'El Hormiguero' tops Spanish ratings on season return as Carlos Latre returns and Luis de la Fuente visits

Premiere ratings and access prime time clash

The Spanish television autumn season opened on Monday 7 September 2026 with the return of prime time talk formats following the summer break. Antena 3 broadcast of 'El Hormiguero', hosted by Pablo Motos, led the evening with 1,893,000 viewers and a 17.9% audience share, becoming the most watched television programme of the day. The premiere placed the format ahead of public broadcaster TVE's 'La Revuelta', hosted by David Broncano, which recorded 1,440,000 viewers and a 13.1% share. In the same access prime time slot, Cuatro's 'Horizonte' registered an 8.3% share with 897,000 viewers.

In the second prime time window, Antena 3 Turkish series 'En tierra lejana' scored a 16.4% share and 'El Secreto' registered 13.6%, leading over the premieres of 'MasterChef Celebrity Legends' on La 1 at 12.5% and 'La isla de las tentaciones 11' on Telecinco at 10.8%. Earlier in the day, game show 'Pasapalabra' drew 1,365,000 viewers (17.8% share) on Antena 3, while the debut of 'Rueda la letra' on Telecinco reached 624,000 viewers (9.1% share). David Broncano opened his premiere at the Teatro Albéniz with a satirical reference to his future on public television.

Welcome to the final season of 'La Revuelta' on Televisión Española.

Carlos Latre returns after Babylon Show

The season opener of 'El Hormiguero' featured the return of comedian Carlos Latre, who rejoined the programme after leaving Antena 3 in 2024 to present 'Babylon Show' on Telecinco. That competing venture premiered on 26 August 2024 and was cancelled by Mediaset after between 10 and 13 broadcasts. Latre entered the studio dressed as Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in a suit jacket combined with swimwear and an inflatable floatie, following a ninety-second opening monologue by Motos addressing the situation in Ceuta.

After having his stage makeup removed live on set, Latre sat down with Motos for a ten-minute interview examining his career choices. Latre explained that after working as a second alongside figures such as Javier Sardá and Motos himself, he sought the opportunity to lead a format as an entertainer. He noted that he had requested 100 episodes from Telecinco to establish the programme while public attention was focused on the competition between Motos and Broncano. Motos recalled telling Latre during a telephone call that he understood the decision, while acknowledging the immediate scheduling rivalry. Latre remained under contract with Telecinco until summer 2026, contributing to shows including 'El programa de Ana Rosa', before returning to Atresmedia.

I did not leave to compete against 'El Hormiguero', but to grow.

Luis de la Fuente and the World Cup rights quip

On Tuesday 8 September 2026, 'El Hormiguero' welcomed Spanish national football manager Luis de la Fuente, who brought the FIFA World Cup trophy into the studio. De la Fuente guided Spain to the 2026 World Cup title on 19 July 2026, defeating Argentina through a 106th-minute extra-time goal scored by Ferran Torres. The manager previously won European championships with Spain's under-19 and under-21 squads before taking charge of the senior national team in 2022, securing the UEFA Nations League in 2023 and the UEFA European Championship in 2024, which earned him a nomination for best coach at the Ballon d'Or ceremony. The programme's opening week lineup also scheduled appearances by actresses Ester Expósito and Paula Echevarría.

During the interview, Motos reviewed celebration clips where De la Fuente sang Julio Iglesias' song 'Quijote'. Motos initially joked on air that the production could not broadcast Ferran Torres' goal because TVE charged an excessive price for the match footage. Before continuing the segment, Motos issued an on-air correction, explaining that FIFA owns and sells the World Cup television rights, while RTVE only acquired broadcast rights within Spain.

Sorry, I said TVE and it was FIFA.