Sanremo, Rai is the only bid in the bidding for the organisation
Only State TV applies for the expression of interest in the free-to-air broadcast of the Festival for the 2026, 2027 and 2028 editions
by Andrea Biondi and Francesco Prisco
3' min read
Key points
3' min read
Just one envelope. And inside that envelope, as had been predicted by many, only one name: that of Rai. No surprises, then. Sanremo remains at home, we could say. Mayor Alessandro Mager knows this. In fact, he speaks of "satisfaction", a dry, technocratic word that, however, lets the relief of one who knows he has brought home a result that was not taken for granted shine through.
At the deadline for the expression of interest related to the organisation and broadcasting of the Sanremo Festival for the three-year period 2026-2028 (with an option for a further two-year extension), only one proposal arrived at the City Hall, submitted by public TV.
A response to the Tar
.It is a long-awaited step, however, marking an important stage in the administrative process that began after the sentence of the Liguria Regional Administrative Court last December, which had imposed a revision of the procedure with greater openness and transparency. From there, the municipal machine moved - with the mayor Alessandro Mager in the forefront, flanked by the tourism councillor Alessandro Sindoni, the secretary general Monica di Marco, and the tourism manager Rita Cuffini - to define a new path governed by a public notice and precise economic and organisational parameters
The clauses (and the anti-flop cut-off)
The tender, if we can call it that, had stakes for some (Rai among them) that were defined as excessive and in some respects (here, however, the judgement is not Rai's) only able to be respected by Rai . A minimum of 6.5 million euro to be paid to the municipality. Plus one per cent on advertising revenue and the exploitation of trademarks. Plus a slew of editorial obligations: broadcasting 'Sanremoinfiore', filming at least two other events of the Administration's choice, one of which must be summer.
Because Sanremo cannot live on winter songs alone. It needs to be a permanent festival. And this is without taking into account the so-called 'anti-flop' clause, according to which the City of Sanremo could terminate its relationship with the selected broadcaster if the ratings of one or more editions are more than 15 percentage points below the average of the previous five. Given the recent results - with shares constantly above 60 per cent - the margin of error is minimal.
