WATIF is a Spanish independent media outlet that covers current affairs for younger audiences, combining political analysis, entertainment, and community. Their audience seeks news coverage that is rigorous but accessible. With a particular focus on geopolitics, U.S. politics, and tech, WATIF has built a loyal community around a format that is close, thoughtful, and genuinely engaging
Distribution model for the new age
Entering the incubator, the team already had a strong foundation based on their unique hybrid distribution model: twice a week, they go live on YouTube, delivering sharp and entertaining coverage of current affairs; since May 2026, the show also airs on RTVE Play every Wednesday, reaching Spain’s national public digital television audience. On Mondays and Wednesdays, they publish a newsletter with quick-take news briefings, keeping their community informed between shows.
Live events have become a core pillar of the project. WATIF has brought their format to Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia and is expanding further: every Tuesday in July, they will host an in-person event in Madrid, with a recurring monthly format returning from September. Their active presence across social media like Instagram, TikTok and BlueSky rounds out a distribution model built for where younger audiences actually are.
From momentum to financial sustainability
WATIF TV operates two distinct value propositions: content for audiences navigating the tension between general interest and specialist following, particularly in geopolitics, U.S. politics, and tech; and brand partnerships for advertisers seeking engaged, educated viewers. The current revenue model is primarily B2B.
Coming to the programme, WATIF asked key questions to guide their next phase: How to activate their community? Expand organic reach? Do more with less?
Their goal: strengthen financial sustainability by growing the team, securing annual sponsorships for the podcast and live events, and increasing visibility across social platforms. Throughout the Incubator, they focused on two priorities: events and AI-supported workflows.
Building community and a business, Live!
In 2025, WATIF hosted monthly events that, despite being successful, were costly and difficult to fund. The coaching made the team rethink the approach to events. Coaching helped the team rethink their approach: while the community value was clear, the business model needed to work.
In early 2026, a partnership with Fundación Telefónica provided a venue in Madrid, turning an event into a blueprint for future brand collaborations—and showcasing WATIF’s ability to engage younger audiences. The success led to 12 funded events for 2026. Growing interest also opened doors to offer event hosting for other brands, as well as the space for WATIF’s own pilot of trivia nights and intimate community gatherings planned for June.
These events now serve a dual purpose: reactivating the community and generating sustainable revenue—covering two salaries through season’s end and one through year’s end.
AI-curated insights for team operations and reach
AI-curated insights for team operations and reach
Inspired by AI trainings, WATIF created an AI-powered briefing that delivers a daily newsletter to both journalists and the social media team—one focused on news, the other on trends.
Each morning, the team receives a curated digest of current stories, compiled by Claude from the many newsletters and media outlets they follow—ensuring high-quality, trusted sources. On Mondays and Wednesdays, a pre-show briefing highlights trending topics on Google and YouTube, shaping that day’s live stream.
These insights are grounded in strong audience data—social metrics and community surveys refined during the Vienna bootcamp.
“Something that my colleagues learned in Vienna is the methodology that works better for the polls. And because of that, and mixing it with Claude, we now have this kind of briefing, and we know how to optimise thumbnails and titles for our YouTube live stream,”, explains Emilio Doménech, the founder of WATIF.
Looking ahead, WATIF will experiment with more event formats and scale, expand the AI layer and organic reach, fuelled by subscription and ad revenue, to support growth. They’re exploring new avenues like merch and recently secured a distribution deal with RTVE Play—bringing their content to Spain’s national public digital television audience.
The New Media Incubator is part of the Media Innovation Europe programme (MIE), made possible with the support of the European Union.
