Telefonica, RTVE forge alliance

SITGES -- A few Spain's finest TV companies, telco Telefonica and pubcaster RTVE, have forged a co-production and sponsorship alliance. First productions up are "Entre dos aguas" and "Years of age p mayor quiero ser espanol." Produced by Javier Limon, shot by Telefonica, in colaboration with RTVE and Barcelona producer Ovideo, "Aguas" explores the interface between music round the Atlantic seaboard as well as the Mediterranean. "Years of age p mayor," one more docuseries, has Guillermo Fesser and Juan Luis Cano, both star The the spanish language language radio presenters, ending up in Spaniards who've handled to obtain abroad. Both shows broadcast late evening on La 2, RTVE's second historic funnel, the pubcaster is positioning just like a culture service. "Aguas" bows Friday "Years of age p mayor" already airs. Another link-up, "La nube," an interactive magazine on the internet sites and Internet news sites, will bow this fall on La 2. The RTVE alliance adds to Telefonica's building presence within the the spanish language language film and TV: The giant telco, with Euros60.7 billion ($80.1 billion) revenues this season, works a web-based TV funnel, Terra TV, an IPTV funnel, Imagenio, bowed 2005 and is now offering 785,000 clients, plus an over-the-top service, Videoclub Movistar. Telefonica also intervenes every once in awhile in movie productions, the newest being the Studiocanal-offered 3d toon feature "Tad, the Lost Explorer," produced by Telecinco Cinema, El Toro Prods., Ikiru Films and Lightbox Ing. Telefonica adds co-production equity. Telefonica's film-TV incursions remain, however, so far, isolated initiatives driven by different divisions. Introduced early September, Telefonica Digital, a completely new umbrella initiative at Telefonica, looks set to group and up its content production. Exactly how, however -- which is one of the finest questions hanging within the the spanish language language production -- still remains to look. Contact Variety Staff at news@variety.com