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Telefónica eyes Euro SVoD service

La Peste is billed as Telefónica’s flagship show

Spanish telco Telefónica is reportedly preparing to launch a European subscription VoD service as part of its strategy to take on players such as Netflix and HBO.

Telefónica is considering launching Movistar+ as an SVoD offering in countries where the pay TV service is not available, such as the UK and Germany, according to Spanish news outlet El Pais.

It comes after Telefónica announced plans to become the world’s leading supplier of Spanish content earlier this year, shortly after selling its stake in Argentinean broadcaster Telefe to Viacom for US$345m.

The telco has committed €70m (US$75m) to original series in 2017, with a target of producing 14 by the end of next year.

The first, La Peste (6×50′), has been billed as Telefónica’s flagship show. Made on a budget of €10m, it is set in Seville in the 16th century during a bubonic plague epidemic.

Telefónica has seen Netflix, HBO and Amazon encroach on Movistar’s turf in recent years and a launch of an international streaming service would represent the company attempting to turn the tables on the overseas players.

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