TVE wins New Year's Eve ratings with Jenni Hermoso despite boycott call

TVE wins New Year's Eve ratings with Jenni Hermoso despite boycott call

On the night of December 31, part of the Spanish audience did something it had not done in decades: switch channels at 23:59. The trigger was the choice of Jenni Hermoso as host of La 1's New Year's Eve chimes, the footballer at the center of the Rubiales case. The reaction was immediate and visceral: messages calling for a total boycott of public television, comparisons with hosts on other channels, and a common denominator, the feeling that TVE was imposing a narrative on them. The paradox came later: according to a forum post, TVE posted its best audience figure in three years, gaining one point over the previous year.

What peine with TVE's chimes and Jenni Hermoso

The discontent was not new. It had been brewing since it became known that the footballer would be one of the faces of the chimes. For part of the audience, the choice represented the culmination of a media circus they considered the most regrettable chapter in the country's recent history. The complaint was not only against Hermoso, but against what they perceived as an omnipresent proge presence on public television.

The boycott organized quickly. Some chose to turn off the television altogether, some turned to video platforms, and others looked for alternatives on regional or specialty channels. The most repeated phrase: "over my dead body". Others, however, admitted to having watched the chimes on La 1 without a problem, painting a picture of a country divided even in how it says goodbye to the year.

The alternatives viewers looked for

The exodus from La 1 had varied destinations. Some turned to regional channels, others to streaming platforms, and a few to religious broadcasts. Pedroche on Antena 3 was the most cited option among those who did not want to see Hermoso, although there was no shortage of criticism of her style. There were also those who simply chose not to watch any chimes at all and replaced the tradition with other activities.

Audience fragmentation is the real story of this New Year's Eve. There is no longer a single channel that monopolizes the grapes, and it shows in conversations. Linear television is losing weight while platforms and specialty channels gain ground on a night that used to be the exclusive territory of the generalist channels.

The surprising figure: TVE gains audience

Here comes the contradiction. Despite the boycott, according to a forum post, RTVE's chimes marked their best figure in three years, gaining one point over the previous year. The boycott existed, but it was not enough to sink the public broadcaster's audience. The paradox is evident: those who left did not offset those who stayed.

The explanation may lie in the composition of the audience. TVE keeps a loyal base of older viewers who do not change channels on New Year's Eve. Add to that the curiosity effect: the controversy may have attracted viewers who wanted to see what would happen. Controversy as a draw works, even if that is not the intention of those who generate it.

Jenni Hermoso, from highest-paid footballer to host

Hermoso's trajectory is striking. She went from being the world's highest-paid footballer to hosting the chimes on TVE. For some, it is an example of how sporting merit dissolves into identity politics. For others, it is the logical consequence of a country that has decided certain issues can no longer be ignored.

TVE's choice was not neutral. Placing Hermoso in the New Year's Eve prime time is an editorial stance. Public television picked a side, and part of the audience settled the score with the remote control. Another part, however, celebrated it as a sign of normality.

The context: the Rubiales case and its shadow

All of this happens against the backdrop of the Rubiales case, the episode that marked public debate in Spain. Part of the audience perceives that media outlets aligned with proge ideas endorsed a persecution of the former president of the Football Federation. The choice of Hermoso for the chimes was read as the crowning touch of that narrative.

The matter remains open in public conversation. There is no ruling to close the debate, and positions are as opposed as they were months ago. The wound does not heal, and every public appearance by those involved reopens it.

What will happen with the 2024 chimes

The question hanging in the air is whether TVE will repeat the formula or backtrack. The audience figure suggests there is no urgency to change. But the fruta wear among part of the public is real, and that may take its toll in the medium term.

Meanwhile, fragmentation advances. There is no longer a single way to watch the grapes, and that is an economic story: the New Year's Eve attention market has been shattered into a thousand pieces. Whoever wants to capture audience will have to choose which audience to target, and accept the cost of losing the rest.