It is often said that all Catalans have a Barça coach and a TV3 director inside them, which, in the case of public television, is not entirely wrong, because it indicates that for many it is indeed yours, As the well-known slogan goes, the controversial content of a public entity shouldn't surprise us. That this controversy spills over into the political arena is even less surprising, because TV3, or 3Cat, is a powerful tool thanks to decades of success, and if successive governments have been tempted to turn it into a tool for their own interests, the opposition has tried to do the same through criticism.
What's happening now, however, goes beyond the rejection of certain content (which, of course, is legitimate). Criticism is also being raised about the model that the Catalan Audiovisual Media Corporation (CCMA) decided to implement in 2022, in order to keep up with the unstoppable changes in audiovisual consumption habits (the rise of streaming and devices other than television) and to integrate the structures of the various television and radio channels, and the future streaming content platform. This model gave rise to the creation of 3Cat, as an umbrella brand for the various existing brands.
Any audiovisual expert knows that this step was necessary (one could even say it was implemented somewhat late) to avoid being left behind in the new media landscape. The CCMA conducted a thorough assessment, and despite the inevitable problems and imbalances this entails, the truth is that the 3Cat platform has consolidated, and simultaneously, TV3 has maintained, and even expanded, its leadership within linear television. This doesn't mean that the priority use of the new 3Cat brand can't be modulated into a label as established as TV3. But one need only look around to understand that any brand beginning with the acronym TV has its days numbered. TVE went through the same process years ago, and no one in Spain even raised eyebrows.
The destiny of our public media is always a matter of squaring the circle. In the absence of private operators in Catalonia, TV3 and 3Cat must act as a public service and, at the same time, offer competitive content in Catalan. They must receive public funding to fulfill their mission, but at the same time, they must try to adjust a structural expenditure that responds more to the parameters of 40 years ago than to the current reality of the sector. And now, in addition, they must create a streaming content platform without harming their linear broadcasting. It's a complex undertaking and open to criticism, but perhaps not with the vehemence imposed by Junts deputies (Albert Batet even spoke of "social alarm" over the situation at TV3). They are trying to sell the idea that 3Cat is an operation designed to demolish public television from within, and this is frankly difficult to understand. Especially considering that Junts is on the CCMA board that approved the implementation of the current model.
Criticism of certain content, ideological biases, or the direction of spending are absolutely logical when it comes to a public media outlet, but the general amendment proposed by some, also appealing to dubious patriotic justifications, is a bit exaggerated. If the problem is the name, it's worth remembering that when the Pujol government decided to create a public television station, it chose the name TV3, adopting the numbering given to it by the existence of the two TVE channels, and over more identitarian labels. It was a wise decision that, if taken today, might arouse the ire of the turbo-patriots.
