Just three weeks after Arte France announced its involvement in the original series Movistar Plus+ production titled âKilling a Bear,â which was developed by the creative siblings Jorge and Alberto SĂĄnchez-Cabezudo (âCrematorium,â âThe Zoneâ), Movistar Plus+ International has ramped up its efforts to attract buyers by showcasing its latest offerings, including titles like âLa MesĂas,â âThe New Years,â âQuerer,â and âMarbella.â
This announcement coincided with the opening day of trading at Madrid’s Iberseries & Platino Industria, marking a significant moment in the venture’s international sales strategy.
Overall, Movistar Plus+ International, which represents the largest Spanish pay TV/SVOD operator, has launched 35 licensing agreements, many of which are part of co-production ventures.
Arte France
In a series of impressive agreementsâsome publicly acknowledged and others notâArte France is teaming up to co-produce âKilling a Bear,â a murder mystery series rooted in real-life events that began with the discovery of Cachou, a brown bear, dead in a ravine in the picturesque Aran Valley of the Pyrenees in 2020. This tragic discovery triggered Spain’s first criminal investigation into the death of a wild animal, potentially marking a first for Europe as well.
âKilling a Bearâ aims to delve into the various conflicting perspectives surrounding the incident, tackling issues of identity, environmentalism, and the inherent violence that can accompany coexistence, as described by the SĂĄnchez-Cabezudo brothers during the show’s production kickoff in mid-September.
Remarkably, âKilling a Bearâ will be the fourth collaborative project between Movistar Plus+ and Arte France, following Pepe Coira’s gritty Canary Islands crime drama âHierroâ (2019), Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s romantic drama âThe New Yearsâ (2024)âwhich made waves at the Venice Film Festival alongside Alfonso CuarĂłnâs âDisclaimerââand Thomas Vinterberg’s âFamilies Like Ours,â which was distributed by StudioCanal.
This past March, during Series Mania’s major announcements, Movistar Plus+ and Arte France revealed their co-production, âThe Anatomy of a Moment.â This miniseries envisioned by Alberto RodrĂguez focuses on three pivotal figuresâSpanish Prime Minister Adolfo SuĂĄrez, Spanish Communist Party leader Santiago Carrillo, and armed forces chief Manuel GutiĂ©rrez Melladoâwho played crucial roles in securing democracy for Spain during the years 1976-77. The series recounts how they maintained their composure when a rogue faction of army rebels stormed Spain’s Congress in 1981, an event that nearly jeopardized democracy.
âThe Anatomy of a Momentâ premiered to critical acclaim last Friday at the San SebastiĂĄn Film Festival, with Spanish newspaper El Mundo describing the four-part miniseries as âmagnetic,â while El Correo referred to it as âthe series of the year.â
Arte France also acquired âLa MesĂas,â a compelling family drama and legal thriller created by the visionary duo Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo, known as âLos Javis,â and âQuerer,â a tense family drama from Alauda Ruiz de AzĂșa.
âFor the first time, we have multiple projects simultaneously with the same commissioner and the same production unit from a single company, whether it’s a broadcaster or platform,â shared Alexandre Piel, Arte France’s deputy head of drama, with Variety this March.
Milestone Deals with Disney+, Walter Presents, RaiPlay
Other significant recent agreements include a partnership between Movistar Plus+ and Disney+ for the pan-Latin American distribution of two prominent titles: âThe Nameless,â produced by Filmax (â[REC]â), which was directed by Pau Freixas, and âMarbella,â developed by Dani de la Torre and Alberto Marini, the minds behind the previous Movistar Plus+ series âThe Unit,â which enjoyed a successful run for three seasons.
Described by Jorge Pezzi, Movistar Plus+’s director of fiction and alliances, as a âpsychological thriller rather than a horror piece,â âThe Namelessâ was released on Disney+ on September 10, facilitated through a collaboration between Movistar Plus+ and Pablo Bossiâs Gloriamundi Producciones.
Both âThe Namelessâ and âThe Anatomy of the Momentâ will serve as flagship titles for Movistar Plus+ International at the upcoming Cannes Mipcom trade fair scheduled for October 13-16.
Additionally, the Marbella crime drama, centered around a mob lawyer, has been secured by the UKâs Channel 4 streaming service, Walter Presents, which has also acquired both seasons of âHierroâ and AgustĂn MartĂnezâs rural crime series âSecond Deathâ (âLa Caza. Iratiâ).
RaiPlay, the on-demand service of Italy’s public broadcaster, recently launched âThe New Years,â receiving positive viewer engagement and critical praise.
Licensing Pacts: ‘La MesĂas,’ ‘The New Years,’ ‘Querer,’ ‘Marbella’
âMarbellaâ has also been picked up by leading movie and television distributor NOS Lusomundo in Portugal, alongside âQuerer,â âThe New Years,â and âLa MesĂas.â
These series are riding the wave of festival accolades and awardsââQuererâ won the Grand Prix at Series Mania this March, while France’s LibĂ©ration called âLa MesĂasâ one of the most visually stunning series of the year. All four titles have become bestsellers from Movistar Plus+.
The marital rape drama âQuererâ has been licensed to Argentinaâs Flow and Greeceâs Cinobo, while âThe New Yearsâ and âLa MesĂasâ have been secured by Flow, Cinobo, and South Korea’s LG. âLa MesĂasâ narrates one manâs struggle with a restrictive religious upbringing and is also licensed by Italian streaming service My Movies One, Lithuaniaâs public broadcaster LRT, and Greeceâs Cinobo.
These licensing contracts span from major global streaming platforms (such as Disney+) to free-to-air broadcasters (like Channel 4) and upscale international streaming services. The agreements revolve around projects with a strong artistic vision or what Omdiaâs Maria Rua Aguete refers to as âcrossover fictionsâ that marry auteur influences with broader, often thriller-esque narratives. Examples include âThe New Years,â âThe Nameless,â âMarbella,â and âOffworld,â an innovative global drama-thriller set against a blackout.
A Drill-Down on More Deals:
*Cinobo: The upscale Greek SVOD service has also acquired âRiot Police,â the debut series by Rodrigo Sorogoyen that became a massive hit at the 2020 San SebastiĂĄn Festival, along with âOffworldâ and the 2025 release âLa canciĂłn,â a project revisiting Spainâs unforgettable 1968 Eurovision victory and its impact on the nationâs emerging democracy.
*TRT: The Turkish public broadcaster has secured âRiot Police,â âOffworld,â the art world satire âBellas Artesâ from Mariano Cohn and GastĂłn Duprat, as well as âHierroâ and âThe Left-Handed Son,â which won the Best Short Format Series award at the 2023 Canneseries festival, marking the directorial debut of Rafael Cobos.
*South Korea’s LG also licensed a range of titles, including âRiot Police,â âOffworld,â âBellas Artes,â âThe Left-Handed Son,â âGalgos,â âHierro,â âLa MesĂas,â and âSentimos las Molestias,â a dramedy exploring later life, from Ălvaro FernĂĄndez Armero and Juan Cavestany, creators behind the groundbreaking Movistar Plus+ comedy âVergĂŒenzaâ (2017).
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