At twenty-three minutes past twelve at night we learned that Naiara had won OT 2023, it was not a surprise, the only doubt was the percentage with which it would prevail and it was overwhelming: 49% of the votes crowned the skill, a dream of Bigas Luna made flesh and majestic voice. The relevant information in the previous paragraph is the time at which we found out the result and were able to go to bed peacefully. The gala lasted half an hour longer than usual, but if it had aired on TVE at that time we would still be listening to the group song. In fact, while Chenoa said goodbye to the gala, the contestants of Bake Off They still had the bun in the oven. The TVE program ended at two in the morning following almost three hours of broadcast.
One of the great discoveries of OT of Prime Video has been its start time, ten at night, a time that, as the older ones will remember, was common and today has become exceptional. There are more details that the public broadcaster should take note of, absorbed in endogenous controversies regarding sluts and icons. It wouldn’t be a bad idea for them to ask themselves why they let slip a program that has seduced the most coveted sector of the population: young people. Those who say they are not interested in television, but have surrendered to a format that is pure classic television.
There are many elements that have contributed to a success that we sense seeing its relevance on social networks, the number of listeners and the public that crowds the signatures, because the crypticism of the platforms prevents us from knowing real data, if we consider real those provided by the obsolete audiometers. It was not the first time that a platform issued a realityand, but it was the first that might be followed live and nothing unites followers more than the pleasure of experiencing the adventures of their favorite characters in unison, something that the platforms have stolen from us with our consent.
Proposals as interesting as Traitors Spain they wasted some of their potential by becoming a weekend binge. If Prime Video had put all the galas online, it would hardly have had the same relevance. It is much more rewarding to arrive without the possibility of spoilers to moments like the Ruslanazo, the SloMo with which the third finalist, Ruslana, a Ukrainian resident in the Canary Islands, showed that she was going to play the match until the end. If Naiara seems straight out of a Bigas Luna fantasy, Ruslana, because of her perseverance and capacity for suffering, is Anna Tarrés’ dream. Paul Thing, a brand new silver medalist, was designed by Bizarrap by AI. OT showed his potential from gala zero, the casting, the main weapon of everything reality It was a success at the height of the OT original and the one from 2017, which left us with Amaia and Aitana. 16 young people entered the most famous Academy on television, some very young, who combined proven talent and room for improvement and included diverse profiles, an essential element to achieve the involvement of viewers.
📣 We will not tolerate disrespect towards any of our contestants. We are denouncing all accounts that offend, insult and belittle these people who, all they do is train as artists and share their daily lives with the fans of this program.… pic.twitter.com/Xgd2VB9a3V
— Operación Triunfo (@OT_Oficial) February 15, 2024
OT It is not a reflection of society, if it reflects something it would only be the young people who want to dedicate themselves to pop music. “There are even some straight people here,” Paul joked in a conversation regarding the number of contestants who identified as LGBTI. It was funny, but it reflected what was experienced in an Academy in which only six of the sixteen contestants considered themselves heterosexual; It is not a percentage that has a real reflection on the street, although it contrasts with what was seen in previous editions: there was zero in the first, but in these 23 years many things have happened, for example the approval of homosexual marriage in 2005. An advance that It did not avoid controversies such as the one caused by the kiss between Agoney and Raoul in 2017 or that between Marina Jade and Blast, her trans boyfriend, “television history” they considered it. In OT 2023 we have followed the relationship between Juanjo and Martín with the same enthusiasm that we followed that of Alfred and Amaia, it did not matter the gender of those who formed the couple but the progress of feelings. The “he had never sung with a person he was in love with” with which Martín confirmed his interpretation of God Only Knows alongside Juanjo as his favorite performance has been one of the most emotional moments of the gala, but it will not give big headlines, it will not be accompanied by the word “controversy” it will not generate an avalanche of adhesions, that is already over, I suppose, I hope . Sometimes something that is not news is the best news.
This has been the first edition that has been experienced on Tik Tok and, as Héctor Llanos Martínez pointed out in the chronicle of the last gala, the very nature of the social network, focused on capturing only moments, has decontextualized many moments and turned anecdotes into serious accusations that have cost votes and perhaps even expulsions. The verbal attacks became so intimidating that the Academy management asked for an armistice. The generation most aware of mental health—we assume, even without data, that the majority of the program’s followers do not exceed thirty—seemed to be unaware that upon exiting each contestant they would have to face a digital footprint the size of Bigfoot. The director Noemí Galera, the most visible face in an edition of strong women, put order: Abril Zamora, the acting teacher, has been another of the great discoveries, as has Concha Buika, who has shown that one can be firm and charismatic without being cruel. And of course, Chenoa. “What a gift they just gave me,” she said following interpreting the Last Dance by Donna Summers. It was truly a gift for those of us who were in front of the television in 2001 and the confirmation, if anyone was not clear, of the enormous artist she is, artist, that word that encompasses so much. “Let’s see if we come back,” she said to close the program. That Prime Video did not take even 24 hours to announce the renewal of the format (and Chenoa) for a second season confirms better than any audience, viewing or listening data that the format has been a success.
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