Yes, I’ve watched two out of two. And I intend to watch it today too. Broncano’s show is said to be the top viewer, but it’s possible that there are other people who watch it for the same reason as me. Although I’m not very proud of it, I have, at least for now, only one reason to watch it.
La Revuelta has been on the air for a couple of days on public television, on DTT, on everyone’s television. The programme has started off at a good pace and all kinds of thoughtful analyses can be made to understand its success. But, in my case, I don’t want to complicate my life with these kinds of reports, because that’s not the way things are going. I’m going to tell you what it is that’s driving me to watch the programme every morning. Yes, every morning, seriously.
That’s how things are
I must say that this is not an article to please Broncano’s haters or his fans. It is the perfect example of an opinion piece that, in the end, pisses everyone off. But it had to be said. As I was saying, dear reader, I watch “el programa de Broncano” or “lo de Broncano” (I’m still not sure which version will end up staying). And I do it because, today, I have no other option.
Seriously, I don’t have it. When it gets light in the country where I live, it’s still dark in Spain. I take the kids to school and turn on the TV. I like Spanish TV, but the facilities to watch its channels from here are rather minimal. Minimal or almost non-existent. Most platforms block the international signal, as is the case with Movistar Plus+, a service that can only be contracted internationally in some countries (it doesn’t work even with a VPN).
That reduces my options. I can’t access other platforms in their Spanish versions either, and either they don’t have versions for my country, or they simply offer me geographically segmented content that I don’t like. If I talk about something more specific, like watching a late night show, the options become non-existent. At least, until Broncano’s show. I’m not going to lie to you, I never got to see the one on Movistar Plus+. I remember the terrible controversy with the dubbing actors because it appeared on social networks, but watching the show, what you might call watching the show, is not a joke.
I’m not very picky either. I would watch El Hormiguero if I had the chance. I’m not a fan either, and in general some parts of it are more painful than watching a marathon of Blippi and Meekah jumping around in a playground. But I would watch it. Hell, I would watch practically any programme of this type if I had access to it, as RTVE Play provides me with La Revuelta.
A good availability
Because the great victory of this space, beyond whether you like it or not, is that, through La 1, it is achieving mass popularity because the channel reaches everyone. Many older people would not consider subscribing to Movistar to watch it, while, in other cases, the simple factor of being on DTT is already a magnet that attracts the audience. It is likely that this is what happens to El Hormiguero, which is not so much an interview program, but a show-spectacle where all kinds of crazy, meaningless moments sneak in. Or maybe it has changed, because I have not seen it for many years.
If I wanted to watch El Hormiguero, which I already made clear that I would watch if I could, although I would have to disconnect my brain at times, I would have to pay for the international subscription to Atresplayer. There is no way to watch the programs with ads from abroad and I am very clear that I am not going to subscribe to this platform to watch El Hormiguero. I could use a VPN, but it would be unclear whether it would work or not with Atresplayer, since, as I said, services like Movistar Plus+ are blocked so that you cannot access them even then.
In comparison, RTVE Play offers me a good service from the other side of the world. It runs surprisingly smoothly, although with some moments when the image deteriorates, and, in addition, there are no ads or anything. In recent months, the RTVE platform has become one of my favorites and, out of desperation, I even started watching Cuéntame. Luckily, Broncano has saved me from the horror of continuing with Carlitos’ adventures.
Of course, the show, which is neither good nor bad, is simply a fun time to spend and doesn’t last long enough to make you even think about stopping watching it, I would have to stop mentioning El Hormiguero. Because, in the end, it makes me want to see Pablo Motos and company doing push-ups. Let’s hope that, as the days go by, they stop with so many audiences, golden minutes and other data that fly over the heads of the average viewers, and that they concentrate on generating good content. And yes, the magic man gives me the creeps, but I think I will miss him if he stops appearing.
