Antena 3 leads September 2026 TV ratings in Spain as La 1 closes gap to 0.7 points

Antena 3 retains September lead

Antena 3 opened the 2026–2027 television season in first place with a 12.8% audience share, securing the top spot for the sixth consecutive September according to industry reports compiled from Fifty5 Blue data by Dos 30' and Barlovento Comunicación. The channel gained 0.9 percentage points compared to August, representing the largest monthly growth among main Spanish networks, while easing two tenths of a percentage point year-on-year. Its daily program lineup provided consistent stability throughout the month, anchored by daytime broadcasts of Cocina abierta de Karlos Arguiñano and La ruleta de la suerte. The network maintained its leadership across daytime viewing blocks, recording 17.9% in the post-lunch slot and 13.0% in prime time. Antena 3 Noticias extended its run as the most watched news service to 81 consecutive months with a 19.2% average share, while its weekday midday bulletin recorded its strongest September since 1997.

La 1 narrows the gap behind live football

Public broadcaster La 1 followed closely in second position, posting an audience share between 11.8% and 12.1% depending on the measurement consultancy. This result represented the channel's strongest season start since 2011, narrowing the margin with Antena 3 to approximately seven tenths of a percentage point compared to 1.4 points in September 2025. Live sporting events delivered the most watched individual broadcasts of the month, led by two Spain matches in the UEFA Nations League against Croatia (40.2% share and 5.165 million viewers) and England (43.0% share and 4.356 million viewers). Outside sports, the public network restructured daytime slots with the addition of Jesús Cintora to Mañaneros and Gonzalo Miró to Malas Lenguas, while the game show premiere El Túnel: avanza y gana registered an 11.2% share and 811,000 viewers. Average audience share across all editions of Telediario reached 12.8%.

Diverging paths for Mediaset channels

Mediaset Spain experienced contrasting outcomes across its two primary free-to-air channels. Cuatro registered a 7.1% share, marking an increase of more than one percentage point compared to August. The figure represented Cuatro's highest monthly share since June 2018 and its strongest September start in 11 years, securing a decisive advantage over rival network laSexta, which dropped to 5.3%. Telecinco recorded an 8.3% to 8.4% share, gaining half a point over August but registering its lowest September share since records began. The main commercial channel continued an audience decline that has extended over five years, with Informativos Telecinco averaging a 7.8% share.

Afternoon game show rivalry and secondary networks

The afternoon competition between veteran quiz shows showed shifts in audience margins across commercial networks. Pasapalabra on Antena 3, hosted by Roberto Leal, maintained leadership with a 17.8% share and an average of 1.405 million daily viewers, down from 20.7% in September 2025. In the same time band, Telecinco's revived game show ¡Allá tú!, hosted by Juanra Bonet, averaged a 9.8% share and 756,000 viewers. That performance narrowed the gap between the two programs to 8 percentage points, compared to a 13-point gap recorded in September 2025. Among smaller broadcasters, public channel La 2 reached 3.6%, delivering its strongest season start in nearly two decades, regional public networks achieved a combined 8.2% share, Trece registered 1.7%, and Canal 24 Horas closed the month at 1.3%.