Between ads, applications, menu options and content previews is access to free linear television. An everyday action has become something increasingly complicated, according to UTECA (Union of Open Commercial Televisions), in its new campaign, with which they alert the sector about the difficulties in finding access to television on connected televisions.
The association uses humor and the language of the digital environment to denounce that traditional television increasingly occupies a marginal space on television. The campaign spots, in 25 and 40 second versions, establish a simile with a gesture as common as drinking a glass of tap water, which however becomes a feat due to the multiple options offered by an intelligent system.
From UTECA they state in a statement that everyday and universal gestures, such as watching “the same old TV”, which millions of people watch every day, should not be complicated by endless meaningless intermediate steps. The advertisements, which are already broadcast on the channels of those associated with the organization. They claim direct and prominent access on the home screen and television controls.
UTECA maintains that the prioritization of certain content on the home screen of televisions or the remote control occurs without taking into account the general interest and conflicts with the right of users to quickly and easily access the DTT channel offering. Remember, also, that this is the only television option that provides universal and free access to a diversity and plurality of programs and news.
In line with its defense of citizens’ right to universal television, UTECA’s campaign seeks to raise awareness about the right to have direct and easy access to free television on connected televisions, present in 86% of homes in Spain. It also encourages people not to settle for a situation in which citizens are the main victims.
Furthermore, they take advantage of the occasion to highlight the television medium. The association assures that the difficulty of access to linear television contrasts with its penetration. In the season that has just concluded, 99% of the population has connected with the so-called traditional television channels, which represents 47.1 million unique users, according to data from the official Fifty5Blue meter.
Based on data from the last EGM, television occupies third place on the list of media with a penetration of 76.6%, behind Outdoor and Internet.
On the other hand, UTECA also points out that the complexity of access to the medium does not adjust to the time of consumption either. It states that during the 2025/2026 season, users have dedicated 75% of their television usage time to watching traditional television, while the remaining 25% has been allocated to games, applications and various streaming channels.
Finally, he argues his message with perceptual data. Referencing data from the Barometer 2025 carried out by UTECA in collaboration with Dos 30 and Sigma Dos, it highlights that 94.6% of citizens consider free television a good of general interest and 79.4% believe that it performs a function of social cohesion.
