What debates do the networks propose for the 29-N elections? RTVE puts three dates on the table, and Atresmedia and Mediaset propose their alternatives

The early call for general elections for next November 29 is already beginning to shape the television calendar for the campaign. RTVE has put three major electoral debates on the table, with different formats and specific dates, while Atresmedia and Mediaset have also presented their proposals to confront the main candidates before the ballot box.

The public corporation's proposal kicks off on November 17 with a face-to-face debate between Pedro Sánchez and Alberto Núñez Feijóo, candidates for the PSOE and PP. RTVE then proposes, for November 23, a debate with the spokespersons of the eight parliamentary groups: PP, PSOE, Vox, Sumar, ERC, Junts, EH Bildu, and PNV. The calendar would close on November 26 with a four-way debate between the candidates of the main parties running in the elections.

The three meetings proposed by RTVE would be broadcast live and during prime time, with the possibility for other media to use the institutional signal free of charge. The public corporation assures that its proposal seeks to guarantee pluralism and informational neutrality, although the definitive calendar will depend on the Information Coverage Plan that RTVE must present to the Central Electoral Board.

Atresmedia also sets its dates

For its part, Atresmedia has also made a move after the early election call and has proposed two debates before the election. The first would be a four-way debate on November 18, with the candidates of the main political parties running in the elections. Five days later, on November 23, the face-to-face between Pedro Sánchez and Alberto Núñez Feijóo would take place, just six days before the general elections.

The audiovisual group would use its main broadcasting windows for both events: Antena 3, laSexta, Onda Cero and atresplayer, thus extending the debate's coverage to its different channels, stations and platform. The proposal comes after the Government confirmed the call for general elections for next November 29.

It would not be, moreover, the first time that Atresmedia hosts a confrontation between the two main candidates. In the 2023 elections, the group organized the only face-to-face between Sánchez and Feijóo of that campaign. The encounter, broadcast on Antena 3 and laSexta, reached a 46.5% audience share and almost six million viewers, becoming the most-watched non-sporting broadcast of that season.

Atresmedia's relationship with electoral debates goes back a long way. Antena 3 organized in 1993 the first electoral debate in the history of television in Spain, starring Felipe González and José María Aznar. Now, more than three decades later, the group once again puts its main media at the disposal of the candidates for a campaign that will have televised debates as one of its great showcases.

Mediaset joins the face-to-face

For its part, Mediaset España has also proposed a confrontation between Pedro Sánchez and Alberto Núñez Feijóo, although in this case it has not yet specified a date. The proposal was publicly conveyed by the director of Noticias Cuatro, Juan Pedro Valentín, who confirmed the group's intention to hold the encounter.

Thus, the face-to-face between Sánchez and Feijóo appears in the proposals of the three major audiovisual corporations, while RTVE presents, for now, the broadest calendar, with three debates in just nine days and formats ranging from the duel between the two main candidates to an encounter with eight parliamentary groups.