Mediaset vs Rai: The Battle for Television Dominance in Italy

by Renato Franco

The CEO of Mfe: «We are growing». The invitation to respect the starting time of prime time: «Just look each other in the eyes. I’m ready”. On Giambruno «tragic-comic reconstructions»

Mediaset strengthens, Rai struggles. The numbers say it. Over the 24 hours, Mediaset reached a 38.3% share of the total for individuals, while Rai was at 35.3%, which means plus 0.5 points for the Cologno Monzese TV and minus 1.7 for the state TV compared to same period as last year (the data refers to the current season, from 3 September to 4 November). In the 15-64 range, the commercial target – the reference target for Mediaset – the gap jumps to 11.5 points: Mediaset at 41.1%, Rai at 29.6%.

Pier Silvio Berlusconi’s (television) mood can only be the best in a season which has also seen Mediaset acquire two crucial players (Bianca Berlinguer and Myrta Merlino) and at the same time Rai lose them (Fabio Fazio, Massimo Gramellini, Lucia Annunziata and Berlinguer herself). «I don’t allow myself to make judgments – reflects Pier Silvio Berlusconi -. We have been growing in listeners for several seasons, we have changed pace since 2020 after the Covid emergency. And at the same time, Rai has become a bit involved, in the sense that it has forgotten that first of all “Rai is Rai”, which means an institution and a public service. Instead, as soon as there is a slight drop in audience numbers, his response is to increase his commercial TV behaviour, in the hope of obtaining a few decimals of share which doesn’t always arrive; a self-defeating conduct that in the long run is bad for the entire television system. A rich and powerful Rai (in ideas and products) was a great competitor for us, but it served to keep the benchmark high, because Rai is the guide of the Italian publishing system. If, however, it behaves as a commercial broadcaster, this institutional role disappears.”

One immediately thinks of TeleMeloni, of those painful exits for Rai, because whoever took over is far from the contribution made by those who left: «This is not the point, I don’t think that Rai’s difficulties today – autumn 2023 – they are the fault of the new Rai leaders, who arrived a few months ago; rather, the errors come from afar. Those who are here today, however, have a great opportunity, which I think they want to pursue: returning to bringing Rai to being first and foremost a public service which does not mean making boring TV, with black and white documentaries, but having an identity which distinguishes it from commercial TV.”

In concrete terms, focus on fiction and information, on the innovation of a “new” second evening thanks to respect for the starting times of the first evening. For some time now, all the most important and expensive products have been switched on at almost 10pm and the extension of prime time access (the time slot immediately after the news, that of Affari Tuoi and Striscia la Notistica, for example) risks being an own goal for everyone.

Pier Silvio admits: «It’s an issue that started some time ago due to the competition between Striscia and Affari Tui». But «we have now decided to stop first by setting a good example and making the first move, despite risking a few decimals of audience in prime time. In this way we offered a service to the entire public and gave Rai the opportunity to do the same, allowing Italian families to truly follow all the programs to the end.” Here there could be a meeting point: «It would be enough to look each other in the eyes and close at the same time. I’m ready right away.” The repercussions of this mechanism also affect the late evening which no longer exists, while it would be “the right place to experiment and also to offer information products” given that Rai journalists (2,020 compared to 290 Mediaset) are a real firepower .

And speaking of journalism, the numbers say that for Mediaset Bianca Berlinguer it was a successful bet because it transferred the viewers who were previously on Rai3 from one channel to another, “on the busiest day for information”. But «we wanted to further strengthen Rete4’s offering with new features aimed at an even wider audience». And even if «a professional called Berlinguer on Berlusconi’s networks might have seemed like a risk, she is very good and the quality of the product always wins». The choice therefore worked “great”.

Pier Silvio Berlusconi doesn’t say it, but Myrta Merlino’s entry was initially thought of for Rete4; but then the journalist found herself taken aback because the suddenness of the D’Urso issue opened the doors of Canale 5 to her in the afternoon: now she still has to take measures with the warmth of a largely female audience. «You found yourself faced with a very difficult task, to make Canale 5’s afternoon program more serious and journalistic. The data is good: in terms of ratings we are in line with last season». In short, Auditel’s numbers are not worrying. Maybe then one day there will be time to rethink the afternoon containers that ultimately the CEO of Mfe doesn’t like because they are forced to jump like crazy crickets from crime news to superficial gossip. He is instead «very convinced and very satisfied about the new Big Brother formula. We were risking going further.” In summary: «Even if it were, and it isn’t, one point less share is better than falling into disrespect».

However, there was no comment on the Giambruno case (“I’m just saying that I’m very sorry and that I’ve read tragicomic reconstructions”) and a final reflection on the canon issue: “The funding for Rai is important, Italy is the country that dedicates the least resources to audiovisual sector throughout Europe. And it is a mistake, because TV is not only an industry that creates employment and related activities, but is central to the present and future identity of our country.”

November 8, 2023 (changed November 8, 2023 | 07:10)

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2023-11-08 06:11:59
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