Pechino Express 2026 premiere sets historic viewership record in Italy

The premiere of the new 2026 edition of the Pechino Express program achieved record viewership, becoming the most-watched first episode in the entire history of the format in Italy. The production, broadcast on the channel Sky Uno, attracted the largest inaugural audience since the series began. Italian media describe this launch as a spectacular commercial and image success for the broadcaster, which has held the rights to the reality show since 2022. The program confirmed its position as one of the most important television events in the country, dominating the evening broadcast slot. This success is part of a trend of growing interest in reality-adventure formats that combine travel elements with competition.

In the first leg of the race, victory was claimed by the pair performing under the name i Raccomandati, who were the fastest to complete the designated route and check in at the episode's finish line. The competition provided viewers with high emotions from the very beginning, culminating in the traditional moment of opening the Black Envelope. According to the decision contained within it, the pair referred to as gli Ex was sent to a direct duel. This mechanism, known as duello, imposes additional pressure on the contestants and a fight to remain in the further part of the competition. Participants must demonstrate not only physical fitness but also the ability to survive in difficult conditions with a minimal budget.

Pechino Express is an Italian reality-adventure television program, an adaptation of the Belgian-Dutch format Peking Express created by Ludo Poppe. The production debuted in Italy in 2012 and for the first eight years was broadcast on the Rai 2 channel. Since 2022, the program has moved to the Sky Uno station, also being available on the Now streaming platform and in reruns on the TV8 channel. Over the years, the format has evolved, changing race routes and introducing new competition rules, but it consistently relies on pairs traveling through exotic countries for a symbolic amount of one euro per day. The program remains a key element of Sky Italia's schedule, attracting both traditional television audiences and younger users of digital platforms. This year's edition, thanks to its record-breaking opening results, sets a high bar for the subsequent stages of the season, which will be broadcast in the coming weeks.