Spanish television closed out August with a positive balance for the major networks, which are seeing their audiences begin to recover after the summer break. The last Monday of the month marked the return of the main current affairs and entertainment programs, with figures confirming the upward trend of some dramas and Antena 3's consolidated lead in the monthly totals.
In this context, Atresmedia's channel emerged victorious for the month with an 11,9% audience share, closely followed by La 1 at 11,5%. Telecinco, meanwhile, continues its freefall with a 7,8% share, while Cuatro and laSexta maintain their battle for fourth place. These figures, drawn from Kantar Media's measurements, reflect a shift in television viewing trends , which are beginning to recover after the summer.
Monday's return: 'In a Distant Land' and 'Horizon' lead the night
The last Monday of August saw the return of major current affairs formats. The Turkish drama 'En tierra lejana' (In a Distant Land) dominated Antena 3's prime time with a 10,6% share and 835.000 viewers, narrowly beating the second semi-final of La 1's 'Grand Prix,' which drew the same 835.000 viewers but with a 9,8% share, its worst performance of the season. Ramón GarcÃa's game show fell below double digits for the first time, highlighting the format's decline.
Meanwhile, Cuatro shone with the return of 'Horizonte' , which averaged 9,8% in its time slot, with an access prime time share of 9,2% and 994.000 viewers, and a subsequent special that reached 10,6% and 720.000 viewers. The program by Iker Jiménez and Carmen Porter, who traveled to Ceuta to cover the migration crisis, clearly outperformed the special of 'El Objetivo' on laSexta, which garnered 3,6% and 388.000 viewers.
In the morning, La 1 dominated with 'La Hora de La 1' (21,5%) and 'Mañaneros 360' (15,7%) , while on Telecinco 'La mirada crÃtica' (13,9%) and 'El programa de Ana Rosa' (13,7%) outperformed Antena 3's 'Espejo Público' (11,4%). The game show 'La ruleta de la suerte' was once again the king of midday with a 22,9% share, its best rating since January, and 'Antena 3 Noticias 1' led the news programs with a 22,6% share and 2.044.000 viewers.
Sunday at the movies: 'Kraven the Hunter' is a smash hit on La 1
On Sunday, La 1's film offering was the big winner. The movie 'Kraven the Hunter' achieved a 13,9% share and 1.280.000 viewers , becoming the most-watched program of the day and the best performance for 'Movie of the Week' in two months. The film, starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, far surpassed Antena 3's offering, which, with 'A New Life', garnered a 10,1% share and 796.000 viewers, while Telecinco's 'First Dates' scored an 8,2% share and 697.000 viewers.
On laSexta, the film also performed well: 'Superagente Makey' scored a 5,6% share and 537.000 viewers, while on Cuatro, the repeat of 'Cuarto Milenio' plummeted to 3,8%. Josep Pedrerol's 'Chiringuito', in its new late-night slot on Cuatro, dropped to 5,8% with 219.000 viewers, although this is still a noteworthy figure for the channel.
Monthly summary: Antena 3 leads by a clear margin
August has produced a clear ranking: Antena 3 leads with an average audience share of 11,9% , followed by La 1 with 11,5%. FORTA comes in third with 8,8%, while Telecinco falls to 7,8%, its worst figure in decades. Cuatro (5,8%) and laSexta (5,2%) maintain their positions, and La 2 closes with 3,8%.
On a daily basis, Antena 3 won on Monday with 12,8% compared to La 1's 11,7%, while on Sunday La 1 prevailed with 11% compared to Antena 3's 10,4%. These figures confirm the trend of an audience returning to its viewing habits after the summer, and rewarding both quality fiction and current affairs programs that address topics of social interest.
In short, the start of the television season presents a competitive landscape in which Antena 3 and La 1 are vying for the lead, while Telecinco seeks to adjust its strategy. The audience, for its part, demonstrates its continued loyalty to content that resonates with its interests, whether through film, series, or current affairs programs.