What will the programming be like on RTVE's new Catalan channel?

BarcelonaRTVE's Catalan-language channel project is due to launch on September 11, and the agency is rushing to finalize its launch schedule in the coming months. As those responsible for this new window explained, initially, half of the content will still be in Spanish, pending new productions that will gradually be incorporated into an offering that aims to have programming entirely in Catalan by 2027, as agreed by the PSOE and Junts.

According to The SpanishInitially, as for the Spanish-language content, three programs currently broadcast on La 2 nationwide will be used: Know and win; Numbers and letters and Bad tonguesThe big question is what new Catalan-language programs the network will offer and which familiar faces will be at the helm. According to ARA, both Jordi Basté's production company and Ricard Ustrell's have submitted projects for the public channel's new lineup, but nothing has been decided or signed yet. One of the names circulating in digital media for the new channel was Vicent Sanchis, former director of TV3. However, the journalist has denied to ARA that he has been signed by RTVE.

What is known is that Ideas Cafe, presented by Gemma Nierga and already broadcasting on La 2, will be one of the channel's flagships, which has yet to decide on its final name. The presenter of the news program, which will air from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., expressed her satisfaction this April at being part of the new schedule and asserted that being one of the assets of the new programming gives them greater relevance. Once completed, Ideas Cafe, a new magazine show will take over, the name of which is still unknown, as well as the presenters who will be in charge.

As detailed in the presentation held in April, the news will remain. The midday news will be accompanied by a sports talk show. The afternoon news will feature The speaker, the magazine show presented by Danae Boronat since April 2024, which combines entertainment and information. The program is one of the best-performing slots on La 2's Catalan programming lineup currently, and its audience record stands at 4.8% audience share and 45,000 viewers. One of the proposals of those responsible for the public broadcaster's new Catalan window is for Boronat's slot, which airs from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., to be paired with a contest that has not yet been defined.

The initial features of the schedule follow the line already advanced by the director of content, Laura Folguera, who explained in April that it would be a mix of entertainment and public service. "This new channel will add audiovisual offerings in Catalonia, create new content, and provide new perspectives. We want to try to capture an audience that we believe is not on linear television. On La 1 with The revolt We've seen it: suddenly, two million people appeared who didn't watch television and with a complementary offer, they have appeared. This is our beacon," he detailed at the time.

The new Catalan channel, which has a budget of 8 million euros in 2025 and will have 11 million next year, will not be seen through the current La 2, but will have another DTT frequency that has not yet been decided despite all the irritation of the CCMA and its 3Cat, has the name not yet been finalized and are they also working with the generic name of La2 in Catalonia?

One of the questions raised during the presentation of the new channel, and one that remains unresolved, is whether it will be available in other Catalan-speaking territories beyond Catalonia. In this regard, this week, Plataforma per la Llengua sent a motion to all municipal political groups in the Balearic Islands requesting that they present it in their town council plenary sessions demanding that RTVE's new Catalan-language channel also be broadcast in the islands. The organization denounces that limiting this new audiovisual offering exclusively to Catalonia "seriously violates the linguistic rights of the citizens of the Balearic Islands and constitutes, at the same time, a further example of institutional disregard for the unity of the Catalan language and its speakers."

Another request from the organization is that the new channel's content not focus solely on Catalonia and reflect the territorial diversity of the language. Regarding these issues, Folguera admitted that the possibility of expanding the broadcast radius to the Valencian Community and the Balearic Islands was being considered. However, he noted that Catalan content can be viewed throughout Spain via RTVE Play.