The conversation about the future of free-to-air television It's usually filled with catastrophic headlines: that streaming platforms are taking over, that digital terrestrial television is in decline, that young people have abandoned linear channels forever. However, when you sit down and calmly review the data, the picture is quite different from what's sometimes told on social media or in hurried discussions.
Today, free-to-air television operates within a much more complex ecosystem, with hybrid consumptionconnected screens, streaming, FAST, DTT and video on demand coexisting in the same room. Far from disappearing, the medium is reinventing itself, integrating into agreements with giants like Netflix, supporting Spanish cinema, maintaining a multi-million dollar advertising investment and at the same time facing very serious challenges in audiences, the aging of the viewer and extreme fragmentation.
Actual data: massive reach and still very high consumption
Beyond the noise, the first indisputable fact is the almost universal reach of free-to-air televisionIn 2025, traditional television reached approximately 47 million unique viewers in Spain, representing nearly 99,8% of the population. In other words, practically the entire country had turned on their television at some point to watch a linear channel.
That scope is complemented by a still very well established daily habitEach day, approximately 26,7-30 million people tune in to traditional television, representing around 56-60% of the population aged four and over. While this is the lowest daily figure on record, it still represents a huge number of people simultaneously accessing the same content.
In terms of time, in 2025 approximately 162 minutes of traditional television per person per day (linear + delayed), nine minutes less than in 2024 and well below the record of 246 minutes in 2012. At the same time, the use of the television for other purposes (streaming, video games, radio, apps…) reached an average of 54 minutes per day, an all-time high, with 89% of that time already dedicated to streaming.
If we look only at DTT, the annual consumption time was around 283 minutes daily, adding up all television useAccording to Barlovento Comunicación, television viewing time in Spain reached 161 minutes per person specifically on digital terrestrial television (DTT). This represents a slight decrease compared to the previous year, but it still reflects that traditional television remains the central screen in Spanish homes.
During peak viewing hours, the famous prime time (around 22:15-22:30 pm), the average total viewership has fallen from 18,2 million in 2013-2014 to about 11,7 million in 2025. Even so, it remains the only time when More than ten million people are simultaneously watching live audiovisual content openly, something that no other platform manages to replicate so regularly.
Who controls the ratings and what does the new network map look like?
The 2025 ranking of television networks left a very clear podium: Antena 3 led the year again for the fourth consecutive year. Behind them was La 1, with an 11,1% share —and an upward trend within the year itself—, followed by Telecinco, which recorded its worst historical result with a 9,4% share.
Among the generalist channels, La Sexta closed with 6,2%, Cuatro climbed to 5,8%, and La 2 remained around 3%. The largest year-on-year increases were for... La 1 and CuatroMeanwhile, Telecinco and Divinity lost the most ground, reflecting profound changes in programming, brand strategy, and the decline of certain formats.
Looking at the performance by day, Antena 3 was the leader in 292 days of the yearLa 1 led the ratings for 58 days, while Telecinco only managed to win for 15. By time slots, the morning is dominated by La 1; the afternoon, evening and prime time are Antena 3's territory; late night tends to belong to Telecinco, and in the early morning the Energy channel shines.
Regarding gender preferences, the Women were more inclined to choose Antena 3 And men prefer La 1. By age group, the 13-24 year old audience overwhelmingly favors La 1, while Antena 3 leads in almost all other age brackets. Interestingly, in the so-called commercial target—the most coveted by advertisers—La 1 was the leading channel, despite being commercial-free.
When specific broadcasts are analyzed, La 1's dominance is even more evident: of the 30 most-watched broadcasts of the year29 of those broadcasts aired on this channel and only one on Telecinco (the Club World Cup semi-final between PSG and Real Madrid). Among the featured programs were football, Eurovision, and the... New Year's Eve SpecialsIn addition to phenomena such as El hormiguero, Pasapalabra, La revuelta or La isla de las tentaciones, which prominently leads in delayed consumption.
Who watches free-to-air television: age, gender, territories and new uses
One of the great silent changes of recent years is the average age of the traditional television viewerThe average age of viewership in Spain has reached 58 years, the highest ever recorded. Linear television consumption is heavily concentrated among those over 64 (approximately 321 minutes per day) and the 45-64 age group (195 minutes per day), while all other age groups are gradually reducing their viewing time on traditional channels.
The contrast with so-called “other television” (streaming, online video, apps, etc.) is clear: there the average age drops to about 43 yearsThe 25-44 age group is particularly prominent, leading in daily viewing time with approximately 65 minutes. They are followed by viewers aged 45-64 (63 minutes) and children aged 4-12 (60 minutes per day for alternative uses of the television).
The youngest children, from 4 to 12 years old, are already dedicating more minutes spent on "alternative television" than on traditional televisionApproximately 56 minutes per day is spent watching linear programming compared to 60 minutes watching alternative content, primarily on online platforms and video. Among the other age groups under 45, television usage time for purposes other than digital terrestrial television (DTT) is increasingly approaching the consumption of linear channels.
Gender differences are also relevant. Women continue to be the ones who watch the most traditional television.Women spend about 173 minutes a day watching television, compared to 150 minutes for men. However, in "other television" the gap almost disappears, with men slightly ahead (55 minutes a day) compared to 53 minutes for women, showing a certain masculinization of some digital consumption.
By autonomous communities, the Asturians top the consumption ranking Television viewing averages around 310 minutes per day, followed by Andalusia (295 minutes) and the Canary Islands (294). Madrid and Catalonia are among the regions with the least screen time, and Navarre registers the lowest consumption, at around 259 minutes per day. This is partly explained by demographic factors: areas with older populations tend to spend more time watching linear television.
Another striking phenomenon is that watching TV has become a increasingly solitary activityViewers watch television alone for an average of 282 minutes per day, an all-time high, while viewing with a partner averages around 237 minutes. Solo viewing is concentrated primarily during daytime hours, between 7:00 a.m. and 21:00 p.m.
The coexistence of DTT, streaming and hybrid models
For a long time it was assumed that broadcast television and streaming were doomed to competing with irreconcilable modelsThe first is based on linear broadcasting with fixed schedules and advertising, the second on video on demand without interruptions or a fixed schedule. That boundary, however, is blurring rapidly.
The major symbolic shift has come with the announcement that Netflix will integrate, starting in the summer of 2026, the Live feeds from TF1's five main channels In its offering for France, in addition to on-demand content, it is the first time a platform of this size has explicitly incorporated generalist linear channels from a traditional European operator.
This move is not just a business transaction; it is the explicit admission that linear television still has a power to attract viewers which algorithms alone cannot replicate. Platforms have experienced firsthand how difficult it is to generate consumption routines and daily habits without the "must-attend" experience of live streaming.
Before Netflix, Prime Video had already tested the waters in Spain with the linear broadcast of Operación Triunfo 2023. The experiment worked: over 14 weeks, it is estimated that more than 3,5 million unique viewers tuned in at some point, and nearly 85% returned each week, replicating the type of loyalty that was traditionally associated with free-to-air television.
In parallel, FAST (Free Ad-Supported Television) models have emerged strongly; these are free channels financed by advertising that are consumed via the internet, but with linear grid logicPlatforms like Pluto TV, Rakuten TV, and Samsung TV Plus are reinforcing the idea that there is a space for free content, with ads and digital distribution, where archives, thematic channels, and traditional network signals coexist.
Spain: agreements, connected DTT and convergent ecosystem
In the Spanish case, the ecosystem is clearly becoming convergent. connected television (CTV) It has become the dominant way to watch content in the living room, integrating digital terrestrial television, pay-TV platforms, apps, and video on demand into a single device. The television is once again a shared large screen, but a much smarter one.
In the pay television sector, Movistar Plus+ remains the Spanish-origin platform best rated by audienceAccording to data from the CNMC Household Panel, their offering combines free-to-air and pay-TV linear channels, original on-demand content, major sporting competitions, and integrated access to multiple streaming services.
The expansion of CTV, advanced use of data, and artificial intelligence enable the development of much more precise advertising planning strategies without sacrificing the massive scale of linear television. Advertisers can segment, measure, and optimize campaigns in an environment that, unlike other digital spaces, maintains high standards of brand safety and editorial control.
From a content perspective, free-to-air television is not merely surviving; it remains driving force of the audiovisual industry and Spanish cinemaIn 2025, 86% of the 15 highest-grossing films had participation or production from free-to-air networks, showing the extent to which their financial muscle remains crucial to sustaining the local creative fabric.
Digital terrestrial television: recent history, highlights and lowlights
Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) turned twenty in Spain in 2025, but its trajectory has been quite more eventful than it might seemThe first formal experience came in 2000 with Quiero TV, a pay-TV platform promoted by Retevisión that offered 14 channels and internet connection through its own decoder.
Quiero TV aimed to compete with Vía Digital and Canal Satélite Digital, but it barely lasted two years. difficulty in making the model profitableThis, coupled with a still-developing market for digital terrestrial television (DTT), ultimately forced its closure. Even so, that attempt served to test the use of the spectrum and lay some technical groundwork for later DTT.
The real start of DTT as a free mass service took place from November of 2005, when official broadcasts began with an offering of about 20 channels: five from TVE (including Clan and Teledeporte), three from Antena 3 (with Nova and Neox), five from Telecinco (including Telecinco Sports and Factoría de Ficción), three from Sogecable (CNN+ and Los 40 Latino), two from Vocento (Net TV and Fly TV) and two from Unidad Editorial (Veo TV and a signal that was rented to Intereconomía).
In 2006, La Sexta was added and the presence of the regional channels was strengthened, while preparations were underway for the analog switch-off of 2010From that date, all channels began broadcasting exclusively in digital, with the entry of new operators, HD versions and the arrival of brands such as Discovery Max, Disney Channel, MTV or 13 TV, many of them renting capacity from initial licensees such as Veo TV and Net TV.
The period of greatest expansion of DTT was marked by the proliferation of thematic channels, the judicial correction of the allocation of licenses without public tender in 2014, and a new round of awards in 2015. In 2018, the LovesTV platform was launched, which integrated functionalities of interactivity and hybrid television for the main generalist channels, although its deployment and use by the public were more modest than expected.
In the last decade, it has become commonplace that Channels dependent on large companies withdraw from DTT to reinforce their streaming strategy. This is the case of MTV, which left DTT in 2014 to remain only as a pay channel, or Disney Channel and, more recently, Paramount Network, whose brands have focused their efforts on services such as Pluto TV or SkyShowtime.
Current overview of DTT: secondary channels, niches and difficulties
Today, the DTT ecosystem combines historic generalist broadcasters with highly specialized thematic channelsAmong the operators that arrived later are Real Madrid TV, DKiss (Kiss FM Group) and Ten (Secuoya), while RTVE, Atresmedia and Mediaset continue to concentrate the majority of licenses and, above all, the majority of the advertising revenue of the medium.
The so-called secondary channels have paradoxically been one of the biggest successes of digital terrestrial television. Programs such as Nova and Divinity have capitalized on the boom in Turkish soap operasMeanwhile, Clan and Boing have become almost unique havens for free-to-air children's programming, in a context where much children's content has migrated to streaming platforms.
According to GECA data, in December 2025 thematic DTT channels reached a 27,6% screen shareSpecialized channels outperformed pay-TV channels (12,2%) and showed slight monthly growth. Meanwhile, generalist channels saw their share decrease by 1,3 percentage points, settling at around 48,4%. While not spectacular, these figures indicate that specialized channels have indeed found a sustained niche among those who do not want to or cannot afford subscription services.
However, DTT has carried with it, since its inception, a sense of “broken promise”Experts like Professor Conchi Cascajosa point out that the initial expectations of interactivity, creativity, and truly alternative programming have not fully materialized. Much of the programming has been built on reruns, repeats of series, and imported formats, hampered by declining advertising investment and rising production costs.
Economic reality is stubborn: advertising investment in television in 2025 was around 1.750 millones de euros5% less than the previous year, with around 80% concentrated in Atresmedia and Mediaset. At the aggregate media level, television remains the leading individual medium in terms of investment according to InfoAdex, with around €1.857 billion in 2024 and a share of nearly 30% of all monitored investment, above any other traditional medium.
The other side of the coin is that It is becoming increasingly difficult to make new digital terrestrial television channels profitable.Proof of this was the scant business interest when the Government announced in 2025 its intention to grant a new license for 2026. Ultimately, the gap will be filled by a cultural thematic channel from RTVE, which will begin broadcasting in the summer, but private appetite was minimal, largely due to the difficulty of monetizing yet another channel in a market that is clearly fragmenting.
Regulation, DTT and spectrum horizon: how long is the signal guaranteed?
For years a great unknown hung over the sector: Until when would the spectrum for DTT be guaranteed? European regulations set 2030 as the deadline for reviewing frequency allocations, and in much of the Spanish sector that date went almost unnoticed, despite the fact that it implied a potential risk to the continuity of the model.
The World Radiocommunication Conference held at the end of 2023 provided some breathing room. It was achieved extend the security horizon of DTT until 2031That year, the use of that part of the spectrum will be debated again internationally. From then on, industry stakeholders have several years to demonstrate that free-to-air television, and in particular digital terrestrial television (DTT), continues to provide sufficient social, economic, and cultural value to justify preserving radio spectrum until at least 2040.
In Spain, one of the key elements for that future will be the modification of the Technical Plan for Digital Terrestrial TelevisionAmong other things, this plan should facilitate the migration from current high definition to ultra high definition (UHD), allowing for more efficient use of the spectrum and a substantial improvement in image quality, at the level of what many 4K platforms already offer for major sporting events or premium productions.
This technological transition not only aims to improve clarity; it also seeks to ensure that DTT remains a competitive support in an audiovisual environment where technical quality is taken for granted.Large televisions with 4K resolution or higher, HDR and surround sound have become standard in many homes, and linear television cannot afford to remain stuck in qualities perceived as inferior if it wants to retain a demanding audience.
All of this is combined with the need for a balanced regulation that standardizes obligations between free-to-air television, platforms and other digital actors, especially on issues of advertising, financing of European production, protection of minors and responsibility for content.
Social role, credibility and informative function of free-to-air television
Beyond audience figures, free-to-air television maintains a symbolic and social weight very difficult to replaceDuring the Covid-19 pandemic, for example, it became the main source of information and entertainment for citizens, with consumption soaring to almost four hours per day per person at the toughest moments of the lockdown.
According to the Barometer on the Social Perception of Free-to-Air Television conducted by UTECA, the emotional connection and the closeness to a shocked society They significantly strengthened their leadership, influence, and credibility across all age groups. Television was perceived as an information-service channel, capable of explaining in real time what was happening and what measures should be taken.
Organizations such as the Association of Communication Directors (Dircom) have emphasized that free-to-air commercial television remains a a fundamental tool at the service of brands and public communicationMiguel López-Quesada, president of Dircom, recalled how, in the days of greatest uncertainty, many citizens "rediscovered television" as a reference point for guidance.
From UTECA, its general director, Emilio Lliteras, insists that “television unites us” and that this union implies a obligation to reciprocate the viewer's loyalty With content closely tied to reality, rigorous news coverage, quality entertainment, and an active defense of shared values, this function of "social glue" is one of the main arguments that free-to-air channels use to assert their role in the new ecosystem.
Recent data supports this: when a major political, sporting, or social event occurs, the majority of the country still turns first to traditional television. The example of Pedro Sánchez's appearance on June 12th is illustrative: it reached a 61,1% screen shareWith almost 4,8 million average viewers and 5,6 million unique contacts, confirming that when there is something "truly important", the massive audience returns to live broadcasting.
Advertising, investment and adaptation to the digital environment
In the advertising field, free-to-air television maintains a a proposal that is very difficult to replicate: massive reach, relatively safe environments, rigorous editorial control, audited measurement and high-impact formats such as prime time blocks, sponsorships of major events or special live actions.
The most recent InfoAdex Study shows that television continues to be the leading individual media outlet in advertising investmentWith approximately €1.857 billion in 2024 and growth exceeding 2%, it accounts for around 30% of all monitored investment. Despite the emergence of multiple digital channels, no other traditional platform achieves a similar share of marketing budgets.
During the pandemic, there was a sharp readjustment: many brands froze campaigns, but others took advantage of the situation to to strengthen their presence in a medium they knew was concentrating national attentionAs Eduardo Olano, president of UTECA, pointed out, the top 100 advertisers allocate nearly 60% of their investment to television, and during the most challenging months of 2020, those who remained active achieved very high levels of brand awareness.
In the post-Covid era, the challenge for free-to-air channels is consolidate an advertising model that combines the mass sale of GRPs with segmented solutions in CTV, advanced data, programmatic and interactive formats, without abandoning the principles of transparency and audience control that have underpinned its credibility with advertisers for decades.
The free, universal, and accessible nature of free-to-air television—without significant economic or technological barriers—also makes it a strategic asset for the countryAt a time when much of the entertainment and information is concentrated behind paywalls, the existence of a powerful audiovisual offering at no direct cost to the citizen continues to have considerable political and social weight.
Taken together, the picture painted by all this data is quite clear: free-to-air television and digital terrestrial television face obvious challenges in terms of young audiences, fragmentation, and economic pressure, but they continue to lead in reach, consumption, influence, advertising investment, and ability to generate social conversationMore than a dying medium, they resemble an infrastructure in full transformation, integrating streaming, live broadcasts, data, and artificial intelligence to remain relevant in the coming years.
