TV Audience

The 3rd night of the 2026 Sanremo Festival, broadcast on Thursday, February 26 on Rai1, confirmed the event’s strong audience appeal, combining solid ratings with one of the evening’s key competitive milestones: the final of the Nuove Proposte (Newcomers) category.

The broadcast was introduced by Sanremo Start (8:39–9:40 pm), which attracted 11.0 million viewers and a 46.2% share. The main show then averaged 9.34 million viewers with a 60.3% share between 9:45 pm and 1:14 am.

In detail, the first part (9:45–11:33 pm) reached 12.32 million viewers and a 60.1% share, while the late segment (11:37 pm–1:14 am) maintained 5.8 million viewers, slightly increasing its share to 60.9%, demonstrating consistent audience retention throughout the night.

A central moment of the evening was the victory of Nicolò Filippucci, who won the Nuove Proposte competition, emerging as the most promising new talent of this edition.

The third night also revealed the provisional Top 5 of the Big Artists, highlighting the early frontrunners in the competition: Arisa, Sayf, Luché, Serena Brancale, and Sal Da Vinci. Their presence among the leading acts helped shape the narrative of the Festival as it moved into its final stages, strengthening audience anticipation for the outcome.

Competition from rival networks remained limited. On Canale 5, the film Il Gladiatore drew 1.01 million viewers (6.3% share). Rai2’s The Americas attracted 382,000 viewers (1.7%), while Italia1 aired The King’s Man – Le origini with 511,000 viewers (2.5%). Rai3’s La caduta – Gli ultimi giorni di Hitler recorded 436,000 viewers (2.2%), and Rete4’s Dritto e Rovescio averaged 514,000 viewers (3.3%) after its presentation segment. Among other channels, Tv8’s Europa League match (Nottingham Forest–Fenerbahçe) reached 284,000 viewers (1.2%), while Nove’s Only Fun – Comico Show gathered 323,000 viewers (1.6%).