Movistar Plus restructures content division under new CEO Alfonso Gómez Palacio

Spanish pay TV and streaming platform Movistar Plus has formalised its new structure under CEO Alfonso Gómez Palacio, splitting the editorial side of the business into two main divisions: content and sports.

Alfonso Gómez Palacio

The Telefónica España-owned company – which has also dropped the plus sign from its name – is entering a new phase in which it will focus on investing in content and boosting Spanish talent and creative ambition, while keeping the Movistar Plus quality hallmark “intact,” according to Gómez Palacio.

While the business management and sports division will continue under the leadership of Enric Rojas, the content division is being significantly restructured under Juan Andrés García Ropero, known as Bropi, to integrate the production of films, series, documentaries, entertainment shows and new formats.

Following the departures of fiction chief Jorge Pezzi and non-fiction head Jorge Ortiz de Landázuri, the company has unified its scripted and unscripted originals under the Originals Movistar Plus unit, led by Bruna Hernando.

That will be one of four units within the content division. The others are Spanish cinema, headed by Guillermo Farré; editorial development/acquisitions, led by Iñigo Trojaola; and entertainment, overseen by Hugo Tomás.

The changes come after the departure of former CEO Daniel Domenjó, which has been followed by other key exits in recent weeks, including Pezzi and executive producer Fran Araújo, who is leaving the company after nearly a decade.

“Movistar Plus is entering a new phase with a clear ambition: to grow, invest in content and offer more and better entertainment services to our customers,” said Gómez Palacio. “The company aims to continue proving that it competes through a distinctive proposition based on Spanish talent, creative ambition, industrial capabilities and sustained investment in projects that create value for customers and drive the entire Spanish audiovisual sector.”

Movistar Plus wants to “grow in volume but also in relevance,” according to a statement, expanding its production capacity, reaching broader audiences and maintaining a recognisable editorial identity.

“The ambition of this new phase is not to choose between quality and growth, but to demonstrate that both dimensions can reinforce each other,” the statement added.

The sports division, meanwhile, will remain “one of the platform’s key differentiating elements.”

Movistar Plus also highlighted that the restructuring comes during a period of growth, after adding 86,000 net customers in the first quarter to reach 3.9 million paying subscribers.

“This growth reinforces the platform’s strategy: a broad proposition, high-quality content, stronger commercial focus, a more flexible offering and a closer relationship with customers,” the statement said.

As part of the new phase, the company has also decided to simplify its branding, changing its name from Movistar Plus+ to Movistar Plus.