Telefónica España plans to become the largest producer of content in Spanish worldwide, according to Luis Miguel Gilpérez, the company’s president.
Speaking in Seville at the start of filming of La Peste, an original production in which the company will invest €10 million, he provided an outline of its pay-TV strategy.
Gilpérez said: that it had presented Movistar+’s original production strategy a year ago and was now embarking on a race that would turn Telefónica into a content creator.
He added that TV, together with fibre and mobile networks, is now a pillar in Telefónica’s strategy. Having the best TV proposal within Fusion allows the company to incorporate a unique differentiating element into its converged offer and provide additional value to its network.
When asked about the pay-TV sector Gilpérez said Telefónica’s involvement had boosted a market that had been stagnant, with average penetration even now, at 33%, still far below that of other European countries. Telefónica, which has 3.7 million pay-TV customers and a market share if 66%, has already made a significant contribution to its growth.
Gilpérez added Movistar + would soon become the main hub of original content in Spanish and that Telefónica would spend $70 million on the production of 10 new series in one year.