Global multiplay telco Telefónica has presented the distribution of the Movistar+ original production series in Latin America, taking the opportunity to discuss the rationale behind its move into original production.

“As a group, Telefónica is stressing its capabilities as creator of original fiction contents and its broad multi-platform scope. The operation that is being announced today will make it possible for the Movistar series to arrive to more than 13 countries in 2018, making it possible to reach 3.8 million Pay TV customers in Spain and more than 3 million pay-TV homes in HisPam. The more than 110 million Movistar mobile clients in the region must be added to this scope, all of which would also have access to these contents,” commented Sergio Oslé, President of Movistar+.

“Movistar+ is wagering on original productions as the platform’s differentiating element. “We want to create benchmark television where the client has the freedom to choose. We’re going to continue working on the television model that the user wants; we have the highways and the contents, and the challenge is to continue to adapt to the market, and for our clients to have the best contents together with a customised, multi-platform, and an on-demand experience,” he added.

Movistar Series will offer original series and a selection of quality Latin American productions through its Movistar TV and Movistar Play platforms. In this way, the Movistar+ original series will arrive in 12 further countries. The new channel will be available in Chile, Colombia, and Peru on February 15th, and will be added to the Movistar offer in Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and Uruguay in the next few months.

The new Movistar Series channel will premiere 12 original series throughout 2018. In addition to the Movistar+ original series, the channel will also broadcast Spanish speaking contents produced by third parties, successful Latin American series in different duration formats, as well as movies and documentaries. Each week Movistar Series will premiere episodes of nine series and five movies.

“We will become a platform of platforms in Latin America, offering the best contents in the market, but that will also have differential attributes that make our value proposal unique and distinguished by its quality. We believe that there is enormous potential for a platform of quality contents made in Spanish, and we want Movistar Series to become the benchmark channel for these contents,” advised Michael Duncan, CEO of the Telefónica Global Consumer Unit.

“The Movistar original series are not only in our own language, but also represent us and sound like us,” explained Domingo Corral, Director of Fiction at Movistar. “They are local stories with a universal attraction. For example, The Plague has surpassed the number of viewings of Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead or The Big Bang Theory. This fact demonstrates the relevance of local contents for our clients.”

For Corral, another key is to create productions hand in hand with the best creators: “We have the best talent for producing quality series with the same level of the best movies. We’ve already begun to see the results with our first premières,” he added

In this way, Movistar Series is turning into a window for Spanish talents by betting on production in both Spain and Latin America.

According to Telefónica, at a complicated time for the industry, the Movistar+ original productions are contributing towards the revitalisation of jobs. “The Plague generated an impact of more than 400 direct jobs in the industry for sector professionals, and had more than 2,000 extras on a production with a €10 million budget,” advised José Antonio Félez, Executive Producer of The Plague. The Movistar+ original production generated a total of 1,500 direct jobs.

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