Entrepreneur and TV producer Daniel Domenjó has been named CEO of Movistar Plus+, Spain’s biggest national payTV/streaming service, replacing Cristina Burzako.
The appointment was announced by Movistar Plus+ parent Telefónica on Thursday.
The same reshuffle sees the departure of Sergio Oslé, president of Movistar Plus+ from 2017. Promoted to managing director of Teléfonica Spain in 2021, he continued to champion Movistar Plus+. He is replaced by Javier de la Paz, already a Telefónica board member.
Burzako will remain a board member of brand Movistar Plus+’s official company name Telefónica Audiovisual Digital and will take on new responsibilities in the group.
The massive management overhaul at the Spanish telco has been sparked by the substitution this January of José María Alvárez-Pallete by former Indra Sistemas Marc Murtra as its chairman-CEO.
That change came in turn after Saudi Arabian telecoms group STC announced in 2023 that it had bought 4.9% of Telefonica, signalling its intention to raise that to near 10%. In response, in November 2024 Spanish government holding company SEPI acquired a 9.97% stake in Telefónica and Criteria Caixa, part of Caixa, Spain’s second biggest bank, raised its own participation to 9.9%.
An unscripted specialist, Domenjó carved out a reputation as an interviewer and documentarian before working as executive director of the fast-growing Mediacrest Entertainment over 2019-23, where he produced early evening TVE 1 “El Cazador,” a Spanish version of classic Granada Studios gameshow format “The Chase,” and “Mapi,” another gameshow, on TVE1/Clan, adapting Japan’s . He left to launch Satisfaction Iberia, which has reversion Dutch formats “The Floor” and “La Conexión.”
Movistar Plus+ Stats
After Movistar Plus+ emergence over the last decade as one of Spain’s key original production players, just how Domenjó’s appointment and new top management under Murtra affects Movistar Plus+ is a huge question for Spanish film and TV. During Burzako’s tenure, Movistar Plus+ launched in 2023 a souped up version of its basic tier now priced at €9.99 ($11) a month which means that it is turning a profit. Movistar had made a net 100,000 new adds to its subscriber base over the last five quarters, according to full year 2024 results, announced late February.
In terms of social media and streaming services, Movistar Plus+ ranks as No. 7 in Spain, watched at least once a day by 13% of Spaniards, as compared to free-to-air services (53%), YouTube (40%), Instagram (36%), TikTok (28%), Netflix (26%) and Prime Video (19%) but ahead of Disney+ (9%) and Max (5%%), according to María Rua Aguete, Omdia senior research director, consumer research group, media and entertainment.
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Under Domingo Corral, director of fiction of Spain’s merged Canal+ and Movistar TV from 2015, and Movistar Plus+ director of fiction and entertainment content rom 2023, Movistar Plus+ has consolidated as a local hero, backing series of large artistic ambition and others which take stock genres – the rural mystery murder of “Rapa” Season 1, only to subvert its precepts.
After Alberto Rodriguez “Prison 1977” bowed on Movistar Plus+ to become its most watched movie of any nationality on the service since the pre-pandemic Spring 2020, Movistra Plus’ has driven into producing event auteur movies, which count some of the most awaited and biggest Spanish films of the year, such as Sorogoyen’s “The Beloved,” starring Javier Bardem, and Rodríguez’s large scale “Los Tigres.”
In a year of international recognition, Sorogoyen’s series “The New Years” was selected for Venice Festival, alongside TV drama titles from Alfonso Cuarón, Thomas Vinterberg and Joe Wright; “La Mesiás,” from Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo, bowed on France’s Arte to rave reviews (“one of the most beautiful series of the year,” Libération announced last November; three Movistar Plus+ series now play at Series Mania, one, the acclaimed “Querer,” in main competition.
“Movistar Plus+ has indeed established itself as a powerhouse in high-quality Spanish content with international reach. Productions like “La Unidad,” “Riot Police,” and “Hierro” have resonated across Europe and Latin America, reinforcing its position as a key player in premium scripted content,” said Omdia’s Rua Aguete. “Under Daniel Domenjó’s leadership, its ability to produce critically acclaimed, globally distributed series will be a valuable asset.”
La Mesias
Courtesy of Movistar Plus
Movistar Plus+: Its Future?
That does not mean that Movistar Plus+ will not evolve. As global streamers go through a process of “broadcastification,” Movistar Plus+, a notably premium service to date, may seek to follow suit.
It may also be obliged to make more of a play for younger audiences, Rua Aguete argued.
“Like many traditional platforms, Movistar Plus+ faces the challenge of engaging younger audiences who primarily consume content on YouTube, TikTok, and social media,” she said.
“The success of platforms like Netflix and Prime Video in integrating digital-native creators and interactive formats highlights a crucial opportunity. If Movistar Plus+ aims to future-proof its strategy, embracing YouTuber collaborations, digital-first content, and influencer-driven engagement could be key to attracting Gen Z audiences,” she added.
“Moreover, the Spanish market remains highly competitive, with global streaming giants and local players vying for attention. Movistar Plus+’s stronghold in Spain gives it an advantage, but staying ahead will require continuous innovation in content strategy, distribution, and audience engagement.”
The New Years
Credit: Movistar Plus+
