TV3 secures sixteen consecutive years of leadership while La2 Cat begins to climb

BarcelonaThe year 2025, now drawing to a close, has been turbulent, television-wise. Traditional viewing continues to decline in favor of new online platforms, a new Catalan-language brand has emerged, spearheaded by RTVE, and the Catalan Audiovisual Media Corporation (CCMA) has experienced a degree of identity crisis following its attempt to rebrand to better reflect the new digital paradigm. However, one thing remains unchanged in Catalonia over the last 16 years: TV3 continues to be, by a comfortable margin, the most-watched television channel in Catalonia. These are the key points highlighted by the audience measurement devices throughout the year, pending the final figures for the last few days (which are unlikely to significantly impact the average of the remaining twelve months).

CCMA

TV3 has been crowned the favorite channel of Catalans for the sixteenth consecutive year, and it has improved its results. Its 14.2% audience share represents a half-point increase compared to 2014 and is its best performance since 2020. Furthermore, it is the channel that best performs in the prime time, with 15.4% share thanks to the success of programs like Poland, Card game, The Stranger, Crimes and also the news programs, which continue to be the most watched.

The other channels have shown mixed results. All eyes were on the former 324 – rebranded as 3CatInfo – because it was launching not only a new name but also a relaunch and redesign. The results have been only modestly satisfactory: the Corporation's all-news channel closed 2024 with a 1.5% share and this year has risen another tenth of a point to 1.6%. However, it should be noted that the new model didn't come into effect until September, so the impact of the change is barely noticeable in the annual average. The best audience figures of the year were achieved in September and October, right after the relaunch, with a 1.9% share, but in November it dropped back to 1.6%, and so far this December it's also registering 1.6%.

In the case of SX3/33, the situation is worrying: it's lost two tenths of a point and landed at 0.5%. share which condemns it to irrelevance in terms of television viewership. And while it's true that the Corporation is focusing on digital platforms and social media, because that's where the target age group for children's daytime programming is found, other offerings with the same target Some channels fared slightly better, such as Clan (0.6%) and Boing (1.0%). Esport3, meanwhile, maintained its 1.3% share from 2024. Beyond the figures from the audience measurement devices distributed throughout Catalonia, the Corporation also analyzes the qualitative assessment of the different channels, based on a study conducted by the international firm GFK. With a score of 8.3 out of 10, TV3 once again emerged as the most highly rated generalist television channel among Catalans. RTVE Group and other Catalan-language channels

Spanish public television has stepped up its game in several ways. On the one hand, it has transformed its main channel into a more commercial platform focused on exploiting political debate, with programs such as malicious tongues, Just the right time either Morning peopleThe result, in terms of audience share, has been beneficial, making it the second most-watched television channel in Spain and the third in Catalonia. However, this year it has lost a tenth of a percentage point in Catalonia, falling from 9.3% to share at 9.2%. However, the channel did manage to score its most-watched broadcast of the year: the extra time between Portugal and Spain in the Nations League, in June, attracted an average of 1,238,000 Catalan viewers, for a 59.6% share. (The Copa del Rey final between Barça and Madrid had more viewers overall, but split between TV3 and La1).

This year has also been the year in which the state broadcaster has launched a channel with a greater presence in Catalan than ever before: La2 Cat, which has taken over the same frequency as La2 (and shares some of its most successful content, such as Numbers and lettersAgain, it is still too early to assess the impact, because the new model came into effect in the fall and was implemented gradually, but so far it has already improved by three tenths of a point to 2.6% and is posting higher monthly results than at the beginning of the year, although the best share (3.0%) did so in August. The results of the RAC1 team's programs, led by Xavier Bundó and Jordi Basté, are particularly noteworthy.

The Catalan digital terrestrial television offering is complemented by regional channels from outside the Principality, such as À Punt and IB3. In the case of Valencian television, it improved by three tenths of a point, reaching 2.9%, in a year still heavily marked by the consequences of the DANA storm. As for the Balearic channel, its 4.8% audience share represents a decrease of four tenths of a point.

Spanish private channels

2024 was a tough year for the duopoly's two main private channels, with drastic drops for both Antena 3 and Telecinco. This year has been more mixed. Atresmedia's flagship channel has managed to recover two-tenths of a point from its collapse and takes third place with an 8.5% audience share. Mediaset, on the other hand, is struggling. Its 6.8% share this year represents a loss of seven-tenths of a point, marking a new all-time low for the channel in Catalonia, and the record-breaking 18.0% share it held in 2008 is now a distant memory. The second-tier channels are also performing well: La Sexta improved by just one-tenth of a point to 5.8%—far from the 8% it almost reached during the Catalan independence movement—and Cuatro climbed three-tenths of a point to 4.8%, but remains stuck at its lowest ratings in recent years.

However, the sheer number of channels these two giants possess works in their favor. Looking at media groups individually, Mediaset's seven channels account for 22.4% of the audience in Catalonia, making it the leading group. Atresmedia's six channels come in second, reaching a combined 21.5%, while the Corporation is third with 17.8% and five channels (including TV3Cat, intended for audiences outside Catalonia, but which still registers a 0.2%). The list is completed by RTVE's five channels, which together account for 13.8%.

Audiences in Spain

Antena 3 has now been Spain's most-watched television channel for four consecutive years, with a 12.8% share, a two-tenths of a point improvement over its 2014 figure. La1 comes in second, achieving its best rating in thirteen years with an 11.0% share, putting it in contention for first place after gaining half a point in just one year. Telecinco takes third place, still struggling to regain its popularity. The channel that was the leader for many years now has to settle for a 9.5% share, four-tenths of a point lower than last year, marking a new all-time low.

La Sexta drops a tenth of a point to 6.3% and sees Cuatro threatening its position in the battle for second-tier channels, as the four tenths of a point gained allow it to reach 5.8%, its best figure since 2018. La2 also rises (three tenths of a point), making it the most-watched thematic channel on DTT, with 2.5%, achieved mainly with its late-night programming, where the most-watched channel airs. FDF (2.4%, -0.2) and Nova (2.0%, -0.1) follow. The rest remain below 2%, although BeMADtv, with 1.8%, reaches its all-time high. This year has seen the arrival of a new channel, Squirrel, which currently stands at 0.9%, and the return of Veo7, which for now achieves an insignificant 0.3%.

With these figures, Atresmedia manages to be the most watched group in Spain: its channels account for 26.1% of share compared to Mediaset's 24.5% (with one more channel). This means the duopoly controls more than half of the audience in Spain, with 50.6% of the total. RTVE is third with 16.5%.

By demographic, Antena 3 dominates all age groups from 25 years old and up, but La1 manages to rejuvenate its audience and lead among viewers aged 13 to 24 (and Mediaset's Boing is the favorite among children aged 4 to 12). And by autonomous community, Antena 3 reigns supreme everywhere except in Catalonia, where TV3 is dominant, and in the Basque Country, Madrid, the Balearic Islands, and Navarre, where La1 is the top choice.

Television consumption and platforms

Traditional television viewing has reached a new low of 161 minutes per person, ten minutes less than a year ago (-5.8%). In Catalonia, the figure is the second lowest in Spain (143 minutes, 13 minutes less than in 2024), surpassed only by the Balearic Islands at 137 minutes (-11). If we divide viewing time not by individuals but by viewers, the figure is 283 minutes per person for Spain and 268 minutes per person for Catalonia. In other words, those who watch television are watching for a significant amount of time (and a look at age profiles shows that those over 65, with 403 minutes per day, are the ones who significantly raise the average). From there, hybrid television viewing—that is, on devices that receive broadcasts via the internet instead of over-the-air broadcasts—is increasing, but to a lesser extent. In Spain, it stands at 53 minutes per person and in Catalonia at 61 minutes, representing increases of 3 and 4 minutes, respectively.

Barlovento also analyzes the audience of the platforms. Netflix continues to lead, with 19 million monthly viewers, followed by Prime Video (18.1 million), YouTube (13.6 million), Movistar+ (9.2 million), Disney+ (8.5 million), RTVE Play (7.8 million), DAZN (5.0 million), Atresplayer (4.0 million), and Mediaset Infinity. If, instead of looking at reach—the number of viewers—viewing time is considered, then Netflix's leadership is clearer: 17.9% of the share of connected TV, followed by Prime Video (10.6%), YouTube (10.4%), Movistar+ (9.4%), Disney (4.2%) and HBO Max (3.9%).