Movistar Plus is marking the start of Alfonso Gómez Palacio’s tenure as CEO with a restructuring of its operations, as the leading Spanish pay TV/SVOD platform launches a new content and sports framework.
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Gómez Palacio succeeded Daniel Domenjó, who left the post in April after just over a year as CEO of Movistar Plus. His appointment suggest a shift in executive profile, from Domenjó, a TV producer and former Satisfaction Iberia and Mediacrest executive, to a long-serving Telefónica operator with deep experience in Latin America and corporate management.
The restructuring comes as Movistar Plus+ has helped Spain score a historic first of three Palme d’Or contenders in main Cannes competition. The pay TV/SVOD service co-produced or put down a substantal pre-buy on all three Spanish titles: Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s “The Beloved” (“El ser querido”), starring Javier Bardem; Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo’s “La bola negra,” with Penélope Cruz and Pedro Almodóvar’s “Bitter Christmas” (“Amarga Navidad”).
Movistar Plus+ also said it added 86,000 net customers in the first quarter, taking its paying subscriber base to 3.9 million.
For Spain’s film industry, that Cannes footprint carries industrial weight. Movistar Plus+ has become one of the country’s driving forces for ambitious Spanish cinema, backing what it calls “event auteur” features, premium series, documentaries and commercially positioned films at a time when local producers are seeking scale, international visibility and reliable financing partners.
The new organization is structured around two main areas: content and sport. Juan Andrés García Ropero, widely known as “Bropi,” will head the content division, assuming responsibility for films, series, documentaries, programs and new in-house production formats.
García Rodero joined Movistar Plus+ in 2018 and has played a significant role in the development of the platform’s sports content offer. His appointment now gives him larger oversight, in a move, Movistar Plus+ said Monday, designed to reinforce editorial capacity and production strategy.
Under García Rodero, content will be organized into four units. Bruna Hernando will lead Movistar Plus+ Originals, integrating scripted series and non-fiction originals. Guillermo Farré will remain as head of Spanish Cinema. Iñigo Trojaola will oversee Editorial Development and Acquisitions, while Hugo Tomás will lead Entertainment.
Enric Rojas will continue to head Business Management and Sports, keeping oversight of one of Movistar Plus’ core differentiators in the Spanish market. Sports rights, original coverage and recognized on-air talent remain central to the platform’s positioning, particularly within Movistar’s broader convergent offer.
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“Movistar Plus is opening a new stage with a clear ambition: to grow, invest in content and offer more and better entertainment services to our customers,” said Gómez Palacio.
He added that the platform will remain “a key piece within Telefónica and Movistar’s convergent value proposition,” pointing to entertainment, sport and distinctive content as increasingly important elements in the company’s relationship with customers.
Gómez Palacio brings a largely telecoms and operations background to the role. He previously led Telefónica Hispanoamérica, after earlier senior positions including leadership of Telefónica Colombia and Telefónica Hispam Norte. His career places him closer to Telefónica’s broader customer, business and regional strategy than to the traditional profile of a television content executive.
Gómez Palacio’s profile also points to Movistar Plus’ broader role inside Telefónica España, where the service aids customer retention, bundled offers and premium differentiation. It has also been widening access through new offers , including a free tier and Plan Libre: Cine y Series, priced at €4.99 ($5.80), for customers focused on films and series rather than sport.
One open industry question is the extent of further change inside the content team. Kinótico first reported that Fran Araújo, executive producer of original fiction at Movistar Plus+ and a key figure in its scripted strategy, is leaving the company.
Araújo has been closely associated with emblematic Movistar Plus+ productions as an excutive producer including Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s prestige police drama “Riot Police” (“Antidisturbios”), Alejandro Amenábar’s international-facing limited series “La Fortuna” and Alberto Rodríguez’s “Anatomy of a Moment” (“Anatomía de un instante”), one of the platform’s major recent political-history bets, where he also served a one of its writers.
He also co-wrote crime dramas “Hierro” and “Rapa,” two of Movistar Plus’ biggest hits, and was the creative driving force behind the boldly experimental series “Offworld” (“Apagón”).