Portuguese broadcaster SIC continues to aggressively strengthen its international distribution strategy, arriving at MIPCOM 2026 with a diverse slate of telenovelas, international adaptations, and strategic streaming partnerships. During the market in Cannes, Madalena Marques Gonçalves, Content Analyst at SIC, detailed the company’s multi-platform approach, which balances linear television success with digital innovation through its proprietary platform, OPTO, and alliances with global streamers like Disney+ and Prime Video.
Leading the international catalog is Vitória, a production that premiered a year ago and is now being pitched to global buyers in a shorter, more dynamic international cut. According to Gonçalves, this modernized version has already secured sales in Canada and Dubai. The broadcaster is also finding significant international traction with Broken Promise (A Promessa), an adaptation of a Turkish drama that has successfully closed distribution deals in Hungary, Canada, Israel, and Macau.
SIC’s collaborative production model was heavily highlighted during the market. The company presented Chapters of Life (Páginas da Vida), an adaptation of a Globo format launched in partnership with Prime Video, as well as the original ecological miniseries Azul. The six-part drama, featuring 45-minute episodes, follows a young woman with Down syndrome who joins a group of activists determined to prove that whales still exist in a world where they were thought to be extinct. The premium series has already been acquired in Macau and Mongolia. Another major standout is A Greater Destiny (Destino Maior), a Turkish drama adaptation that is currently performing exceptionally well across both domestic free-to-air television and Disney+.
Looking ahead to the 2027 pipeline, SIC is preparing a new adaptation of a Brazilian production, with filming scheduled to begin this November. Additionally, the network is readying a new series inspired by the true story of a Portuguese actress, which is set to premiere in the coming months.
Beyond traditional content sales, SIC is pioneering new digital distribution models. Its streaming platform, OPTO, combines free, ad-supported access with a premium subscription priced at €3.99 per month in Portugal. A key driver for the platform’s growth is offering subscribers early access to the five telenovela episodes scheduled to air on linear television the following week.
‘This complementary distribution model, together with partnerships with Disney+ and Prime Video, is helping SIC reach audiences who would not traditionally watch telenovelas on linear television,’ explained Gonçalves.
The broadcaster is also embracing the fast-growing microdrama trend. OPTO recently premiered a vertical production based on a character from a Brazilian telenovela, and the company is actively exploring opportunities to adapt its own intellectual properties into the vertical format, testing short-form episodes running between 60 to 90 seconds.
As SIC continues to broaden its general presence across Europe, Asia, and North America, Gonçalves noted that Latin America, Spain, and the U.S. Hispanic market will remain top-priority territories for the company’s ongoing global expansion strategy.
