TV, news on the rise. Tg1 and Tg2 down and La7 running

The 2024-25 TV season debuts with great ratings. For the small screen (now big in comparison with tablets and smartphones), the period between 15 September and 19 October - the period analysed by Studio Frasi on Auditel data - smacks of revenge. With a rediscovery also of information and traditional news programmes, which are showing signs of vitality. But not for everyone. While some are seeing significant growth in ratings (La7 above all), others are facing a worrying setback, in particular RAI's Tg1 and Tg2.

Everything, as mentioned, is part of a season that started with the accelerator pressed. Studio Frasi's elaborations on Auditel data, after the first five weeks since the start of the 2024-25 television season, show a growth in television consumption, both that of the national broadcasters and the international ones grouped in an 'unrecognised' Auditel set. The overall audience grows by 256,893 individuals in the average day and by 358,515 in prime time. What is shown on television is watched by almost ten million people in the average of the whole day and by 23.5 million in prime time. In the average of the whole day, the publishers monitored by Auditel grow by 1.7% and the 'unrecognised' by 7.5%. Those who can seek refuge in paid-for elsewhere.

"These increases in TV consumption - explains Francesco Siliato, media analyst at Studio Frasi, former professor of Sociology of Communication at the Politecnico di Milano - confirm the summer ones, largely justified by the European Football Championships and the Olympics, but they also show the concern of a large part of the population, the perception of danger that the news and the way wars are being conducted confirm. The result is refuge in the home, and at home people watch TV. Home time becomes TV time, to distract oneself from anxiety with films, series, entertainment programmes and to inform oneself, to verify one's assumptions by following news and information programmes'.

The numbers seem to confirm this. Looking at the evening news, the cumulative audience has risen by over half a million between one year and the next. Looking at the numbers in detail, Tg1 remains firmly in the lead with an average of 4,225,223 viewers, or 23% share. However, compared to the previous year, Tg1 lost 221,408 viewers, a drop of 4.98%. Even worse, in percentage terms, was Tg2: with an average audience of 961,826 viewers and a share of 4.90%, it suffered a drop of 97,422 viewers (-9.20%).

The loss of audience of the evening Tg1, which is still the most watched, appears to be a wake-up call for the public service. Also because if the trend of Tg1 and Tg2 appears to be downward, others are benefiting. Tg5, Tg1's main competitor, registers a growth of 149,622 viewers (+4.21%), reaching an average of 3,705,275. Even more rounded is the result of Tg La7, directed by Enrico Mentana: 179,346 viewers more (+14.86%), rising to 1,386,420. This is the second most consistent growth among Italian news programmes after that of Tg4: with an average of 650,000 viewers (+17.8%). To conclude the panorama of the generalist networks, Tg3 (the only one in the positive for RAI, but which has changed director since 7 October, with Mario Orfeo having arrived at Repubblica) continued its growth with 1,870,002 viewers on average, marking an increase of 134,441 viewers (+7.75%); Studio Aperto put on record a +8.01% with 520,000 viewers on average and Tgr rose to 2.5 million (+11.27%).