Movistar Plus International is sending a wave of Spanish television across the globe, and the deals are huge. Mubi has secured worldwide rights to two of the biggest titles from the Spanish pay TV and SVOD operator: La Mesías, from Los Javis, and Riot Police, the first premium TV series from Rodrigo Sorogoyen. The news comes from Variety, which covered the rollout at Madrid’s Iberseries & Platino Industria mega-market.
La Mesías and Riot Police
La Mesías is the breakout hit from Los Javis, the directing duo behind La Bola Negra. The four-part series explores legacy and repression through the story of a messianic mother who turns her family into a cult. It was nominated for an International Emmy.
Riot Police is Sorogoyen’s first premium TV outing. The six-part series stars Victoria Luengo, who also appeared in Sorogoyen’s film The Beloved. It follows a riot police squad caught up in an internal inquiry after a bungled eviction. The series premiered at San Sebastián in 2020 and has already closed deals with HBO Latin America and Canal+ in France.
“The series I’ve seen rarely evolve in style,” Sorogoyen told Variety in 2020. But Riot Police does in the use of hand-held, anamorphic fisheye lens camerawork for the eviction moving to a 15-minute sequence shot in the final episode.
The Showcase in Madrid
At Iberseries & Platino Industria, Movistar Plus International hosted a showcase with screenings and a cocktail. The lineup included El Castillo, a chronicle of Spain’s sex trade; Many People Have to Die, a LOL Millennial comedy from creator Victoria Martín; and Killing a Bear, a crime drama about the death of brown bear Cachou in a Pyrenees ravine in 2020.
Creators Jorge and Alberto Sánchez Cabezudo described Killing a Bear as a “small, local story vividly illustrated the polarized world we live in.”
A Year of Big Names
The deals span the whole of Spanish television. The Anatomy of a Moment, co-produced with Arte France and starring Money Heist’s Alvaro Morte, tells the story of Spanish Prime Minister Adolfo Suárez, Communist Party head Santiago Carrillo and armed forces chief Manuel Gutiérrez Mellado as they wrestle democracy for Spain over 1976-77. It also covers a 1981 coup attempt.
The series has been licensed to pubcasters RTP (Portugal), RTS (Switzerland), RTV (Slovenia) and Cinob0 (Greece).
More Deals, More Countries
Alauda Ruiz de Azua’s Querer — a marital rape series that won top best series Grand Prix at Series Mania last year — continues to roll out. Already acquired by Arte, it has now been licensed to Cinobo Poland, Italy’s MyMoviesOne, Latvia’s Latvijas Mobilais and South Korea’s LG Plus.
Sorogoyen’s The New Years, a romantic saga, sold to Greece and Poland via Cinobo, plus Latvia’s Latvijas Mobilais. The series played Venice in 2024 alongside Alfonso Cuarón’s Cate Blanchett-starrer Disclaimer for Apple TV+ and Thomas Vinterberg’s Families Like Ours.
The Full Scope
The deals cover dozens of titles across multiple countries. Here is a quick look at some of the other acquisitions:
| Title | Territory | Acquirer |
|---|---|---|
| Many People Have to Die | Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay | Flow |
| La vida breve | France | Filmo |
| OffWorld | Italy | MyMoviesOne |
| La Canción | Poland | TVP |
| El centro | South Korea | LG |
What This Means
Movistar Plus International is positioning itself as a global player. These deals mean its titles are now available in markets across Europe, Latin America, Asia and beyond. The rollout shows the strength of Spanish television abroad.
The sheer number of deals is striking. Thirty-three new deals in one announcement is a significant statement of intent.
The Bottom Line
Movistar Plus International is exporting Spanish television with confidence. The deals for La Mesías and Riot Police are the headline grabbers, but the full picture is far bigger. From El Castillo to The Nameless, the company is showing that Spanish content can compete anywhere.
The rollout at Iberseries & Platino Industria is proof of that ambition. The market is full of screenings and presentations of top titles bound for October’s Mipcom.
For audiences around the world, this means more Spanish television.
Source material: “Mubi Takes Global on Los Javis ‘La Mesías’ and Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s ‘Riot Police’ as Movistar Plus Rolls Out Iconic Hits Around the World (EXCLUSIVE),” Variety.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.