Telefonica is preparing to launch a European Netflix rival backed by big investments in original content. The rumor, as first reported by Spanish news outlet El Pais, might just encourage other media majors to put their streaming projects into top gear, as many have been reluctant to open the tap away from home soil. The Spanish operator plans to expand its original content to the key markets of the UK and Germany through its new OTT plans, where it already operates through O2 UK and Telefonica Deutschland. The company’s original content is currently only available on its Movistar+ pay TV platform in Spain, not on its streaming services Movistar Fusion TV and Yomvi, which it inherited from its purchase of…