Tue, 9 February 2010
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Inaccurate TV guides, 20-minute long and loud commercials are but some of the challenges faced when watching TV in the Catalan city, says blogger Jeremy Holland.Watching television in Barcelona is an experience in and of itself.
First, there's the question of scheduling. Many times, what appears in the TV guide doesn't match what's actually on the television, or programmes will start 10 minutes before or after their official start times. This of course makes planning when to sit down and veg out a little problematic and requires a certain amount of flexibility about programmes you're willing to watch.
Second, both public and private channels have commercials which can last from 30 seconds to 20-minutes with the time growing longer as the show progresses. Why so long? I think the TV stations figure it will give people time to do things such as cook dinner or hang the laundry. And since people won't see the ads playing, it may also explain why they're so much louder than the actual shows.
Third, there’s the problem with language. The most popular TV programmes tend to be US series such as CSI, Lost, and Desperate Housewives on Spanish TV channels; while on the Catalan channels, there seems to be an affinity for eighties English comedy like Black Adder, Alo, Alo and the Young Ones.
They are all dubbed, meaning you'll have to speak Spanish or Catalan to understand.
Jeremy,
I have to disagree with your version of Spanish/Catalan TV. Here there are fewer commercial breaks (in some cases might be longer) but the show or movie is not interrupted every 15 minutes or less like in the US. I do not have a new television by any means and I have the option of changing the language to the original one whether it be English, French, German, etc. Have you not found the audio button? If you do not have this feature for some odd reason, you could always watch your favorite TV shows in Spanish or Catalan, since you live here. In case you haven't found any good viewing options, let me recommend TV 3 and canal 33. They have some of the best documentaries I have ever seen on television, again you can change the language to English if you prefer. I hope this improves your TV viewing experience here.
I'm not sure about Barcelona, because I live in Madrid. But the commercials here are very annoying. I never know if they are going to be on for only 30 seconds (long enough to grab a quick snack) or 20 minutes (long enough for me to loose interest). The worst part is when watching a US show they have specific scene cuts made for commercials. Here, the powers that be, just ignore those opportunities and cut to commercial whenever they feel like it. Sometimes, they even cut in the middle of a sentence. When it comes back on, 20 minutes later, I have forgotten what the character was talking about to begin with!
I agree with Sabrina. TV3 replaced imported soap operas and drama series with locally-made ones in Catalan back in the nineties, and they have some of the highest ratings. There are also brilliant comedy series like Polonia, BBC-standard adaptations of Catalan classics like Mirall Trencat, etc etc. Also, don't forget Barcelona TV - Telemonegal for example is a great critical programme. I live in Barcelona and I find the standard of Catalan TV much higher than the Spanish channels.
And Jeremy, don't forget chewing gum! Sometimes it sticks to your teeth, sometimes you chew it until your jaw aches and sometime the flavor disappears after seconds...We are talking about TV here (that which the world turns its back on in ever increasing numbers) are we not?
If you have a TV which can broadcast dual sound, you will find that many programmes in TV3 and 33 are broadcast in their original version. Just press the dual button when you watch them. I hope this helps! ;-)
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