AI, Drones and More Technology: The Tradition of San Fermín Renewed on TVE

Early mornings for the San Fermín bull runs return to RTVE. The public broadcaster will offer coverage from this Saturday until July 14th of Pamplona's most popular festival, incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance an annual event followed by millions worldwide. For the fourth consecutive year, presenters Ana Prada and Julian Iantzi, along with former runner Teo Lázaro, will lead the television broadcast, which last year attracted an average audience share of 64.9% and over 1.3 million viewers. This Sunday, the festivities will kick off on La 1 with the 'chupinazo', in a special programme starting at 11:00 AM from the Consistorial Plaza.

"I always say it's the only time of the year we wake up early without feeling sleepy and with a smile. The early rise for San Fermín is not hard because it's filled with excitement," says the presenter, who will lead the programme every morning starting at 7:15 AM, about 45 minutes before the bull run, to make the wait more enjoyable. "Besides the thrill of the bull run, we try to convey the festival, let people know it, and have fun. It's only nine days a year, 204 hours. We must make the most of it because it's something unique in the world," she emphasizes.

For his colleague in these duties, Julián Iantzi, the programme 'Vive San Fermín' is, above all, "truth that transcends the screen." Before the bull runs, he notes, it's time to "calm down a bit, people risk their lives, they are focused." "It's a very dangerous moment for the runners," he adds. "When narrating, I try to communicate for those who don't know what a 'derrote' is, what a 'cárdeno' bull is, a 'trapío'... 100% of the people watching me must understand what I'm explaining. And our expert, Teo Lázaro, handles the more specialized part," he concludes.

Lázaro, a financial advisor for the rest of the year but a San Fermín bull run specialist, explains that he will provide his perspective as an "expert." "I want to be able to tell firsthand and try to convey the emotions experienced during the run. I try to explain the technical part, but also the emotional aspect of the race," he assures. For this edition, he doesn't dare to predict which bull runs will be the most dangerous: "The most challenging on paper are those of Cebada-Gago, which this year are on July 8th, but the Miura runs, seemingly calm, can surprise. We don't know. We will hold our breath and narrate what is going to happen." On RNE, Javier Izu will lead the narration.

Following the 2023 experience, when RTVE used artificial intelligence to turn Hemingway into a "correspondent from the past," AI arrives at the bull runs with four exclusive pieces that will showcase the race from previously impossible perspectives. "This year we've taken it a step further," says 'Viva San Fermín' director Jorge Vázquez, who reveals that viewers, for example, will be able to see how the first 'chupinazo' took place in 1931, how the shepherds work from inside the bull run, or imagine with AI how the origins of the Sanfermines and the bull runs in Pamplona were in the Middle Ages.

The technical setup comprises a hundred people and 32 cameras distributed along the entire route, including zip lines that will traverse the Cuesta de Santo Domingo and Estafeta Street; and a drone that will capture the bulls' departure from the pens. Ana Valencia, Renata Rota, Maitane Bermejo, Fernando Ballesteros, Javier Erro, and Sandra Román will be the six reporters tasked with covering the San Fermín festivities from any point in the city and will also be present at the most iconic points of the bull run route.

The pre-show, which will air on La 1 and Canal 24 Horas, as well as on RTVE Play, will also put a face and name to the festival's protagonists, from runners, shepherds, and bull handlers to medical staff; and will show firsthand the feelings and emotions of the runners minutes before the rocket is launched. "Behind every runner, whether a visitor or from Pamplona, there's always a personal story we like to discover," states Vázquez.