Movistar Plus doubles Spanish slate, renews Martin series
Movistar Plus will double its Spanish original series to 16 titles a year, and it has already renewed one of its buzziest new shows.
The Spanish pay-TV platform has ordered Season 2 of "Many People Need to Die," the series debut of YouTube-podcast comedian Victoria Martín, who created the show, according to Variety. The renewal was part of a wider slate update from CEO Alfonso Gómez Palacio.
Martín built her audience online and in podcasting before moving into scripted television. A second season means her writers' room stays open. It also means her story gets finished on screen rather than left as a one-off.
The next slate mixes new voices with established film talent. "The Castle" is the TV debut as series co-creator for Isabel Peña, the longtime co-writer of director Rodrigo Sorogoyen. Peña has written features for years. Now she runs a show of her own.
Crime thriller "Killing a Bear" was created by Jorge Sánchez-Cabezudo and Alberto Sánchez-Cabezudo and shot in Catalonia's Aran Valley. It is the fourth co-production, meaning a series jointly financed and made, between Movistar Plus and Arte France, the French leg of pan-European public broadcaster Arte.
Movistar Plus is also bringing back "Celeste" for Season 2. The new season is co-produced with The Mediapro Studio, with Mediapro Studio Distribution handling international sales, the business of selling broadcast and streaming rights outside Spain.
The expansion follows a strong awards run. Movistar Plus Originals "Querer" and "Celeste" took two top prizes at Series Mania. The company also received International Emmy nominations for "The Anatomy of a Moment" and for Javier Cámara as best actor in "Jakarta."
For viewers, this means more Spanish stories, faster. Eight shows a year becomes 16. That is twice as many casts and crews at work, and twice as many premieres to choose from.
The push fits a wider shift in Spain. Movistar Plus is scaling up in Spanish originals while other broadcasters lean harder into licensing and partnerships, according to Variety. Atresmedia is strengthening its longstanding relationship with Netflix. Its latest deal brings Antena 3's daily drama "Dreams of Freedom" to Netflix, alongside programmes including 'El Hormiguero', 'El Intermedio', 'Pasapalabra' and 'Equipo de Investigación', plus catalog title 'Veneno'.
The numbers are climbing. The volume of content Netflix licensed in Spain rose from 2,420 hours in 2024 to 2,829 hours in 2025, per Ampere Analysis estimates. Around 700 of those 2025 hours came from RTVE and Atresmedia, up from 543 a year earlier. Guy Bisson is executive director of Ampere Analysis.
Other players are cutting different deals. Since 2025, a Disney+ deal brings Spanish subscribers 300-plus hours annually from Atresmedia's Atresplayer. Mediterráneo Mediaset España Group, led by CEO Ghislain Barrois, is placing a large emphasis on international sales. RTVE, through deputy director of co-productions Rafael Bardem, shares financing and rights with overseas partners using advance financing agreements that divide territories and exploitation windows. Catalonia's 3Cat, where Pío Vernis is director of audiovisual business, brings partners aboard at the development stage while seeking a Catalan premiere for projects it leads.
