Most Spaniards still tuning in to public TV

Despite the rise of streaming services and the decline in linear viewing, over half of Spaniards are regular TV viewers of the channels of public broadcaster RTVE, according to the latest household panel survey from regulator the CNMC.

According to the survey, 56% of Spaniards declared themselves habitual viewers of at least one of RTVE’s channels in Q2.

The survey also found that viewership of RTVE’s news coverage has actually increased. Some 37% of those surveyed said they were habitual viewers of news content on channels La1, La2 and Canal 24 Horas, up two points on the same quarter in 2021.

As in other countries, viewership of public broadcasting increases with age. Some three out of four Spaniards over the age of 65 tune in to the pubcaster’s channels habitually, with the majority viewing news coverage.

However, only one in three viewers between 16-34 years old watch RTVE channels regularly and only one in five follows news coverage on the channels.

Viewership of public channels among younger viewers – those aged 10-15 years-old – is slightly higher, at 40%.

About one in five viewers said they disagreed highly that the pubcaster’s news coverage was objective, while one in four were highly in agreement that coverage was objective.

Satisfaction with content on the channels is generally high, according to the CNMC. Only 13% of households with children said they were unsatisfied with the content broadcast on Canal Clan TV, the pubcaster’s kids channel, while only 16% of Spaniards said they were unsatisfied with content on the pubcaster’s channels in general.