La Séptima aims to change television: “Current affairs are more exciting than any reality show”
Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.
At a glance
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New plan
- La Séptima, a new Spanish general-interest television channel promoted by José Miguel Contreras, will begin broadcasting on November 5, with live programming and current affairs at its core.
- Editorial director Javier Ruiz said the channel would build its schedule around live news, context and discussion rather than conventional formats.
- Contreras said La Séptima would not seek to become the market leader, describing its success as simply establishing the channel.
La Séptima will begin broadcasting on November 5 with a promise to make live current affairs the heart of general-interest television. The new channel, promoted by José Miguel Contreras, was presented at the Vitoria Television Festival as an attempt to adapt traditional television to changing ways of consuming information and entertainment.
The general-interest television of the future
Contreras called La Séptima “the general-interest television of the future” and “a necessity” in Spain’s current television landscape. The project began taking shape in 2019 and aims to “reinvent the traditional television model” for new viewing habits. Its ambitions stretch beyond a short-term launch: Contreras said he wants the channel to have “a minimum lifespan of thirty years” and to fill a gap that will affect millions of Spaniards.
Yet the channel is distancing itself from the usual contest among major broadcasters. Contreras said its professionals would “give everything to do it well,” but added, “We are not going to compete with the others, our success is to exist.” He also made clear that La Séptima “does not aspire to be the leader,” while defending the quality of television produced in Spain.
We are not going to compete with the others, our success is to exist
Ruiz described live broadcasting as “the great genre of our time” and said that live current affairs would serve as the channel’s editorial and programming axis. The goal is to combine information, context and conversation, producing “strong emotions” through “contrast and rigor.” As Ruiz put it, “current affairs are more exciting than any reality show.”
The great genre of our time
The initial presenting team includes Rocío Delgado, Sarah Santaolalla, Héctor de Miguel, known as Quequé, Alba Carrillo, Marta Márquez, Luján Argüelles, Noor Ben Yessef and Verónica Sanz. Sanz stressed the need for information that is “useful and truthful,” saying that “explaining is as important as informing” and that “the best way to combat lies is to explain the truth.”
Current affairs are more exciting than any reality show
About this summary
Originally published by La Vanguardia in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.
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