Reply #14: The short answer, most people have been known to watch the episodes on Youtube :)

[Leopolds Ghost]

Some of them went in hating it and become bronies.

It was actually a weird evangelizing/mass hysteria thing in 2011, where
bronies would post ponies to troll macho tough guys on various websites
who had never heard of the franchise, then the internet tough guys would
retaliate by looking for pony stuff in order to make fun of the bronies with,
but they would end up watching the show and liking it, which further angered
their fellow videogame/anime/wrestling/etc fans. Some famous former trolls
came out and said they were a brony "in denial" or whatever and ceased their
trolling ways. They said that watching the show had helped them grow up and
learn how to get along with other people and be less insecure about having
to assert their machismo (or made them realize that they had a sensitive side.)

The actual show is called "Friendship is Magic" or MLP: FiM for short.

ON EDIT: I posted a long-winded description of the show to try and explain the whole fandom,
but it probably doesn't interest you. Let me know if you want to read it and I'll post it. :-)