro, SER Historia), entertainment (Nadie Sabe Nada, Hora Veintipico), and specialized podcasts. The platform operates as a single unified service rather than a modular platform architecture, with content distributed across live radio, web, and mobile channels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Los40: Music radio station targeting younger audiences
• Cadena Dial
• Radiolé

Products and services

• Cadena SER Live Radio Live streaming audio service delivering real-time broadcasts of Cadena SER's national and regional radio stations to general Spanish listeners across web and mobile.
• Cadena SER Podcasts On-demand podcast library featuring episodes and series drawn from Cadena SER's radio programs plus original podcasts, distributed through Cadena SER's own platform and major third-party podcast apps.
• Cadena SER App Mobile application (iOS and Android) providing live radio listening, podcast downloads, multimedia content, and personalized push notifications for news and sports updates.
• Regional Radio Stations Network Owned-and-operated network of regional and local AM/FM radio stations providing localized news, regional sports, community information, and area-specific programming across Spain's autonomous communities.
• Cadena SER Newsletter Diaria Daily email subscription newsletter delivering curated news summaries and highlights to registered Cadena SER users.
• Hoy por Hoy Flagship morning news and current affairs radio program on Cadena SER, anchored by Pedro Blanco, covering national and international news with interviews and analysis.
• La Ventana Afternoon news and current affairs radio program featuring interviews and analysis for general Spanish listeners.
• Hora 14 Midday news bulletin providing national and international news coverage on Cadena SER.
• Hora 25 Late evening news radio program with in-depth analysis of the day's events for general Spanish listeners.
• El Larguero Nightly sports talk radio program focused on football and major Spanish and international sporting events.
• Carrusel Deportivo Weekend sports radio program covering football and other sports with live match updates and commentary.
• A vivir que son dos días Weekend morning radio program covering lifestyle, culture, and current affairs for general Spanish listeners.
• El Faro Cultural and society magazine radio program exploring diverse cultural and societal topics for general Spanish listeners.
• Nadie Sabe Nada Humor radio program where hosts explore random topics in a comedic conversational style for general Spanish listeners.
• SER Historia History-focused podcast exploring historical events and figures for general Spanish listeners.
• El cine en la SER Film and television review podcast providing cinema and TV analysis for general Spanish listeners.
• Serendipias Science and technology podcast exploring discoveries and innovations for general Spanish listeners interested in science.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cadena COPE: Spain's second-largest private radio network, owned by the Spanish Conference of Bishops. Competes directly with Cadena SER for national and regional audiences across news, talk, and sports programming with a similar station network model.
• Radio Marca: Spain's leading sports radio network owned by Unidad Editorial, directly competing with Cadena SER's Carrusel Deportivo and El Larguero for sports listenership and football rights monetization.
• Onda Cero: Major Spanish private radio network owned by Atresmedia, offering national news, talk, and sports programming with a comparable regional station footprint and target audience.
• Radio Nacional de España (RNE): Spain's public national broadcaster operating multiple radio channels competing with Cadena SER on news, culture, and general-interest programming, funded through public means.

Broad incumbents

• Atresmedia: Spanish media conglomerate owning Onda Cero plus major TV channels (Antena 3, laSexta); competes with PRISA across broadcast and digital, providing group-level comparison for Cadena SER's strategic position.

Emerging players

• Spotify: Global audio streaming leader capturing Spanish podcast and music listening share, competing indirectly with Cadena SER for ad budgets and listener attention in digital audio.
• Los40 (PRISA): Sister brand under PRISA focused on music and youth audiences, partially overlapping with Cadena SER in audio distribution and shared digital infrastructure but distinct in content format.
• Cadena Dial (PRISA): Spanish-language music radio brand within the PRISA family, leveraging shared ad sales and digital infrastructure with Cadena SER while addressing a different music-focused audience segment.
• iVoox: Spain's largest podcast platform, hosting Cadena SER content and competing for on-demand Spanish-language podcast listenership with its own original programming.

Others

• PRISA (Promotora de Informaciones): Cadena SER's parent conglomerate and Spain's largest Spanish-language media group, listed on the Madrid Stock Exchange, encompassing El País, AS, Los40, and Cadena SER.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/La_SER
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/CadenaSER
• Facebookfacebook.com/cadenaser
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cadena-ser
• Instagraminstagram.com/cadenaser
• TikToktiktok.com/@cadenaser

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about La Cadena SER