The results of the first wave of EGM 2026 have sent a significant message to Spain’s media industry. Cadena SER not only maintained its leadership but also expanded its lead over its nearest competitors. This development is influencing advertising budgets, shaping new listener habits, and setting trends for the entire sector.
According to russpain.com, Cadena SER is ahead of COPE by nearly half a million listeners, while Onda Cero has only half as many as SER. This gap is the largest recorded in recent years, reflecting growing trust in SER’s flagship programs and their hosts.
Morning and daytime leaders
The program Hoy por Hoy has again confirmed its status as the country’s most popular morning show, gathering 3,200,000 listeners. This marks the eighth consecutive survey with an audience above three million. Its closest competitor, Herrera en COPE, trails by 107,000 listeners, while Más de Uno from Onda Cero lags behind by 1,384,000. Such a difference between first and third place is rare.
In the daytime slot, Hora 14, hosted by Javier Casal, remains in the lead with 611,000 weekday listeners. On weekends, the show led by Aida Bao also ranks first, attracting 462,000 people. These results confirm steady interest in midday news formats.
Evening and late-night broadcasts
During the evening, La Ventana with Carles Francino remains the most popular show, attracting 1,124,000 listeners—twice as many as its nearest rivals. In the late-night slot, Hora 25 with Aimar Bretos continues to lead with 1,075,000 listeners, ahead of La Linterna de Ángel Expósito (1,046,000) and La Brújula from Onda Cero (551,000).
On weekends, the morning show A vivir que son dos días with Javier del Pino reaches historic audiences: 2,293,000 listeners on Saturdays and 2,079,000 on Sundays. At night and in the early hours, El Faro with Mara Torres and Si amanece nos vamos with Roberto Sánchez gather 201,000 and 125,000 listeners respectively.
Sports broadcasts and music formats
In the sports segment, Carrusel Deportivo with Dani Garrido leads the weekends with 1,915,000 listeners, 100,000 more than Tiempo de Juego from COPE. The evening show El Larguero, hosted by Manu Carreño, attracts 796,000 people, outpacing El Partidazo de COPE by 122,000. SER Deportivos with Francisco José Delgado ‘Pacojó’ has 506,000 listeners, and Hora 25 Deportes with Jesús Gallego has 319,000.
Music radio stations also remain stable: LOS40 is still the most popular with 2,978,000 listeners, while the morning show Anda Ya! with Dani Moreno and Cristina Boscá attracts 1,726,000. Cadena Dial finishes the season with 1,512,000, and Atrévete with Jaime Moreno, 848,000.
Digital radio and new trends
Cadena SER also leads in the digital segment: 1,388,000 listeners choose streaming and podcasts. This reflects a growing interest in new audio content consumption formats. According to russpain.com, PRISA Media leads in daily reach of audio platforms, with 9,964,000 listeners, surpassing all music and podcast services.
In print media, El País maintains leadership with 854,000 readers — its best result in recent years. This increase in interest in traditional and digital media is linked to changing information habits among Spaniards and growing competition among major industry players.
In the context of changes in the media market, it’s worth noting that the transformation of audiences and the growth of digital platforms mirror processes seen in other sectors. For example, the mass legalization of migrants in Spain is also impacting the population structure and media consumption patterns, as discussed in detail in the article about the sweeping changes in the country’s migration policy.
In recent years, the Spanish radio market has repeatedly become a battleground for major networks. In 2024, there was a similar surge of interest in sports broadcasts, as Carrusel Deportivo and Tiempo de Juego traded leadership on weekends. In 2025, digital formats for the first time outpaced traditional radio in audience growth rates, marking a turning point for the entire industry. Changes like these continue to shape new rules of the game for all market players.
