Sanremo 2026: third evening ratings down to 9.5 million, but share rises to 60.6 per cent
Auditel data: share result is the best since 1990. Compared to last year, 1.1 million viewers are missing
There were 9 million 543 thousand, equal to 60.6% share, the viewers who followed yesterday on average on Rai1, in total audience, the third night of the Sanremo Festival 2026. Last year, the third evening of the festival was followed on average, in terms of total audience, by 10 million 700 thousand viewers or 59.8% share.
Looking at the glass half full, the average 60.6% share for the third night of Carlo Conti's festival represents the best result in percentage terms since 1990, when Sanremo, hosted by Johnny Dorelli and Gabriella Carlucci, scored 64.59%, but at the time the festival was spread over four evenings. Considering the five-evening editions, it is the best result ever: in fact, it exceeds the 60.52% achieved on the third evening in 1995, an edition hosted by Pippo Baudo with Anna Falchi and Claudia Koll.
The first part of the third evening of the Festival (from 9.45pm to 11.33pm) gathered 12 million 585 thousand viewers equal to a 60.4% share; the second part (from 11.37pm to 1.13am) had 5 million 941 thousand with 61.3%. In 2025 the third evening of Conti's festival had gathered 13 million 700 thousand viewers in the first part with 60%, the second 6 million 700 thousand with 59.5%. In comparison with the total audience of the 2025 edition, 1.7 million viewers were missing.
The peak audience share, amounting to 14 million 199 thousand viewers, was reached at 10.11pm, when Laura Pausini dressed in a yellow dress came on stage. The peak in share, equal to 65.8%, was reached at 11.04pm, while Carlo Conti presented the international super-host Alicia Keys who, after a duet with Eros Ramazzotti on the notes of L'Aurora, sang Empire State of Mind on the piano.
According to Auditel director Paolo Lugiato, '9.3 of viewers watched the event on TV and 207 thousand on small screens. The Primafestival was seen by 6.8 million people for a 32.1% share. Sanremo Start was seen by 11.1 million for a 46.3% share. The Dopofestival was seen by 2 million for a 50.9% share. On the web there were 13.8 million legitimate streams for 91.2 million minutes. In 68% these were clips of singers, in 15% whole episodes and 15% guests'.
