Starting this week, First Dates will join Telecinco’s Friday evening lineup, adding another night to its usual schedule. Mediaset is making the move as Antena 3 brings back La Voz, a show that has proved tough competition in the past.
This is a impressive schedule change. Moving First Dates into the Friday access prime-time slot pushes ¡De Viernes! back by almost an hour and cuts its running time. The timing coincides with La Voz’s return. Eva González hosts the show, with Mika, Lola Índigo, Melendi, and Pablo López as coaches. Last season, La Voz averaged a 13.5% share and reached 15% during direct clashes with Telecinco’s Friday shows.
Industry reports say First Dates will now air on Telecinco four nights a week: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. That gives it the broadest presence in the channel’s history.
Mediaset’s new schedule is clear. First Dates now leads into almost every major evening show on Telecinco: Mondays before La isla de las tentaciones; Tuesdays ahead of Supervivientes All Stars: Tierra de Nadie; Wednesdays again with La isla de las tentaciones; and Fridays before ¡De Viernes!. Thursdays are the exception, reserved for the basic Supervivientes All Stars gala. Telecinco wants its top shows to get a stronger start and hopes to keep ¡De Viernes! from going head-to-head with the first hour of La Voz.
Last season’s figures showed the scale of the challenge. In October, La Voz drew a 15% share, while ¡De Viernes! managed 10.8%, its lowest of the year. Telecinco hopes First Dates can act as a buffer, holding on to more viewers in the basic access slot and softening the impact of Antena 3’s talent show. The network is relying on the show’s steady performance to retain viewers where other formats have struggled.
Mediaset is also giving First Dates a bigger role in its nightly lineup. The restaurant run by Carlos Sobera now leads into Telecinco’s biggest shows, providing a familiar start to the week. The new routine is clear: First Dates leads into La isla de las tentaciones on Mondays and Wednesdays, Supervivientes All Stars on Tuesdays, and ¡De Viernes! on Fridays.
Television audience data for September 2026 shows that First Dates maintained a stable performance in access prime time, with daily shares ranging from 6.1% to 9.5%. Telecinco sees that consistency as a central part of its effort to defend evening slots against growing competition from channels like Cuatro and the expected return of La Voz.
Industry audience reports
The first test comes this Friday, when First Dates leads into ¡De Viernes! as La Voz returns to Antena 3. Friday’s ratings will indicate whether the new lineup can slow the loss of viewers or La Voz will again take the lead. Mediaset’s schedule shake-up reflects the pressure on the network. Rather than surrendering the access slot, it is relying on an established show to defend prime time. The result will hinge on how viewers respond to First Dates in its new slot and whether Telecinco’s plan can withstand a rival that has already shown its strength.
