A new television season begins this Monday and the swords will be held high. At the highest level that can be remembered. It’s hard to remember a season when so many shows were open at so many different times on the main Spanish channels. There are changes in the draft in the morning, afternoon and evening, with the grid being almost completely reconfigured and opening up new battles.
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Although broadcasters don’t like to describe these battles in warlike terms, the reality is that war is being served. La 1, Antena 3 and Telecinco are the main competitors and the effectiveness of the weapons with which they wage the fight will determine the immediate and medium-term future of their programming at a time when traditional television, with the strength of the platforms, is becoming played more than ever. The amount of cake they are fighting for, the viewers who continue to watch the usual television, is getting smaller and smaller, and therefore they have to refine their recording with special care. Antena 3 was able to secure the lion’s share of the cake last season: between September 2022 and June 2023, it achieved an average audience share of 13.8%. Telecinco maintained second place with an 11.3% share, while La 1 maintained a 9.6% share. The summer, an exceptional period that moves the audience, changed this classification and La 1 was second in July and August, while Telecinco reached historic lows and took third place.
Morning and afternoon
The fight, which is expected to last a long time, will begin in the morning. The 1 doesn’t wait any longer and shows its news this Monday. Mañaneros (10.45) is added to La Hora de La 1, with Jaime Cantizano in the lead. Antena 3, the channel that presents the fewest premieres due to its status as market leader and follows the unwritten rule: “If something works, don’t touch it,” talks to Public Mirror with Susanna Griso, who also returns this Monday. And on Telecinco, Ana Rosa Quintana’s jump into the afternoons ensures that the mornings are divided between The Critical Look with Ana Terradillos and Vamos a ver with Joaquín Prat and Patricia Pardo. Both start on Monday the 11th.
Jaime Cantizano, host of “Mañaneros”.
Another period of big change is the afternoon. The end of Sálvame will lead to Ana Rosa Quintana taking an important place at Telecinco. TardeAR is expected to launch on September 18th. La 1 has been redesigning its evening grill for some time now. Another daily fiction, La Moderna Tea Room, will soon be added to the La Promesa series. Another novelty will be La Plaza, a space for meetings and current events that Jordi González will present and which must find its place next to The Hunter and Here the Earth. The organization is yet to disclose the timelines and release dates of the news. Meanwhile, Antena 3 Amar maintains es para siempre, now in its final season, the series Pecado original and Y Ahora Sonsoles return with Sonsoles Ónega. She is the opening act for Pasapalabra, one of the crown jewels of the program.
The New Battle: “Chinese Stories” and “The Anthill”
Antena 3’s other diamond is El Hormiguero, the undisputed leader of one of the most coveted slots on the grid, inheriting the nightly newscast audience and introducing viewers to prime time. The Pablo Motos program returns this Thursday with Isabel Pantoja as a guest to try to get to the table. Because after years in which the rival networks on this strip had given up without making too great an effort to surrender to the power of the ants, both La 1 and Telecinco have decided to fight, each with their own weapons. La 1 chose the daily series 4 Stars, which has around a million followers and will continue this autumn. Telecinco will join the fight with Chinese Tales, which will mark the return to television of Jorge Javier Vázquez after he left television at the end of May due to a medical prescription. It is not yet confirmed when the program will premiere or what exactly it will include, aside from the fact that it will feature interviews and collaborators such as Susi Caramelo, Anabel Alonso and Celia Villalobos.
The Battle of “Prime Time”
As is usual on Spanish television, there will be a lot of old acquaintances in prime time this fall. La 1 bets again on a specific audience, MasterChef Celebrity, and repeats it with incredible duos with new singers and presenters. Among its novelties, the adventure and survival competition El Conquistador stands out, a highly successful format on ETB, broadcast on national television and in which participants have to face tough physical tests. As for fiction, TVE plans to premiere the final season of Cuéntame How Happened, which is currently completing recording. There is also the series Operación Barrio Inglés, a spy story set at the beginning of World War II, and The Law of the Sea, a three-part miniseries starring Blanca Portillo and Luis Tosar.
Group photo with all participants of the new edition of “MasterChef Celebrity”.
“The Floor” will be one of the bets for the evenings of Antena 3. The internationally successful competition, presented here by Manel Fuentes, begins its journey on Wednesday 6th. There is also a new edition of “The Voice” and further episodes of Joaquín, the newcomer. Occasionally a special program “Talking in Silver” (the first on Thursday 7th) is broadcast on various social debates. And some national novels such as “Honor”, “The Turkish Passion”, “Between Countries” or “Beguines” could see the light of day publicly.
Manel Fuentes, host of “The Floor.”
Telecinco will try to win back the lost audience with proposals that lie between what is already known and renewal. On the one hand, he will bet heavily on the return of Big Brother VIP. The reality show comes with a new flair, a new host, Marta Flich, and without any of its participants having appeared yet. The premiere takes place on Thursday the 14th. No date yet, but promotion is already underway: El Musical de Tu Vida, which each week pays tribute to a famous guest with an interview and musical pieces that recreate moments from their life. Carlos Sobera will be the host and confirmed guests include Miguel Bosé, Ana Obregón, Tamara Falcó and Paulina Rubio. Before that, this Monday the 4th, the 13th season of La que se cerca will premiere publicly, with a change of location for the protagonists. A new episode of “Got Talent” and the third season of “Entrevías” with José Coronado in the lead role will also be released in the fall. In the documentary section, “The Hunt for the Charmer” premieres on Wednesday the 6th and they are already promoting another room focused on Julio Iglesias.
Carlos Sobera presents “The Musical of a Lifetime” on Telecinco.
Cuatro and La Sexta will also be in the fight, in both cases with some new features. The Mediaset channel is preparing for its prime time, in addition to new episodes of Volando voy and Viajando con Chester, the return of Fuera de Coverage and documentary series such as WAGs, ella alsoplay or On Guard, Women Against Crime. Additionally, the reality show “In Search of Nirvana” will take social media influencers on an offline retreat to Nepal. For its part, La Sexta brings to its program the arrival of Más vale sabbath with Adela González and Boris Izaguirre. Additionally, Izaguirre will host Desmontando, a show that explores the history of Spain using augmented reality.
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