Fans of investigative journalism were left puzzled after the fourth episode of “El precio de…” aired last Monday, September 29. This episode marked the last in the current block, and the program disappeared from the broadcast schedule, sparking a wave of rumors about a possible cancellation. The lack of official statements from the TV channel only fueled speculation, leaving audiences guessing about the future of the much-discussed format.
However, the reality turned out to be far from these pessimistic forecasts. The suspension of broadcasts was planned from the start. Host Santi Acosta explained the team’s strategy during a presentation at the FesTVal in Vitoria. He said that four episodes had been prepared—the maximum possible within a tight timeframe. Producing high-quality investigative content requires significant time investment. For instance, work on the pilot episode alone took about two months. The team worked at a very intense pace, and now they need a break to prepare new material.
Moreover, the Mediaset media group is fully satisfied with the results and is betting on further developing this product. The viewership statistics speak for themselves. The average audience share for the first season exceeded 10.8%, attracting more than 633,000 viewers. These are strong primetime numbers, especially considering stiff competition from a giant like the cooking competition ‘MasterChef’ on the main national channel TVE. The breakdown was as follows: the first episode drew 781,000 viewers (13.1%), the second – 575,000 (10.2%), the third – 514,000 (8.7%), and the final episode saw a rebound to 663,000 (11.1%).
Acosta himself has not hidden from the press that he always feels responsible for the ratings. He is well aware that the success of the show determines the work of the entire team. The host shared his approach to analyzing the data: if the figures drop, he doesn’t get discouraged, but carefully studies the actions of competitors, analyzes the audience trends, and determines which segment was missed. In his view, this is the key to making the next episode better.
Reflecting on the evolution of television, the journalist fondly recalled the old days. He described them as a “fantasy” era, when vibrant personalities like Marujita and Sara Montiel could get into heated arguments in the studio, then go out to dinner together afterward. Acosta admits that television has changed along with society and audience demands. Today, he says, such scenes—like the conflicts between Aída Nízar and Antonio David—would look very different. Personally, he is drawn to entertainment television that can make viewers laugh or even shock them, offering an escape from global problems.
Thus, the public’s concern turned out to be premature. The show is on a creative break. The team will return to the broadcast schedule as soon as new, thoroughly developed and recorded investigations are ready, once again offering the audience high-quality and sharp content.
