Igor Seoane, director of the company PUERTO 80, is required to pay half of the damages jointly and severally

ROJA DIRECTA, the historic illegal sports content website, has been sentenced to pay damages amounting to €31.6M to GRUP MEDIAPRO for piracy of football content owned by the group. Commercial Court No. 2 in A Coruña has set the compensation PUERTO 80 and its administrator, Igor Seoane, are required to pay GRUP MEDIAPRO for the resulting damages caused by the broadcast of LALIGA matches for which the associated intellectual property rights belonged to the audiovisual group during the 14/15 season.

Previously, in 2022, the Supreme Court ruled that PUERTO 80 PROJECTS and its administrator, Igor Seoane, were responsible for the illicit activities carried out by the Roja Directa website, illegally distributing LALIGA matches, and the vast economic benefits earned from this activity. Now, the Court of A Coruña has established compensation for the damages caused at €31.6M, of which €15.8M is jointly and severally liable to the company’s director, Igor Seoane. Compensation was calculated based on the economic consideration that PUERTO 80 PROJECTS should have paid to GRUP MEDIAPRO to have access to the signal. Almost 10 years after the legal proceedings got underway, GRUP MEDIAPRO has finally managed to demand closure of the website in Spain and to set compensation for the infringement of related intellectual property rights.

The ROJA DIRECTA website provided access in Spain to illegal content, thereby infringing intellectual property rights through links that allowed live viewing of Spanish league matches as well as other sports content broadcast on pay-per-view television. Although access was free for users, PUERTO 80 PROJECTS obtained millions of dollars in revenue through advertising and commissions for redirecting traffic to sportsbook websites. Judicial expert reports from 2022 revealed revenues in excess of €11 million in just one of the company's accounts.

At the same time, the director and sole administrator of PUERTO 80 PROJECTS is facing criminal proceedings, brought by GRUP MEDIAPRO and LALIGA, for the ongoing illegal activity of intellectual property rights’ violation via ROJA DIRECTA and for the profits obtained from said illegal activity. The prosecutor for the case, which is currently is the oral hearing stage, is requesting a 4-year prison term for PUERTO 80’s administrator, while GRUP MEDIAPRO and LALIGA are demanding a 6-year term. PUERTO 80 PROJECTS and its administrator were required to have deposited a bond of €4M to cover future liabilities given the "special economic significance" of the profits obtained and the damages caused, according to the prosecutor’s conclusions. PUERTO 80 PROJECTS continues its illegal activities outside Spain.

GRUP MEDIAPRO has been the technical services provider for the Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS) tournament held in the Copper Box Arena at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London (United Kingdom). The partnership further affirms UTS’ confidence in the group, which already in 2024 produced its tournaments in New York (United States), in August, and in Frankfurt (Germany), in late October.

Through its audiovisual services division, Broadcast Media Services (BMS), GRUP MEDIAPRO provided the broadcast equipment and specialist personnel for the production of all three of these sporting events, deploying a 25-strong team and a range of broadcast equipment, including a mobile unit, in order to produce the audiovisual signal for each event. Among the 15 cameras used were two slow motion cameras, two NetCams, one gimbal with an RF-mount cinema camera, and seven PTZ cameras.

The UTS is an innovative league that has modified some of the rules of traditional tennis. The matches are more fast-paced with greater interaction between players and fans. This new format demands a more dynamic approach to audiovisual production. In 2024, the competitions were available to watch on the group's GolStadium platform.

Ultimate Tennis Showdown has chosen GRUP MEDIAPRO as its partner on the strength of its extensive track record in live events, with over 20,000 productions a year. The group’s vast experience in the production of sporting events includes the America's Cup (Barcelona, 2024), the European Games (Krakow, 2023), the Pan American and Parapan American Games (Chile, in 2023, and Peru, 2019) and the Mediterranean Games (Oran, 2022), among various other competitions.

Mediapro Events, GRUP MEDIAPRO's events agency, has walked away with 12 FIP awards at the International Festival of Creativity, Innovation and Events. The group’s work received multiple accolades, picking up one “Gran Prix”, two gold, six silver and three bronze awards at the event, held last weekend in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The judges praised the group’s creativity, organization and production as displayed at major international events over the course of this year, awarding it a prestigious “Gran Prix” prize for Best Product Launch for the Coca-Cola Europacific Partners event, which also garnered a bronze award for Best Design and Decoration. Mediapro Events’ work at the Latin GRAMMY Premiere and The Person of the Year Gala (Seville, 2023) won five awards: two gold awards, for best cultural event and for best design and decoration; two silver awards, for the best celebrity event and for the best gala event; and one bronze award, in the best musical and artistic event category. The 2023 edition was the very first time that the Latin Recording Academy chose to hold the annual awards outside the United States and Mediapro Events mobilized a large team to ensure its success.

The FIP judges also recognized GRUP MEDIAPRO’s organization and production of the Disney centenary celebration at the Teatro Real in Madrid (silver award for best cultural event) and its work at the Repsol Book Fair (silver awards for best children's event; best interactive event; and best stand, backdrop and special project); as well as the agency's role in the production of the Mahou San Miguel Foundation graduation ceremony (bronze award for the best cause-related marketing initiative).

Mediapro Events thus closes out a year of stand-out productions with its work honored at various national and international award ceremonies. In addition to its success at FIP, in 2024 the group won six Eventoplus awards, one MID Tech award and six AEVEA awards.

Distributed to more than 90 countries, the international premiere of the series will extend to SBS Australia in December and soon also to Hulu Japan

Created by Ran Tellem, directed by Jorge Dorado and starring John Lynch, Katharine O'Donnelly and Olivia Morris, this season features, among others, Spanish actress Clara Galle

‘The Head 3’, the final season of ‘The Head’ trilogy, is set to make its international debut on December 19 on MAX, with a simultaneous launch in the United States, Latin America, Spain and Portugal. (Due to the time difference, it will be available in the latter two countries as of the 20th).

Produced by THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO in association with Hulu Japan, the series is created by Ran Tellem, Director of International Content at THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO, who is also an executive producer along with Laura Fernández Espeso, Javier Méndez and Bernat Elías. The series, distributed to more than 90 countries – as with the previous seasons – will also debut on SBS Australia on December 26 and shortly on Hulu Japan.

Shot in English, ‘The Head’ has become one of THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO's main international franchises and was rated one of the best series of 2022 by Variety magazine. The third and final season was unveiled for the first time at the Sitges International Film Festival on October 6.

As is traditional with the franchise, the artistic team of ‘The Head 3’ brings together an international cast of actors from diverse countries and this time has an even stronger multicultural flavor, featuring British, Spanish, German, Japanese, Irish, French, Sudanese and Danish actors.

John Lynch (Blue Lights, The Fall), Katharine O’Donnelly (Mary, Queen of Scots), both in the series from the outset, and OIivia Morris (Hotel Portofino), who joined in season two, are once again the show’s leads. Also returning are Ben Cura (Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story) and Olwen Fouéré (The Northman, The Crown), who appeared in season two.

Notable additions to the cast this season include Spanish actress Clara Galle (Through My Window, The Boarding School: Las Cumbres), as well as Stanley Weber (Borgia, Outlander), Nine D'Urso (Cristóbal Balenciaga, Suspended Time), Ned Dennehy (Peaky Blinders, Outlander), Godehard Giese (Babylon Berlin) and Sara-Marie Maltha (The Killing), John Kavanagh (The Tudors, The Black Dahlia) and Atsuro Watabe (The Flowers of War, Ran), among others.

“This season, which brings to an end the severed heads trilogy, is the most savage of all,” says Jorge Dorado, who is back to direct these six new episodes and adds that: “It has been an incredible experience working with a technical and artistic team of the highest caliber. This season we have traversed deserts, descended to the depths of the earth, crossed seas and dodged fires. We have been baked by the scorching sun and frozen during the darkest night."

Season three boasts a team of international screenwriters including Spanish-British pair Teresa de Pelegrí and Dominic Harari (Only Human, The Food Guide to Love), Britain’s Rachel Kilfeather (Vikings: Valhalla S3) the North American Martine Moore (Bwitches) and Britain’s Pearse Lehane (Doctor Who Confidential).

The hallmark of this franchise has been to confine its protagonists in hostile, isolated and remote environments with no means of escape. In the first season it was an international station in Antarctica and in the second a ship at Point Nemo, a place in the middle of the Pacific Ocean that is the farthest from land. Season three is set in the Sahara Desert, in an area known as Bir Tawil, located on the border between Egypt and Sudan and the only territory on the planet still considered 'no man’s land'. With neither government nor legislation it is without a doubt the perfect place to carry out research for which no rules exist.

The shoot took place between November 2023 and January 2024 in various locations in Madrid, Almería, Tenerife and Segovia.

Synopsis of ‘The Head 3’
Determined to continue her father's research, Rachel (Olivia Morris) believes she has pinpointed the toxin that contaminated the algae. Following genetic modification and testing on animals, it’s now time for human trials. She has thus selected five volunteers of different backgrounds who are willing to act as guinea pigs in exchange for a sizable sum of money. Everything seems to be going well until a new death and the disappearance of a head once again turn a remote location into a nightmare.

About the trilogy
‘The Head’ has already aired to widespread acclaim in over 90 countries, including in key markets and with major operators such as Max in the United States and Latin America; Canal+ in France; Starzplay in the UK and Germany; NENT in the Nordic countries; SBS in Australia; SCC in Canada; Prime Video in Italy, the Netherlands and India; Watch It! in the Middle East and North Africa; AXN in Portugal; Streamz in Belgium; Go3 and NENT in the Baltic States; TET in Latvia and ETV in Estonia. And, of course, Hulu Japan. In Spain, season one is available on Disney+ and seasons one and two on Max.

The Mediapro Studio Distribution will once again be responsible for worldwide distribution of the series in this third season.

SEE TRÁILER: https://youtu.be/dLtB8el3aTQ​

Today (Thursday), The Abbey of Montserrat has officially opened the new Immersive Space of the Museum of Montserrat, a 700 sqm room where technology and sensory experiences bring alive the history of monastic life, Benedictine values, and religious expression. The Immersive Space, launched as part of the monastery's millennium celebrations, is a joint creation of the Abbey of Montserrat and Mediapro Exhibitions, the division of GRUP MEDIAPRO specializing in the creation and management of museum projects. Mediapro Exhibitions was responsible for the design, production and execution of the project.

The space is located beneath the Santa Maria Square in an annex of the Museum of Montserrat called the Room of the 14th Century Walls. This subterranean room of major historical importance houses medieval walls dating from the 14th century that were unearthed in the 1920s by the honorable architect Puig i Cadafalch.

The new room is organized around four different themes. The first is Hospitality, which emphasizes the monastery’s spirit of welcome and harnesses a split-flap display, interactive columns, projections and soundproof booths to teach visitors about its past and present, as well as various representations of the Virgin of Montserrat and the Escolania (boys’ choir). The second theme is Community, where audiovisual, table-based and interactive displays explain the history of the room’s walls, the activities of the community and who Saint Benedict of Nursia was. The third, Spirituality, is a major immersive audiovisual installation spanning the key concepts of Christianity; while the forth, Hope, consists of a reactive screen in the shape of a baptismal font that winds up the tour on a note of hope and rebirth.

All visitors can visit the new Immersive Space as part of admission to the permanent exhibition of the Museum of Montserrat during its usual opening hours: Monday to Sunday, 10am to 5:45pm.

About Mediapro Exhibitions
Mediapro Exhibitions is the division of GRUP MEDIAPRO specialized in the creation and development of exhibition and museum projects with extensive experience in the design and management of exhibitions, unique spaces, museums, themed pavilions, cultural and leisure spaces, interactive installations and state-of-the-art audiovisual technologies (stereoscopic 3D, virtual environments, augmented reality, immersive sound, interfaces). Mediapro Exhibitions is responsible for projects including Mirador Torre Glòries Observatory (Barcelona), CaixaForum València's #LaNUBE{IA}, the Parlamentarium and Europa Experience (Brussels), Territorio Atleti (Madrid), the Sala de l'Univers de CosmoCaixa (Barcelona), eFootball and The Virtual Pitch at the FIFA World Football Museum (Zurich), Barça Immersive Tour (Barcelona) and the Museu de l'Art Prohibit (Barcelona) and the City Challenge (Abu Dhabi).

GRUP MEDIAPRO has opened a branch in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – number 50 among its global offices – in order to reinforce its position in a region undergoing a marked expansion in the audiovisual market. GRUP MEDIAPRO has been active in the Middle East since 2000, principally through its Broadcast Media Services (BMS) division. MEDIAPRO GULF, with Mario Bayarri at the helm, will consolidate this presence and pursue growth opportunities for all group divisions. GRUP MEDIAPRO already has longstanding offices in the UAE and Morocco, underscoring its clear commitment to this rapidly expanding market. Bayarri announced the opening of the new office in Riyadh during the World Football Summit, which took place today in the Saudi Arabian capital.

GRUP MEDIAPRO has fitted out the new office with the latest broadcast technology in order to meet the exacting quality standards required by its clients in the region. Its productions will be handled by highly skilled broadcast professionals equipped with the most advanced special cameras (including 4Sky and cinema-quality) as well as a 4K/3G HDR production capable OB unit similar to those used in events such as the Euro 2024 football tournament in Germany. Already this year, this new team of audiovisual professionals has produced events such as the Riyadh Season Cup football tournaments, the Saudi Pro-League, the Al Nassr vs Al Hilal derby and the King's Cup final in Jeddah, where it made a big impression with its high-level deployment of technical resources and outstanding final product.

GRUP MEDIAPRO has more than 100 OB units and offers production services worldwide across the entire value chain. Its extensive sports production portfolio includes 14 national football leagues, the finals of the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League, the Copa América, the FIBA World Cup and the FIFA Confederations Cup; as well as other major sporting events such as the Olympic Games, the Pan American and Parapan American Games, the European Games, and the America's Cup.