Ambition, emotion and event programming — those are some of the key factors that Spanish pay-TV and streaming giant Movistar Plus+ is looking for in its originals, including its Eurovision Song Contest drama miniseries La Canción (The Song).
Susana Herreras, manager of original fiction content production at the company, which is part of Telefónica, touted several examples of such content at the Conecta Fiction & Entertainment industry gathering in Cuenca, Spain, on Tuesday.
She showed a teaser for the recent series La Canción, which tells the story of how Spain under General Franco in 1968 upset the U.K. frontrunner Cliff Richard and his “Congratulations” to win the Eurovision Song Contest with Massiel’s “La la la.” Created by Pepe Coira and Fran Araújo, and directed by Alejandro Marín, the series stars Carolina Yuste, Patrick Criado, Àlex Brendemühl, and Marcel Borràs. Movistar Plus+ Internacional is distributing the show outside of Spain.
Herreras also teased the psychological thriller series Los Sin Nombre (The Nameless), which is set to debut in June. Created by Pau Freixas and Pol Cortecans, written by the latter and directed by the former, the series stars Miren Ibarguren, Rodrigo de la Serna, and Milena Smit.
“It is key for us to manage to make projects into events,” the Movistar Plus+ executive told Conecta. “We need to have an emotional connection.”
One of the most important keys for the Spanish player is ambition, Herreras concluded. “This is how we want to be defined.”
At a time when more and more industry players look for co-productions to put together the budgets needed for the kind of ambition that audiences expect these days, Movistar Plus+ is always open for co-producers where it makes sense. “We have the will to keep looking for partners,” Herreras explained.
Earlier in the Conecta conference day, executives from the likes of Gaumont Television and Warner Bros. Discovery discussed their original programming plans and the state of the TV industry.
