The broadcast television premiere season is already underway, with the main networks betting on varied formats to regain viewership after we've had our fill of New Year's Eve grapes and King Cake.
On Televisión Española, which quickly climbs the audience leader lists, the usual offering is reinforced with a set of programs that combine entertainment, football (Copa del Rey and 2026 Football World Cup), and celebrity ‘talents’. Among them, Top Chef: Dulces y famosos stands out, with Belén Esteban or the drag queen Samantha Ballentines among the contestants, DecoMasters hosted by Patricia Montero, featuring Antonia Dell’Atte, Mar Flores, and other regular figures from the gossip world, as well as the new edition of Maestros de la Costura Celebrity and new installments of MasterChef.
TVE's Audiences, a Complete Success
La 1 will also launch the contest The Floor hosted by Chenoa and CrossoBAR, a comedy special led by Arturo Valls and Lalachus. The latter, along with her colleagues Jesús Vázquez, Javier Ambrossi, and Inés Hernand, are already preparing for Benidorm Fest, which for the first time will be independent of Eurovision. RTVE continues to bet on its current affairs magazines such as Mañaneros 360, Directo al grano, or Malas lenguas, whose ratings are improving week after week. Additionally, Mariona Terés will star in the series Barrio Esperanza, a comedy in which Esperanza begins her career as a teacher after leaving prison, facing the challenges of reintegrating into society while teaching. For its part, La 2 adds as new programs La vuelta al mundo en 80 likes with world travels and La gran aventura de la lengua española, featuring Iñaki Gabilondo's return to television.Atresmedia is not to be outdone and completes its catalog with premieres and renewals designed for prime time and popular entertainment. One of the most anticipated new shows on Antena 3 is Nos vamos de madre (We're Going Crazy), a program that places host Roberto Leal alongside his mother, Mercedes Guillén, on a journey through cities like Istanbul, Edinburgh, or Marrakech, mixing travel, challenges, and emotional moments with a lighthearted and family-friendly tone.In addition, the network announces new seasons of its most successful game shows such as El Desafío (which has already renewed its seventh installment, before the premiere of the sixth), Tu cara me suena —celebrating its 15th anniversary— the return of Mask Singer and the already confirmed installments of La Voz. Added to this are new formats such as Una fiesta de muerte, in which Ángel Llàcer will play Cluedo with celebrities, and the documentary El Capitán en Japón, which will follow the adventures of Joaquín Sánchez and his family. In fiction, it trusts in transferring some of its titles already premiered on atresplayer to the network, such as Perdiendo el juicio, starring Elena Rivera as Amanda, a lawyer whose career becomes complicated when the symptoms of her obsessive-compulsive disorder manifest during a trial. For its part, LaSexta aims to boost its ratings with new seasons of its flagship formats: Apatrullando, Lo de Évole, Pesadilla en la cocina and Salvados
Mediaset faces 2026 with adjustments to overcome its audience crisis, bringing back classics on Telecinco such as ¡Allá tú! and El precio justo — programs it recently canceled due to low ratings, while continuing the production of reality shows like GH Dúo 4, which has already revealed part of its striking cast: Carmen Borrego, Mario Jefferson, Belén Rodríguez, or Sonia Madoc among others. Also joining the aforementioned are Got Talent España, La isla de las tentaciones, and Supervivientes 2026, as well as adventure proposals with Universo Calleja, a spin-off of Planeta Calleja in Canada and China.
Telecinco is also promoting Pura Sangre, a police series starring Blanca Romero. On Cuatro, the ninth season of Gipsy Kings is expected, as well as Proyecto Sistiaga, a new reportage format hosted by Jon Sistiaga, which will cover topics ranging from those linked to the Church to the housing crisis in Spain. These strategies reflect the growing competition between generalist channels in an audiovisual landscape increasingly fragmented by streaming and digital platforms.