OneToro (Mundotoro TV), modern bullfighting speaks broken English and German

It was very clear to Moritz Roever, CEO of OneToro.

The first thing he said was a lapidary phrase: "Everything new generates doubts."

And he was quite right;

The problem is when you call a press conference in style in a posh hotel, and after two hours of interventions, questions and answers, the doubts are not cleared up.

There was enormous expectation with this appearance in which the directors of the platform that has taken over the television rights of the April Fair, San Isidro and the July Fair in Valencia were going to talk about their project and future prospects.

And that curiosity was deflating as the act went on.

Expectation run, disappointment run.

Because neither Mr. Roever, nor the general director, Ignacio Díez de la Cortina, nor the filmmaker Víctor Santamaría, nor the journalist David Casas were able to convince those present that their purpose has solid foundations.

On the contrary, from his words it was deduced that there was little beyond a decalogue of good intentions, that everything is up in the air and that the necessary infrastructure has not jumped from paper to reality.

That was, at least, the impression.

But go ahead with an excited and cordial welcome, because OneToro —from now on, Mundotoro TV— is the only possible replacement for the flight of Canal Toros.

If it is not for this American company, the bullfighting festival will fade to black, with the disastrous consequences that this would have entailed.

Mundotoro TV disappointed in its public presentation, but it is the only possible replacement before the flight of Canal Toros

Of course, the irruption of the platform comes loaded with questions.

OneToro is a company domiciled in Delaware, a small US state known for its flexibility in business regulations and low taxes to the point of being considered a theoretical tax haven.

And Mr. Roever says that it is made up mostly of small American investment funds that have not hesitated to put their dollars into spreading the bullfighting festival.

It sounds weird for a long time, but if it's true, bless God...

He also pointed out that they do not plan to pay taxes to the Spanish treasury because their business is not the retransmission of the bullfights, but the fees of the subscribers, distributed throughout the world.

Moritz Roever himself was asked about his professional, business and bullfighting resume, and he did not hesitate to lower his voice, and with a taciturn face he replied that he ran a life insurance finance company based in Munich and Miami, which had discovered the bullfighting festival in Mexico back in 2001, and who, along with a group of friends, came to the conclusion that the channels for bullfighting's expansion to the world had to be expanded.

What he did not tell is how he has managed to convince the holders of the investment funds to face the adventure.

Some say that OneToro is a branch of OneFootball —a point that Roever denied—, although the leaders of the football company prefer to stay in the background so as not to stain their honor with the blood of bulls.

Asian citizens in the Plaza de Las Ventas.Plaza 1

And Díez de la Cortina —who implored help over and over again as if he were up to his neck in water—, emphasized the international vocation of the company, so that the business, beyond the subscribers who can subscribe in Spain, It is directed (each country will have its own package) to fans and curious people from all over the world.

What is certain is that they have money, because it seems that they have already paid for the April Fair, and it is possible to think that the same thing will have happened in Madrid.

This prompt payment will have filled the businessmen with satisfaction, accustomed to Movistar paying sixty or seventy days after the celebration of a bullfight or a fair cycle.

Why has OneToro accepted that Telemadrid broadcast 14 bullfights from the San Isidro Fair when the exclusive rights have been signed by the American company?

The question did not have a sincere answer, obviously, but well-informed sources point out

because at the end of January a secret meeting was held between the president of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the businessman from Las Ventas, Rafael García Garrido, and Moritz Roever in which the former asserted her right as property representative and demanded to the signatories of the agreement who accepted its imposition.

And so it has been.

(San Isidro coincides with the elections in the Community of Madrid).

It drew attention at the press conference that, beyond the good intentions vehemently expressed by the new managers, there was no specific production plan or infrastructure that supports what the papers dictate.

The diffusion of the party is in the hands of a German gentleman and some American investors.

The twists and turns of life…

Curiously, the information folder only contained two pages, advertising phrases on one and prices on the other.

And about the prices, new doubts arise regardless of the opinion of each one about their cost.

Mundotoro TV has not yet designed a daily schedule for its platform, but it does announce that a month will cost 39.99 euros —the subscription starts on the first day of each month and ends on the last, regardless of which day the subscription is purchased—, and an annual plan when it is unknown which fairs will be broadcast from June, with the exception of the one in July in Valencia.

In short, the whole project exudes a certain smell of improvisation, of the adventure of a German fan, dazzled by bullfighting and a

as a practical fan in Seville together with the bullfighter Dávila Miura.

Or not.

Perhaps there is a whole business structure behind it in distant Delaware that, for unknown reasons, has not come to light.

One thing is very clear: hopefully American investors will make huge profits.

That will be the best news for bullfighting.

"We don't come to be here for a quarter of an hour, but for at least three years," said the CEO, and more than one of them made a face.

Conclusion: the diffusion of the bullfighting festival is in the hands of a German gentleman and some American investors.

The twists and turns of life…