Quiero Television, the Spanish group which is poised to launch Europe's second digital terrestrial broadcasting operation, has struck its first output deal with a major studio. The outfit, previously known as Onda Digital, is poised to unveil a wide-ranging supply deal with Universal Studios.

The deal, which is arranged through Universal Studios International BV, will enable Quiero to launch a strand of movie programming to be branded Quiero Cine.

The deal is understood to include three elements:

  • non-exclusive five-year rights to Universal Studios' current films, including such titles as Liar Liar and Bowfinger, for pay-per-view exploitation.
  • five-year carriage of the Studio Universal channel, a more generalist network, which runs contemporary movies in third position after PPV and premium services. The Studio Universal channel has to date only been launched in Italy and Germany.
  • five year carriage of Calle 13, a local Spanish version of Universal Television & Networks Group's 13th Street, an action and suspense channel which is currently operational in France, Germany and Spain. Universal Television & Networks Group recently reported that Calle 13 has close to 800,000 Spanish subscribers on the Canal Satelite Digital platform.

    • Quiero, which recently raised an additional $67m in equity capital, is 49% owned by transmission network owner Retevision alongside Media Park (15%), Grupo Planeta (10%) and the UK's Carlton (7.5%).

    Only the second digital terrestrial network in Europe, after the UK's ONdigital, Quiero TV aims to launch on-air services of at least 14 channels by the second quarter of 2000.