Spain Sports News
Spanish public broadcaster TVE drops the bullfight
By h.b. - Aug 18, 2007 - 11:06 PM
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The Spanish state television and radio broadcaster TVE, is for the first time in its 51 year history not giving any coverage to the bullfighting season in Spain.
The decision has been taken despite traditionally good audience figures for the National Fiesta.
TVE started test broadcasting in 1948 and indeed it was a bullfight which was its very first programme. It has recently been reducing its coverage, and carried a dozen or so fights last year, but now it is a bullfighting-free zone, despite spectator loyalty which had brought the channel 24% reach.
A spokesman for the broadcaster said that RTVE had nothing against bullfights, and that the decision had been taken because of broadcast rights which are ‘not always available or within our reach’.
The spokesman also said they wanted to respect the broadcast hours of child protection to which they had signed up.