Telefonica, Vivendi Clinch Studio Plus Latin America Distribution Deal
MADRID — France’s Vivendi Group and Spain’s Telefonica have inked an agreement for the giant Spanish telco to distribute Studio Plus and its mobile-native content in Latin America.
A production label making short-format, premium international series for mobiles, Studio Plus was announced as bowing in September/October in Europe and Latin America, reaching 20 countries at the beginning.
The Vivendi-Telefonica deal, which also sees Telefonica acquiring exclusive rights to premium Vivendi music-video platform WatchMusic, makes Telefonica the first telco to sign up for Studio Plus. The deal marks the first significant alliance between Vivendi and Telefonica, Vivendi’s most obvious partner in Spain and Latin America for building a Southern European media empire, as Vivendi’s partnership with Italy’s Mediaset stalls.
A Telefonica statement gave no dates for the launch of Studio Plus across Latin America, where it will be offered under the Movistar and Vivo brands. Packing ten 10-minute episodes, Studio Plus’ first series will be unveiled in upcoming weeks.
WatchMusic, which will offer unlimited access to music videos, concerts and festivals plus original content such as “WatchMusic Moments,” will launch in Brazil in October via Vivo.
“Vivendi and Telefonica share the same view that compelling content and innovative formats will meet the expectations of new audiences,” Dominique Delport, chairman of Vivendi Content, said in a statement.
He added that “there is still a lack of premium content” designed for mobile customers and that Vivendi intends to roll out the services globally “in the next months.”
“We’ve seen a mobile-first mindset that confirms the smartphone is the most favored way to access Iinternet experiences for most of our millions of mobile customers worldwide,” said Michael Duncan, Telefonica Group CEO of its consumer unit.
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