À Punt

À Punt is the principal television brand of Corporació Valenciana de Mitjans de Comunicació, the public media corporation established to restore a permanent Valencian public broadcaster after the liquidation of Radiotelevisió Valenciana. The channel serves the Valencian Community in eastern Spain and broadcasts mainly in Valencian, combining news, current affairs, entertainment, cultural programming, sports, children's content, fiction and regional coverage. The brand emerged from the political and institutional effort to replace the former Canal 9 and its associated services, including Nou, Nou 24 and Nou Dos. Those channels were abruptly taken off air on 29 November 2013 after the Valencian government announced the closure of Radiotelevisió Valenciana. The shutdown followed years of financial difficulties, with reported debt of approximately €1.3 billion, as well as sustained criticism concerning editorial interference, censorship and the handling of politically sensitive stories. The closure left the Valencian Community without its own public television service. Following a change in the regional government in 2015, work began on a new public-media model. The Corts Valencianes approved legislation creating the Valencian Media Corporation on 14 July 2016. The new À Punt identity was presented through a test card in August 2017, while associated digital and radio activity developed during the following months. Initial online programming appeared in December 2017, including Valencian-language dubbed versions of established animated and international series. Television broadcasting developed in stages before the channel reached a full schedule. À Punt's regular television service is generally dated to 2018, with the launch of full-day programming and the first edition of À Punt Notícies taking place on 10 June 2018. Some references also identify 25 April 2018 as an early regular-broadcast milestone. The channel used the same digital-terrestrial multiplex previously associated with the former Valencian public channels. It is distributed terrestrially through transmitters serving Valencia, Castellón and Alicante provinces, and is also available through selected IPTV services, including Movistar Plus+. À Punt's editorial and cultural role is closely connected to the promotion of Valencian language and identity. Its remit includes providing locally produced news, representing the region's diverse municipalities and communities, supporting the Valencian audiovisual sector and maintaining a public platform for cultural and civic life. The channel also participates in FORTA, the federation of Spain's autonomous public broadcasters. Although plans and expectations existed for reception in other Catalan-speaking territories, including Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, the necessary additional multiplex allocation was not granted by the Spanish government, leaving the service's principal terrestrial reach within the Valencian Community. Audience growth has been gradual. Measurement began several months after the television service started, and early performance was below the internally stated target of a 4 percent share. The first full year averaged about 2 percent, with children's programming such as Doraemon among the strongest performers. Schedule changes in 2019 increased the prominence of information programming and refreshed entertainment offerings. By late 2022, the channel's average share was reported to have exceeded that of some national Spanish channels, and in March 2023 it recorded a reported monthly high of 4.4 percent. À Punt remains an active regional public broadcaster whose importance is measured not only by audience share but also by language visibility, regional news provision and the continuity of Valencian public media.

À Punt was created as the television successor to the Valencian public channels operated by Radiotelevisió Valenciana. The former services, including Nou, Nou 24 and Nou Dos, stopped broadcasting on 29 November 2013 after the regional government decided to close the broadcaster. The closure followed a reported debt burden of approximately €1.3 billion and years of controversy over management, political influence and editorial treatment of sensitive issues, including coverage related to the Gürtel case and the 2006 Valencia Metro accident. Following a court ruling concerning the closure process, employees were dismissed and the former company was liquidated. After a change of government in 2015, the Generalitat Valenciana began preparing a new public-media structure. A temporary service operated with limited staffing and largely prerecorded material while the future institutional model was debated. On 14 July 2016, the Corts Valencianes approved legislation establishing the Corporació Valenciana de Mitjans de Comunicació. This corporation became the owner and operator of the new À Punt service. The À Punt identity was introduced during test broadcasting on 30 August 2017. Radio and digital development accompanied the television project, and the website began carrying initial programming in December 2017. These early broadcasts included existing Valencian-language dubs of animated series such as Doraemon, Hamtaro and Case Closed. Television transmission expanded during 2018, with full programming and the first À Punt Notícies bulletin presented on 10 June. Some reference accounts also associate 25 April 2018 with an earlier regular-broadcast milestone. The channel inherited use of the digital-terrestrial multiplex previously used by the former Valencian public services. Terrestrial distribution covers the three provinces of the Valencian Community through channel assignments in Valencia, Castellón and Alicante. À Punt is also carried on IPTV platforms, including Movistar Plus+. Its planned wider availability in other Catalan-speaking territories was not achieved because the Spanish government did not approve the additional multiplex capacity required for terrestrial distribution in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. Audience measurement started several months after launch. À Punt initially achieved a 2.4 percent share during the first week measured in October 2018, then settled closer to 1.4 percent during later weeks. Its average for the first year was reported at roughly 2 percent, with Doraemon reaching a stronger individual share. In 2019 the channel adjusted its schedule, adding more information slots and renewing entertainment programming, including Assumptes Interns. Later performance improved: by the end of 2022 the channel was reported to be ahead of La Sexta and La 2 in average audience, while March 2023 produced a reported monthly peak of 4.4 percent. À Punt's broader mission is to provide public-service media for the Valencian Community, strengthen Valencian-language audiovisual production, represent regional life and support democratic access to local information. It is the flagship and, according to the cited reference material, the only television channel operated by the Valencian public media corporation. The service is a member of FORTA, linking it with Spain's other autonomous public broadcasters.

• 2023

  Reported audience peak

  [1]À Punten.wikipedia.org

  The channel reached a cited monthly audience share of 4.4 percent in March.

• 2018

  Full television service begins

  [1]À Punten.wikipedia.org

  À Punt introduced a full-day schedule and launched its main television news bulletin.

• 2017

  À Punt name introduced

  [1]À Punten.wikipedia.org

  A test card presented the new À Punt identity during preparations for the television launch.

• 2017

  Initial web broadcasts

  [1]À Punten.wikipedia.org

  The service began online audiovisual activity with Valencian-language dubbed programming.

• 2016

  Creation of the Valencian Media Corporation

  [1]À Punten.wikipedia.org

  The Corts Valencianes approved the legislation establishing the public corporation that would own À Punt.

• 2013

  Closure of the former Valencian public channels

  [1]À Punten.wikipedia.org

  Nou, Nou 24 and Nou Dos ceased broadcasting after the closure of Radiotelevisió Valenciana.

A Valencian-language public-service broadcaster focused on regional news, culture, identity, universal access and locally relevant audiovisual content.

• Public-service television · 2018

  À Punt television channel

  The flagship free-to-air television service of Corporació Valenciana de Mitjans de Comunicació. It offers Valencian-language news, regional affairs, entertainment, culture, sports, children's programming and fiction, with terrestrial distribution across the Valencian Community and additional IPTV availability.

• Online audiovisual media · 2017

  À Punt digital service

  The brand's website and associated digital services provide online audiovisual material, program information and access to selected content. Digital activity began before the full television schedule and helped introduce the new service to audiences during the transition from the former broadcaster.

• News programming · 2018

  À Punt Notícies

  À Punt's principal television news offering, providing regional and wider current-affairs coverage in Valencian. Its first edition accompanied the launch of the channel's full schedule and forms a central part of the broadcaster's public-service remit.

• 2013

  Controversies surrounding the predecessor broadcaster

  The closure of Radiotelevisió Valenciana, the institutional predecessor of À Punt, followed criticism concerning reported debt, political interference, censorship and the handling of coverage involving the Gürtel case and the 2006 Valencia Metro accident. These controversies formed part of the background against which À Punt was designed as a new public-media service.

  Source

Read more

• 2019

  Schedule revision to strengthen information programmingStrategy

  Background

  Early audience performance was modest, and the channel sought to refine its offer during its first complete seasons.

  Action taken

  À Punt increased information time slots and introduced a new season of the comedy and current-affairs program Assumptes Interns.

  Aftermath

  The changes formed part of the channel's continuing effort to establish a distinctive regional public-service schedule.

  Source

• 2018

  Launch of full À Punt television programmingProduct launch

  Background

  À Punt had conducted test and online activity while the new broadcaster's infrastructure and schedule were being prepared.

  Action taken

  The service moved to full-day television programming and launched À Punt Notícies as its principal news bulletin.

  Aftermath

  The channel began building an audience as the Valencian Community's replacement public television service, although early audience results were below the stated target.

  Source

• 2016

  Establishment of a new Valencian public-media corporationStrategy

  Background

  The liquidation of Radiotelevisió Valenciana left the Valencian Community without its own public television service. A new institutional framework was required before a replacement channel could be launched.

  Action taken

  The Corts Valencianes approved legislation creating Corporació Valenciana de Mitjans de Comunicació, which became the owner and operator of À Punt.

  Aftermath

  The legislation enabled the development of the À Punt brand, its digital services and its subsequent full television schedule.

  Source

1. 1À Punten.wikipedia.org
2. 2À Punt official websiteapuntmedia.es