New Spanish digital terrestrial television network La Séptima has signed comedians Ignatius Farray, Mariang, and Marina Lobo for an upcoming comedy series based in Madrid.
The channel announced on its social media accounts that the new format will be titled La Comedia Nacional. The program will premiere when La Séptima begins broadcasting on November 5, coinciding with the official campaign launch for Spain's general election on November 29.
Spanish digital terrestrial television, known locally as TDT, is the national free-to-air broadcasting standard that replaced analogue signals across the country in 2010. Comedian and screenwriter Marina Lobo will star in the new show alongside Mariang and Ignatius Farray, who are among Spain's popular contemporary comic performers.
Lobo said that current affairs are sometimes better understood from the absurd than from objective reality itself. Television veteran Héctor de Miguel, widely known by his stage name Quequé, will direct and present the show as one of the major broadcasting stars anchoring the new channel.
Comedy lineup and production base
The title of the program pays tribute to La Escopeta Nacional, the classic 1978 satirical film directed by acclaimed Spanish filmmaker Luis García Berlanga. La Comedia Nacional joins Fuera de Control, a new show hosted by Alba Carrillo and Marta Márquez, as the first official series confirmed for the channel's initial launch grid.
La Séptima has also finalized the broadcast schedule for its flagship slot led by presenter Sarah Santaolalla, which will also premiere on November 5. The network will produce its entire line-up from a single production facility in San Sebastián de los Reyes, a municipality in the Community of Madrid located close to the headquarters of commercial television group Atresmedia.
Journalism recruits and editorial leadership
As the network prepares for its nationwide open-television debut, several media professionals have begun confirming their new roles on LinkedIn. The hiring wave, initially reported by news outlet El Confidencial Digital, brings a broad team of reporters and journalists to the channel's newsroom.
The current affairs division has secured prominent talent from public broadcaster Televisión Española, including journalists who previously worked on the morning program Mañaneros 360. The hires from TVE include Gloria Mena, Carla Acuña, Pedro Gómez, Cristina Cañedo, Pablo Collantes, Arantxa de Fez, Marta Hita, and María Escolar.
La Séptima has also recruited Ana Francisco, Pablo Montes, and José Araque from the television show Directo al grano. The newsroom will further feature radio journalist Adrián Cordero from network Cadena SER, alongside Pablo Anzola, who joins from Cadena SER's business and economics department.
The ambitious broadcast project is driven by media executive José Miguel Contreras, with editorial direction headed by veteran journalist Javier Ruiz. The network aims to deliver a schedule centered entirely on live current affairs programming and news coverage.
Financial backing and audience targets
Speaking on Monday at the Foro de la Nueva Comunicación, an industry conference in Spain, Contreras outlined the commercial strategy for the network. He explained that La Séptima will launch on November 5 without making any initial investment in conventional advertising campaigns.
Contreras expressed surprise at the high level of public interest generated prior to the network's on-air debut. He highlighted the key role of social media platforms in promoting the channel, noting that modern television audiences are increasingly fragmented between traditional screens and digital mobile devices.
The business plan for La Séptima allocates an annual operating budget of approximately 30 million euros. The founding investors have committed to spending nearly 100 million euros across the channel's first three years of operation.
Management has set a target of achieving a 2.2 percent audience share by 2027. Contreras noted that securing around a 2 percent share would allow the network to develop comfortably, whereas reaching 3 percent would represent an exceptionally strong result. The channel has not yet selected a commercial advertising sales partner, though talks are ongoing with major media sales operators.
