In 1989, TV Globo decided an election in Brazil by hosting a debate between presidential candidates, and awarded the presidential sash to Fernando Collor de Melo, who ran against Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The broadcast of the candidates' debate was fatal to Lula's fate, and the "marajá hunter" from Alagoas ascended the ramp.
Thirty-seven years later, Lula refused to participate in the debate organized by the Marinho family's network and dismissed the potential reach of its audience. Simultaneously, he gave his final interview before next Sunday's election (4) to one of the country's most popular podcasts, Flow.
The interview with Lula reached a peak of 1.6 million simultaneous viewers, setting a new record for the podcast. The previous mark was from 2022, when Igor Coelho interviewed the politician during the election race, reaching 1.05 million simultaneous accesses.
Globo's audience has the potential for even greater numerical reach. However, Lula's response was political, and he knows that the network no longer holds a monopoly on information and public opinion in the country. Even with the largest audience, it is no longer incontestable.
Lula's dismissal of the Globo TV stage was felt in the corridors of the Curicica (RJ) studios. The absence of the petist led to Flávio Bolsonaro (PL)'s withdrawal. Bolsonaroism has not respected the reach of the Rio de Janeiro network for years.
Without the two main presidential candidates, TV Globo had to cancel its presidential debate for the first time in its history. Outside, in the rain, Renan Santos (Mission) shouted, the only presidential candidate who desperately wanted this debate.
Inside, embarrassed journalists tried to explain Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro's dismissal of the network. Was it an electoral tactic? Fear of the voter? Regardless of the argument, the fact is that Globo is no longer feared as it was in 1989.