The Council of Ministers has finalized the award of a new nationwide Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) license. As anticipated within the sector, the free-to-air frequency has been granted to the Siete consortium (Servicios Integrados de Entretenimiento Televisivo). This company is managed by Andrés Varela Entrecanales and is linked to a group of Prisa shareholders assembled around Global Alconaba—a business alliance led by the so-called “rebels” of the Prisa Group, who previously attempted to oust the current owner to align the editorial line even closer with La Moncloa (the Prime Minister’s office). The venture also features the strategic advisory of media veteran José Miguel Contreras.
This award concludes a process that formally began with the tender announcement in October 2025. It has been resolved swiftly so that the new network can begin broadcasting before the end of 2026 and the start of 2027, an election year. The license will be valid for 15 years and is eligible for renewal for the same duration, provided that the requirements outlined in Law 13/2022 of July 7 are met.
The project involves equal participation, through various companies, of three Prisa shareholders: Andrés Varela—who leads the project from an industrial standpoint—Diego Prieto—a healthcare sector businessman—and Adolfo Utor—chairman of Baleària. According to Efe, these three businessmen control around 15% of Prisa’s capital. They are joined by Argentine businessman José Luis Manzano, the largest shareholder of Telefé.
The Backstory: A Clash Within Prisa
As Spanish media outlets explain today, the backstory to the award of this new DTT channel is, in reality, a tale of a political and corporate clash within the Prisa Group. The definitive split between José Miguel Contreras and the largest shareholder of the publisher of El País and Cadena SER—the fund Amber Capital, led by Joseph Oughourlian—is the catalyst that explains how the new television project was forged.
In 2024, José Miguel Contreras was appointed Content Director of Prisa Media with a priority objective: to spearhead the group’s return to nationwide free-to-air television. This was a long-standing desire within Pedro Sánchez’s inner circle to establish a powerful audiovisual counterweight against more conservative networks.
At the beginning of 2025, the plan stalled completely. Oughourlian halted the television venture and removed Contreras from his executive position. The Prisa chairman considered that plunging a heavily indebted group like Prisa into the massive costs and economic risks required to launch a DTT channel from scratch would be financial suicide. Furthermore, he did not want to bear the reputational cost of turning the group into an overtly partisan platform.
Far from abandoning the idea after being sidelined by Oughourlian, Contreras and the bloc of “rebel” Prisa shareholders aligned with Moncloa’s interests decided to make a move on their own. Contreras then drove this project forward, teaming up with Global Alconaba and several of Prisa’s “rebel shareholders,” such as Adolfo Utor, Diego Prieto, and Andrés Varela.
