La Séptima Taps Noor Ben Yessef, Alba Carrillo, and Santaolalla

La Séptima Launches with Ben Yessef, Carrillo, and Santaolalla

A channel that hasn't even aired yet is already generating discussion about its lineup. La Séptima —already nicknamed TelePedro by half the sector— has showcased Noor Ben Yessef, Alba Carrillo, and Sarah Santaolalla, reopening an old question in the television business: whether a channel signs talent or image. In just two and a half weeks of public discussion, the issue has moved from signings to financing, and from there to the presenters' physical appearance.

What is La Séptima and why is it called TelePedro

La Séptima is the new brand for channel number 7 being developed in the Spanish audiovisual landscape. Much of the criticism places it with an editorial line aligned with the Government, hence the nickname. It's not the only open front: some recall that dial is already occupied by 7 Región de Murcia, forcing the project to find its space through means other than channel numbering.

The political criticism isn't limited to the name. It points to the relationship between media and power and the suspicion, often repeated and rarely proven, that the schedule is designed more by affinity than by audience ratings.

The 'Mama Chicho' Formula: Selling Image and Capturing Audiences

The most frequent parallel drawn is with Telecinco and its Mama Chicho era, now remembered nostalgically by the same audience that criticized it then. The dominant thesis is simple: the strategy worked, it was exported, and no one has yet found an alternative that yields the same results. The reference to La Sens and its beginnings trinc the same logic, with those who argue it started with a similar hook and eventually established itself.

Conversely, the argument against it is that confusing a showcase with a schedule mortgages credibility in the short term. A media outlet that leads with the physical appearance of its presenters will struggle to sell serious news later.

Public Money and Editorial Line, the Other Front

Added to the image criticism is the cost. Trece TV has been receiving public money for 15 years, with audiences that some viewers consider residual. This precedent is used as a benchmark to measure any channel with a public vocation. The implicit question is how much a project that hasn't yet proven its place will cost.

Objectification, the Criticism That Unsettles

A significant part of the conversation veers towards the presenters' bodies, a territory where some also openly denounce the objectification of the female body as a commercial draw. And others respond that this has precisely been the business model since private television existed.

With audience ratings as the sole judge, it remains to be seen whether the showcase will sustain the schedule or, as often happens, fade after the first season. How long does it take for a channel to stop selling its lineup and start selling its content?