The Ministry for Digital Transformation has formalized the concession of this new frequency following a public tender. The Siete consortium (Servicios Integrados de Entretenimiento Televisivo) has the strategic advice of José Miguel Contreras, founder of Globomedia and La Sexta. Among the project's investors is Adolfo Utor, president of Baleària, the shipping company based in Dénia. Utor is also a minority shareholder in Prisa.
The resolution imposes a strict timeline: the new channel must launch its technical and content operations within six months, being operational before November 2026. The license will be valid for 15 years, with the possibility of renewal for an equal period.
This award is part of the National Technical Plan for TDT, approved in March 2025, which will redistribute the digital multiplexes with national coverage. The new channel must notify its start date for broadcasting to organize the new channel distribution, requiring a general retuning of televisions.
Minister Óscar López defended the transparency and legality of the procedure, comparing it to previous processes. To meet the technical solvency requirements, the consortium has incorporated José Luis Manzano, owner of Integra and shareholder of the historic Argentine television channel Telefé, as an industrial partner, who will hold approximately 25% of the project's capital. Majority control and decision-making will remain with Spanish investors.
The decision concludes a selection process marked by internal restructuring within the Prisa group. The television project's rejection by Prisa's leadership, headed by its president Joseph Oughourlian, led to the departure of Carlos Núñez and José Miguel Contreras, who decided to move the initiative to the private sector.
Mediaset España's bid was affected by the saturation of frequencies under its control, as it manages seven national channels, limiting its capacity to bid for a new license under the competition and plurality criteria.
Siete has announced that the new channel will be the first stage of a broader content platform, based on original production, current affairs, and live content. The programming will aim for diversity and plurality, with communication professionals leading each segment. The DVB-T2 technology will enable ultra-high definition (UHD) broadcasts.
The digital world will be the base territory from which all types of content will be disseminated through all available windows.
Luis Morales Losada, a collaborator of Andrés Varela, will be the project's production manager, after 21 years as head of production at Mediapro.
