Movistar Plus Doubles Originals, Names Bropi Content Chief — SkimNews
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- Movistar Plus will double its annual original Spanish series output from 8 to 16 titles over the next three years and add another 10 via co-production and licensing deals; El Confidencial reports content investment will double to €200 million ($232 million) annually.
- Three of five Spanish Cannes main-competition entries over 2025-26 are Movistar Plus originals — "Sirāt," "The Beloved" and "La Bola Negra" — with Pedro Almodóvar's "Bitter Christmas" the subject of a Movistar Plus pre-buy.
- "La Bola Negra" earned a 16-minute Cannes standing ovation and shared best director honors, with Netflix setting a 47-day U.S. theatrical window — the longest in the streaming giant's history; the film was subsequently announced as Spain's Oscar entry for International Feature.
- "The Beloved" ("El ser querido"), starring Javier Bardem as an Oscar-winning director reconciling with his daughter (Victoria Luengo), has grossed €3.0 million ($3.45 million) in Spain since its Aug. 28 bow.
- Alfonso Gómez Palacio, Telefónica's Latin America operations head, replaced Daniel Domenjó as CEO of Movistar Plus+ — an appointment that briefly stirred industry fears of a production pullback before July's expansion announcement eased them.
- García Ropero distilled Movistar Plus's strategy as "bet on the best talent — not on genres or formats but creators with their own voices," noting a July debut of a €4.99/month Free Plan (Series-Cinema tier) and licensing deals with Atresmedia, Mediaset España and 3Cat.
- The San Sebastián Film Festival (Sept. 18-26) hosts the Spanish bow of "La Bola Negra," a screening of "The Beloved" and the world premiere of "5 More Minutes" on a "Movistar Plus Super Saturday" (Sept. 19), plus the world premiere of Movistar Plus series "El Castillo," Isabel Peña's first series without Rodrigo Sorogoyen.
Why it matters: Three of Spain's five 2025-26 Cannes main-competition contenders are Movistar Plus originals. As annual Spanish series output expands to 16 titles and El Confidencial reports content investment doubling to €200 million, Spanish creators now have their biggest domestic commissioner — with 'La Bola Negra' opening on Netflix's longest-ever 47-day theatrical window and representing Spain at the Oscars.
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