Antena 3 Solidifies Its Reign in May, Widening the Gap with Rivals

No news that Antena 3 is the most-watched television channel in the country, yet May has been particularly rewarding for the San Sebastián de los Reyes-based network. Atresmedia closed the month with a 13.3% share, up by eight tenths compared to April, marking its best monthly period of the season. The channel's dominance continues to be built on its entertainment formats, such as 'El hormiguero', 'Tu cara me suena', 'Pasapalabra', and 'La ruleta de la suerte', which top the most-watched broadcasts, alongside Eurovision and sporting events. Regarding the show hosted by Pablo Motos, it continues to outperform its main rival, David Broncano's 'La revuelta' on La 1. Specifically, 'El hormiguero' recorded its best month of the year, closing with an average of 1,938,000 viewers and a 15.4% share, thus leading by 4.1 points and over half a million viewers ahead of its main competitor. This marks the largest historical gap between the two formats since they began competing in the same time slot in September 2024. The interview with former Prime Minister Felipe González was the most-watched segment this month on Antena 3 (2,303,000 viewers and an 18.4% share).

However, the interest in this month's ratings was particularly focused on the afternoon slot due to the already failed debut of 'La familia de la tele' on La 1. The arrival of the program hosted by María Patiño, Inés Hernand, and Aitor Albizua did not affect Antena 3 nor 'Y ahora Sonsoles', the magazine show presented by journalist Sonsoles Ónega on Atresmedia's main channel. In fact, quite the opposite. It concluded with an average of 10.9% and 789,000 viewers, which implied an increase of six tenths compared to April and its best monthly performance in almost a year, since June 2024. In prime time, 'Tu cara me suena' stood out with figures reminiscent of another era: averaging 1,735,000 viewers and a 21% share in May. However, Antena 3 did not succeed with its latest entertainment venture for Wednesday nights, ('Traitors'), which scored a 7.6% in its last episode. Daily highlights also include the series 'Sueños de libertad' (13.7% and 1,203,000). Additionally, 'Antena 3 Noticias' remains the most-watched news (19% and 1,824,000). La 1 grows in a yearDespite the setback of 'La familia de la tele', with audiences hovering around a 6-7% share, La 1 consolidated its second position with a 10.4% in May and once again surpassed Telecinco in the ongoing battle between the two networks for second place. This figure represents a slight drop compared to April (two tenths), although the public channel is the one that grows the most compared to the same month last year (9.1%).

The first channel has had great successes in its prime time slot, where the successful debut of Andreu Buenafuente with 'Futuro imperfecto' (12.7% and 1,195,000) or the competition 'The floor' with Chenoa, leading on Wednesday nights (11.9% and 1,049,000), stand out. Additionally, the afternoon series continue with strong numbers: 'La promesa' achieved an average of 14.4% and 1,012,000 in the month, while 'Valle Salvaje' scored 10.3% and 788,000 viewers. In the morning slot, La 1 also improved its numbers with the arrival of Javier Ruiz, alongside Adela González, to 'Mañaneros 360' (11.5%).

On the other hand, the public channel boasts the most-watched broadcasts of the month, such as the Champions League final between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan (26.3% and 2.6 million viewers); or the Eurovision Song Contest final, which attracted 5,884,000 followers and a 50.1% share. In third place was Telecinco, which had to settle for a 9.8% share in May, its worst monthly record since February. It falls below double digits once again. Nonetheless, it continues to lead with 'Supervivientes', especially on Thursday nights, where its gala averages a 20.2% share and 1,380,000 viewers. Other programs also perform well, such as the gossip show '¡De viernes!' (11.2%) or, in the morning, 'El programa de Ana Rosa' (13.8%) and 'Vamos a ver'. (13.4%).

At the lower end of the table, La Sexta (6.5%) beats Cuatro (5.9%) and La 2 scores a 2.9%. Energy (2.5%) is the leading thematic DTT channel. Television consumption in May is 162 minutes per person per day, combining linear and deferred viewing, the same as in April.