No company in the world has more market screenings at Mipcom, the biggest TV event in the world, than Telefonica pay TV unit Movistar Plus. It’s already Spain’s No. 1 content player, investing €841.1 million ($925.2 million) in programming this year, according to IHS Markit estimates. Now, it looks set to get even bigger.On Sept. 20, Telefonica and Spanish network Atresmedia announced a framework agreement to create a 50/50 joint venture production-distribution giant to produce both series and feature films,...
Atresmedia
Silvio
González
CEO
The unassuming González has led Spain’s Atresmedia since 2008, steadily building its reputation as a powerhouse in the country’s blooming scripted-TV industry. The company’s audiovisual group is home to free-to-air channel Antena 3, SVOD Atresplayer Premium and radio station Onda Cero, but González has also focused on putting content production front and center, part of a strategy to lessen dependence on the advertising market. The original co-producer of Netflix’s global hit “Money Heist” (“La Casa de Papel”), Atresmedia has grown audiences for Spanish series abroad with “Grand Hotel,” “Velvet” and “Locked Up.” Its movie arm produced Sergio Pablos’ Oscar-nominated Netflix animation, “Klaus.” In a key deal this year, the company unveiled Buendía Estudios, a joint venture with telecom giant Telefónica to finance the development of Spanish-language premium content.