Sanremo, the municipality publishes the tender for the TV partner. Rai warns him
While the Council of State's ruling is awaited, the Mager administration observes the Tar's indications. But State TV reacts
3' min read
3' min read
After the general criteria comes the call for tenders: the Municipality of Sanremo's executive determination has been published, approving the call for expressions of interest for the procedure to identify a partner for the organisation and free-to-air broadcasting of the Italian Song Festival for 2026, 2027 and 2028, with a possible extension of up to two years.
The procedure is in two parts: the first selective will involve the publication of a public notice to identify the partner, the second negotiation will allow the final terms of the agreement to be negotiated with the chosen partner. The 40 days set to submit the project will start on Wednesday 9 April.
Only economic operators providing free-to-air national audiovisual media services, who own a national generalist channel and have demonstrated their ability to organise events of particular relevance, may participate in the procedure. The operator with which to proceed to the negotiation phase will be identified on the basis of an analysis of the projects presented on the basis of a number of elements such as "artistic quality, the congruity of the overall artistic proposal with respect to the cultural profile historically assumed by the Festival, the capacity to enhance the kermesse, the "Festival della Canzone Italiana" and "Festival di Sanremo" brands".
The partner will have to pay the Municipality a fee of no less than 6.5 million per year, plus a percentage of no less than one per cent on all revenues deriving from advertising revenue and from the exploitation of the granted brands. "For the first time in its history," says the Mayor of Sanremo Alessandro Mager, "the Municipality of Sanremo, owner of the trademarks Festival di Sanremo and Festival della Canzone Italiana, in compliance with the judgement of the TAR, had to publish an expression of interest for what is unanimously recognised as the most important media event in Italy, capable of involving millions of people every year.
It all stems from the judgment of the Liguria Regional Administrative Court of December 2024 that declared illegitimate the direct entrusting of the Festival to RAI and ordered the publication of a call for tenders to identify the event's partner in compliance with the principles of competition. Meanwhile, the Council of State ruled against Viale Mazzini's request for suspension. Now the Council of State's ruling is awaited.
