Italian television news programs are witnessing a significant decline in viewership, with a more pronounced drop for Rai compared to Mediaset. The latest data from the Communications Authority highlights that, during the first quarter of 2024, the evening editions of the main news broadcasts (between 6:30 PM and 8:30 PM) saw a reduction of approximately 750,000 viewers, falling from 17.3 million to 16.55 million. Notably, while the TG1 and TG5 experienced significant losses, Enrico Mentana’s TG La7 managed to attract a 20% increase in viewers, rising from 1.06 million to 1.27 million.
Despite TG1 retaining its status as the most-watched news program with an average of 4.81 million viewers, it still experienced a 4.4% decline compared to the previous year. Similarly, the TG5 saw a drop of 5.2%, and the TG2 faced a dramatic 15.2% fall in viewership. The downward trend extends beyond the evening slots; daytime broadcasts also struggled, with Rai’s news programs losing a total of 470,000 viewers during the midday slot, reflecting a broader issue within the television industry.
Overall, both Rai and Mediaset reported daily audience losses, with Rai dropping 100,000 viewers and Mediaset losing 50,000. In contrast, Discovery and La7 have shown growth in audience numbers. The print media is also feeling the impact, with daily newspapers experiencing a 9.1% decline compared to 2023, highlighting the evolving landscape of news consumption as digital subscriptions increase but fail to offset losses in traditional formats.
