Data: Italian TV consumption continues to decline
August 8, 2025
From Branislav Pekic in Rome
Average daily TV audiences in Italy, both in prime time (-1.5 per cent) and for the full day (-1.9 per cent), saw a slight decrease in Q1 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, continuing a more significant decline observed since 2021.
According to the quarterly Communications Observatory of the Italian Communications Regulatory Authority (AGCOM), Rai led in prime time with 8.4 million viewers (40.6 per cent share), showing year-on-year growth. In comparison, Mediaset’s audience decreased to 7.1 million viewers (34.6 per cent share). Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) remained third with 1.7 million, while Comcast/Sky also saw audience decrease to 1.4 million. Cairo Communication/La 7 was the only group besides Rai that experienced audience growth (+6.4 per cent) in prime time.
For total daily viewership, both Rai and Mediaset exceeded 3 million viewers, but both also experienced declines. WBD (766,000) and Comcast/Sky (623,000) followed, also with viewership declines, while Cairo Communication/La 7 (410,000) grew.
Analysing prime-time viewership for major channels, the total audience increased slightly, driven by gains for Rai 1, Italia 1, La 7, Rete 4, and Rai 2. Conversely, channels such as Canale 5, Nove, and TV8 experienced viewership declines.
The Italian SVoD market saw a 2 per cent dip, reaching just over 15 million (-2 per cent year-on-year). Netflix held steady with 8.3 million average unique users, while Prime Video grew by 5.2 per cent to 7.3 million. Disney+ (-4.6 per cent) and Now/Sky (-5.8 per cent) both experienced user declines. However, total viewing time on these platforms increased by 9.5 per cent year-over-year. Regarding total hours spent, Prime Video was the only platform to show growth, while Netflix, Disney+, DAZN, and Sky/Now all saw declines.
In contrast, free VoD platforms are experiencing growth, with 37,162 million unique visitors in March 2025 (+3.4 per cent). News Mediaset Sites, RaiPlay, and Sky TG24 were the most popular free platforms in terms of monthly unique users.