The search for love can take many forms. It can be done in a traditional way, through apps, or also through a television program like La gran cita, the dating show from 3Cat. The new format from the public television has innovated by introducing artificial intelligence into the equation to find a partner, but not only that: it is the first reality show in the State to feature the participation of two intimacy coordinators, a figure increasingly common in cinema and series but not present at all in reality television spaces. Aida de Sàgarra, along with Tatiana Barrero, have contributed their experience as intimacy coordinators on La gran cita. "In this type of reality shows what is super necessary and essential is to protect the emotional intimacy of the participants," explains De Sàgarra.

The full season of La gran cita, the dating show that has tested artificial intelligence's ability to predict compatibility between people, is now available on 3Cat. The first three episodes promoted the initial pairings. The following three were used to test these bonds with the intrigue of whether they were the result of human intuition or the algorithm's determination. In this phase, the initial excitement was lost and a heavier inertia, typical of these television psychodramas, set in, where dialogues drift to the boring "I don't know if I'm ready for a relationship", "I've been hurt a lot", "I'm at a point where I want something else", "I don't want to suffer again", "I need an open relationship" and these tiresome vicissitudes, especially when you don't feel a special interest in the protagonists' lives.The game's dynamic, however, is very effective. The AI's verdict tests the bonds. Some couples receive the technology's approval. Others discover they have defied the algorithm and worry about proving that intuition is above what a machine can predict. The strategy shows an interesting phenomenon: the enormous power attributed to AI as an almost infallible guarantee when choosing a partner. The will to contradict it becomes epic, a daring act. Even the loss of an opportunity that you might only have once in a lifetime.The last two chapters regain the delicious intrigue of the start. The third people recommended by the algorithm appear. Also the risk of deciding if the relationships will continue beyond the cameras.Fortunately, the program has protected Dulceida by dispensing her presence drop by drop. The need to condense the stories of so many people into eight chapters causes the viewer a certain disorientation when it comes to understanding how much time has passed for the contestants and, above all, details of their relationship with other participants. But these ellipses are also appreciated, because they save us a lot of emotional junk that would turn La gran cita into a soap opera. The great virtue and good tolerance of the reality lie in the capacity for synthesis when managing dramas and tensions.The protagonists are well trained in displaying their faith in the game's dynamics. They issue pronouncements of hope and gratitude in the exact measure the show requires. In the final messages between couples, the writers' hand is sensed. The visual dynamic to explain the outcome of each relationship is visually exciting. And the result reveals a suspicious balance between the power of AI and romantic love. The big date works because it stimulates the enjoyment of the most elemental voyeurism without causing secondhand embarrassment.

This Thursday, all news programs echoed the video by Vito Quiles, the far-right stalker who pursues and attacks people to turn it into propaganda. Public and private channels followed suit. This time, the images had gained relevance because the victim was Begoña Gómez, President Pedro Sánchez's wife. The premeditated violence of the sequence, recorded on mobile and edited by the agitator, provided the spectacularity that television often uses as a criterion for including events in its agenda.

On Wednesday, Quanta guerra! returned to TV3, arguably the best program currently available on public television. This time, Eloi Vila accompanied actor Roger Casamajor to retrace the steps of his grandfather Alejandro through the lands of Aragon, where he was sent with the Republican troops to halt the advance of the Francoists.

In a new attempt to reach young audiences, 3Cat has premiered La gran cita, a new dating show presented by the Catalan influencer Dulceida. The first three episodes of the new entertainment format are already available on the platform, and have been very well received by the audience.

Joan Raventós (Vilafranca del Penedès, 1978) has returned home. After five years as a correspondent for 3Cat in Brussels, the editor and presenter of Telenotícies cap de setmana has made the journey back to his native Vilafranca, a city that allows him to escape the daily grind and which is the cradle of two of his passions: human towers and wine. What was the relationship with wine like at your home, as a child?

On Monday evening, during the break of Telenotícies, TV3 announced the premiere of La gran cita on the 3Cat platform for Tuesday. But Toni Cruanyes reminded us, on two occasions, that we could already watch the program that same Monday. A lack of coordination within the channel that caused confusion for the viewer.Dulceida, “an expert at organizing parties”, joins the cast ofinfluencers who create content in Spanish but have been awarded a program on public Catalan television. To conceal their fragilities in front of the camera, they have opted for the walk and talk formula, walking and talking at the same time, to reinforce their authority.The big date is a dating show with elements of reality. The one hundred participants who want to hook up have previously been paired through artificial intelligence. They know there is someone highly compatible and will look for them based on the relational dynamics proposed by the show. “It’s an experiment that will change their lives,” assures Dulceida. The format is much more powerful than last season's stale Love Cost. It seems more like a logical evolution of that Thirty Years' Love at First Sight with all the influences of private television and technology.The program has a tacky sheen typical of a graduation party with glamorous pretensions, but it makes up for it with an excellent cast, good direction, and impeccable sound design. It has merit, considering the complexities of the format. The big event is inclusive: it incorporates sexual options and gender diversity without establishing categories, with the virtue of not objectifying or sexualizing the participants. So far, three episodes have been released corresponding to the first stage of the game: the construction of the finalist couples, who will be tested in the following episodes to check their evolution.The big event hooks thanks to the confluence of different factors. On the one hand, the contestants' temperament. Absolutely normal young people, who convey authenticity and are part of our most everyday reality. They thus distance themselves from the artificial and histrionic stereotypes typical of this television genre. On the other hand, the game stimulates the audience, who, from home, becomes a predictor and a judge. It is impossible not to comment or value the contestants' decisions and choices. Any program that provokes a smile from the viewer while watching it has a lot won. The idea of a mirror is also key: seduction exposes the protagonists to a vulnerability and fragility in which, more or less, everyone feels reflected. Excitement, ridicule, shame, disappointment... are emotions that provoke easy identification. And that is why the program becomes appetizing. However, as the program progresses, interest wanes, because the ensemble game is diluted. The conflict becomes individualized, the drama becomes personalized, and the elements of reality are accentuated. It will be interesting to see how it evolves and how it all fits into public television. The most obvious proof is the fear of premiering it on TV3 and limiting it, for now, to the digital platform.

After signing Laura Escanes, 3Cat is once again betting on a famous face thanks to social media, Dulceida. The influencer from Badalona –whose real name is Aida Domènech– makes her debut as a presenter on public media with La gran cita, a massive dating show that will be available on the platform starting this Monday, when the first three episodes will premiere (the next three will arrive on Tuesday, April 28, and the last two on May 5). With this new entertainment format, 3Cat makes a new attempt to get closer to the young audience.

Channel 33 has premiered Sala 30, a cultural program commemorating the Macba's 30th anniversary. To celebrate, the series approaches the anniversary through reflection rather than festivity or protest. These are eight forty-minute episodes that delve into different working axes of creative processes: form and substance, struggle, concept, enigma, gaze, space, body, and research. Each program invites four or five relevant artists who have passed through the museum to engage in a dialogue about these themes in a rural and bucolic setting that contrasts with the geometric and urban whiteness of the Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona building: a farmhouse and a set table with the elegant informality of a heartwarming fuet advertisement. The visual execution, from direction to editing and post-production, is beautiful and surprisingly quaint. It could be a podcast if it weren't for the need to see the guests' work to understand their proposals and their point of view in the conversation. Sala 30 connects with the aesthetic spirit of that old splendor of Channel 33, when it still seemed like a cohesive channel with a well-defined editorial line. The presenter is the singer and actor Albert Pla in his most accommodating and predisposed version. Surely, it is also his most strenuous and unusual facet because it is he who has to stimulate the debate among the guests. Pla has no choice but to flee from his more diffuse and anarchic media persona to energize the conversation, often fighting against his own shyness. The choice of presenter seems to obey a desire not to over-intellectualize the format and to give it a more relaxed and popular touch. "I'm the one with the least studies at this table," he comments with a sense of humor in the first chapter. The program always begins with a dialogue between Pla and one of the artists to introduce the chapter's theme. Afterwards, with the food ready and the table set, the rest of the guests arrive. It's interesting to see how they break the ice among themselves, in most cases, one of the most difficult moments for the presenter, to the point that in some episodes he asks them if the act of meeting and dialoguing overwhelms them or feels burdensome. The effectiveness of the format is irregular depending on the chemistry that arises between the guests and the ability to find a flowing thread. For those interested in art and culture, it is a magnificent opportunity to discover contemporary artists, understand generational evolutions and learn about forms of creation and research. Beyond the central theme, Sala 30 allows us to glimpse ways of life, creative processes and disciplines. Manolo Laguillo, Pilar Aymerich, Joan Fontcuberta, Frederic Amat, Núria Güell, Lúa Coderch, Laia Abril and a long etcetera parade around the set table of the farmhouse. Almost forty artists in a television proposal that seems too conventional, conservative and cautious for a program about Macba and contemporary art, which usually questions languages, experiments with codes and avoids neutrality.

In 2008, George Steiner published The Books I Haven't Written (Arcàdia), a collection of seven chapters on seven very personal themes that the English philosopher would have liked to write a book about but, in the end, never did, and in each chapter he explains why. One of them, titled The Languages of Eros, explains that he had had the “privilege of speaking and making love in four languages”, that each has its own charm in bed, but he didn't go into details, because the chapter put his intimate life at risk and that, if anything, he reached the conclusion that “shared orgasm is an act of simultaneous translation”.

3Cat wants to take its programs to the streets and, for this reason, has organized a whole weekend experience where viewers can see some of the public television's leading figures up close. 3Cat en Viu – the name of this special weekend – will be held on May 30 and 31 at Plaça de l'Anella Olímpica and Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. As the public television details, more than 25 activities have been organized for all audiences and there will be five stages from which more than 20 live contents will be broadcast, many related to some of the house's most popular programs, such as Polònia or the APM?The youngest ones have also been taken into account, and among the attractions of this weekend will be all the characters from the Super3 universe. Free invitations for the two days of activities will be available from May 5.

The 11 of Raval, which TV3 premiered on Tuesday on Nits sense ficció, awoke many expectations. A well-defined and ambitious investigation into the dismantling, in 2008, of a jihadist cell that intended to attack the Barcelona metro. The documentary delves into the role of an informant, known as F1, who became a protected witness. You can find it again on the 3Cat platform, in the format of a four-episode series. However, linking them to be broadcast as a single documentary had consequences for the effectiveness of the narrative, with repetitions and lengthy narrative arcs.Despite everything, journalistic work is very interesting. It demonstrates irregularities in both the investigation and the trial, has access to very relevant primary sources, recognizes the work of the two journalists who identify the protected witness, and constructs its own perspective on the events and the vital outcome for the detainees. Formally, the graphic design of the names and positions becomes excessively cloying: the visual preponderance of the labels ends up being bothersome due to simple repetition. However, the structure and ordering of the facts are impeccable and allow for a very good understanding of the dynamics and irregularities of a complex trial, especially thanks to the explanatory capacity of the defense lawyer Benet Salellas.The documentary has a very subtle, but relevant, aspect: the editing observes with special attention the gestures and microexpressions of the protagonists, especially when their interventions highlight the most dubious aspects of the case. For example, when Javier Gómez Bermúdez, then president of the criminal chamber of the National High Court, has to admit some negligences in the process, the camera focuses on his subsequent silence and the discomfort becomes visible on his face. Also the attitude of the lawyer of the Association of Victims of Terrorism, José María Fuster-Fabra, lighting his cigar and showing off in front of the camera. They are details that communicate beyond the facts.The most fragile aspect of the documentary is its excess of ambiguity when providing concrete answers. This is already evident at the beginning, when the then director of the CNI, Alberto Saiz, explains that in the 11-M attacks, “the CNI’s information did reach the police, but the police did not act, for whatever reasons””. Perhaps it would have been interesting to clarify them. Also when one of the expert journalists on the case leaves suspended the reasons for the protected witness’s conduct: “You can draw a hypothesis as to why he did what he did””, without being more explicit. The documentary falls short in clearly defining the whys: why Asim Iqbal, F1, acts as he acts. But also why Gómez Bermúdez tolerates an investigation and a trial with so many irregularities. Beyond implying an abuse in the preventive fight against terrorism, motives are lacking. You have the feeling that in the answers we would find arguments related to dark political and judicial points that are still relevant.

This year, TV3's program Signes dels temps celebrates forty years on air. It airs on Sunday mornings and delves into the social and pastoral current affairs of the Catholic Church. The title refers to an expression from the Second Vatican Council about the Church's duty to be attentive to the changes and evolutions of society. Perhaps it would be good for TV3 to also be attentive to the evolution of its schedule, because, ironically, this slot has been somewhat neglected. It must be said that Signes dels temps is formally correct with Montserrat Esteve at the helm. There is a certain effort to give it a veneer of connection with social reality. The content aligns with the program's objective, and it is made with care and professionalism. The post-production work should be highlighted to give it a relative visual modernity. It will surely satisfy the expectations of the Episcopal Conference, but this centrality of Catholicism and an approach with such a typical catechism style do not quite align with the function of a public television.

After a long professional career almost always linked with Televisió de Catalunya, the communicator Mari Pau Huguet (Estopanyà, 1963) has been Recognized this March as an Emblematic Woman by the Hera association of LleidaShe has been working in the Audience Services Office for over fifteen years, but continues to participate in audiovisual projects and host many events.

On Sunday, TV3 premiered Dia u, the series they promoted in the context of the Mobile World Congress to take advantage of the futuristic atmosphere that saturates us during those dates. It is a technological thriller with simple and precarious dialogues, full of clichés and with affected performances so that the viewer can more easily connect with the story. It aims for the effect of suspense, but with everything very well processed so that it is understood. The plot unfolds in Barcelona, with the participation of Catalan actors. A grandiloquent and modern postcard of the city, but with a singularity: there is no trace of Catalan beyond the dubbing that has been added afterwards. Dia u is a series conceived entirely in Spanish, in every sense, and TV3 only seems to have contributed the dubbing. That is, it is a layer added afterwards that causes that grating artificiality. The Catalan actors work in Spanish and only a few have dubbed themselves. The others appear with a borrowed voice and a forced tone that distances you from the action. The disappearance of Catalan goes beyond the language of the characters. All the screens and interfaces that appear, and there are many, have texts written in Spanish. Therefore, it is no longer just about the conditions of the filming: the screens are a matter of post-production, and even then Catalan could not be incorporated. We can already demand Catalan in technological gadgets, as the series linked to the Mobile normalizes Spanish as the language for communicating with machines. Furthermore, on Amazon Prime Video, the platform that distributes the series internationally, the option of Catalan dubbing is not offered. It is understood that 3Cat has kept the exclusive, but then Catalan is left out of the circuit, relegating our language to the local sphere. The hierarchy established between the two languages is therefore clear.The most serious thing is that Day one, in addition to the participation of 3Cat, also counts on the associated production of the Mobile World Capital Barcelona Foundation. The core of this board is made up of three public administrations: the Generalitat de Catalunya, the Barcelona City Council, and the government of Spain. It is sad, therefore, to see how the institutions that should ensure the centrality of Catalan demonstrate null influence or little interest in the defense of the language in a fiction with global pretensions.The result of Dia u causes perplexity. A production that is conceived from simple commercial logic, forgetting the cultural function and turning Catalan into an accessory patch, a final addition to disguise. It is not fully understood who wins in this operation. But it is regrettable to see the effectiveness of this public participation. If we are going to invest in dubbing a series, frankly, they could have chosen another one of higher quality.

After three seasons with anonymous contestants, the adventure reality show La travessa (3Cat) takes a turn. In the new installment, the contestants will be familiar faces to the general public; eight pairs of celebrities from the world of entertainment, communication, sports, and the influencer universe will compete against each other to be the winners of the economic prize. This Monday, 3Cat announced who the celebrities will be participating in this edition, which will premiere in the fall.

In June 2024, 3Cat's Sense ficció aired La fugida, the documentary about sexual abuse of minors by the Jesuits of Casp and the Sant Ignasi de Sarrià School. That investigative journalism work continues this week with the premiere this Tuesday of La fugida, veritats ocultes, a production that expands the investigation with new cases and emphasizes the mechanisms of cover-up of aggressors by religious congregations and schools. The documentary will have two broadcast windows: it can be seen on Sense ficció at 10:05 p.m. and will also be available on 3Cat in an expanded version of three episodes (the broadcast on conventional television combines the three parts into a single episode).

August 1989, Lluís Sitjar Stadium, Palma. This was the exact place and time when Barça's directors realized they had to sign Hristo Stoichkov. Several years ago, the Ciutat de Palma Tournament was always organized as part of the preseason, a typical summer championship that serves as a warm-up for the start of the season, to showcase new signings to the fans, and, in this case, to discover new ones. "Before, we organized a tournament in Mallorca that included Barça or Real Madrid, Mallorca, and two teams from outside the island," recounts Josep Maria Minguella, the man who discovered Hristo Stoichkov and, in those years, a football agent. In that edition, the invited teams were Fortuna Düsseldorf and CSKA Sofia, the team of the famous Bulgarian striker. Barça and CSKA faced each other in the first "semifinal."

Since last September, Júlia López (Barcelona, ​​1994) has been one of the voices accompanying family meals on weekends. After stints at Betevé, La 2, and Canal 3/24, the journalist has joined the show as a presenter, airing Saturdays and Sundays. Midday news of 3Cat.

3Cat doubles down on video games in Catalan with the release of a title for all current platforms: it's Manairons, a three-dimensional action and platformer game that brings these fantastic beings from popular culture to life. The project was carried out alongside JanduSoft, a Barcelona-based studio with extensive experience that, in addition to developing, also publishes video games. Founded in 2011 by José Antonio Andujar, the studio has dozens of published titles, some with international recognition.