While Spanish screens, both big and small, still command massive daily attention, a new battleground is emerging as streaming platforms now account for 28% of total TV consumption, traditional pay-TV subscriptions hold firm with 9.5 million subscribers, and the nation's vibrant newspaper and radio sectors navigate a digital transition defined by podcast growth, declining print circulation, and robust digital news audiences.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, Spanish television households totaled 18.2 million, with a penetration rate of 97.8% among all households
- RTVE's audience share in Spain for prime time in Q1 2024 was 12.4%, down from 13.1% in Q1 2023
- Antena 3 led Spanish TV channels with 13.8% daily audience share in 2023, followed by Telecinco at 11.2%
- Spanish radio listeners totaled 21.5 million daily in Q1 2024, 75% reach among 14+
- Cadena SER led with 24.7% daily share in EGM wave 1 2024
- Average daily radio listening time was 150 minutes per listener in 2023
- Newspaper circulation in Spain totaled 1.9 million daily copies in 2023, down 4.5% YoY
- El País sold 113,000 daily copies in 2023, leading national dailies
- ABC newspaper ad revenue €45 million in 2023
- Digital news unique users in Spain: 28.5 million monthly Dec 2023, 92% internet pop
- Online video consumption avg 105 min/day per user in Spain 2023
- Netflix Spain subscribers 9.8 million in Q4 2023, 8% growth YoY
- Spanish cinema box office revenue €300 million in 2023, recovering 75% pre-pandemic
- Total cinema admissions Spain 2023: 62.5 million tickets sold, up 35% YoY
- Spanish films market share 12.8% of box office 2023, 8.2M admissions
The Spanish media industry faces shifting viewership and revenue trends amid digital growth.
Cinema
- Spanish cinema box office revenue €300 million in 2023, recovering 75% pre-pandemic
- Total cinema admissions Spain 2023: 62.5 million tickets sold, up 35% YoY
- Spanish films market share 12.8% of box office 2023, 8.2M admissions
- Top film 'Oppenheimer' earned €25M in Spain 2023
- Cinema screens in Spain: 4,200 in 2023 across 450 complexes
- Average ticket price €7.85 in Spain 2023, up 3.2% inflation-adjusted
- Film production incentives distributed €108M to 120 projects in 2023
- International co-productions 45 Spanish films in 2023
- Animated films admissions 4.1M in Spain 2023, 6.5% market share
- Cinema chain market: Yelmo Cines 25% share with 45M euros revenue 2023
- Women directors in Spanish films: 28% of total productions 2023, up from 22%
- Streaming impact: 35% Spaniards prefer home viewing over cinema 2023 survey
- Festival de San Sebastián attendance 200,000 in 2023 edition
- Film export value €450M for Spanish cinema 2023
- IMAX screens 42 in Spain end-2023, 12% ticket premium pricing
- Documentary films 1.2M admissions Spain 2023, niche growth 18%
- Regional film funds Catalonia €35M invested 15 films 2023
- 3D films share 15% of box office revenue 2023 Spain
- Post-pandemic cinema recovery 82% of 2019 levels by tickets 2023
- Spanish TV series exports to cinema adaptations generated €20M 2023
Cinema Interpretation
While the Spanish box office is still chasing its pre-pandemic shadow, the industry shows vital signs of stubborn life, with homegrown films fighting for a bigger slice of a recovering pie, even as audiences increasingly ask if the couch might be just as good.
Digital Media
- Digital news unique users in Spain: 28.5 million monthly Dec 2023, 92% internet pop
- Online video consumption avg 105 min/day per user in Spain 2023
- Netflix Spain subscribers 9.8 million in Q4 2023, 8% growth YoY
- Digital ad spend €2.3 billion in 2023, 55% of total ad market in Spain
- YouTube monthly users Spain 40.2 million in 2023
- News websites traffic: elmundo.es 45 million visits/month 2023 avg
- Social media ad revenue €1.1 billion in Spain 2023, led by Meta/Google
- TikTok users in Spain 18.7 million monthly active 2023
- Online press paid subscriptions 1.2 million in Spain end-2023, up 14%
- Streaming music users Spotify 12.5 million premium Spain 2023
- Google News Initiative funded 150 Spanish media projects €25M in 2023
- Instagram reach for Spanish publishers avg 15M users/month 2023
- Programmatic ad buying 68% of digital display in Spain 2023
- Podcast downloads 450 million annually Spain 2023, 25% YoY growth
- Disney+ subscribers Spain 5.2 million Q4 2023
- Mobile news consumption 72% of total digital time Spain 2023
- Amazon Prime Video 4.8 million subs Spain 2023
Digital Media Interpretation
Nearly every adult in Spain is now a digital media omnivore, devouring news on their phones between Netflix binges and YouTube clips, while publishers desperately chase them with podcasts and Instagram reels, all funded by an advertising market that has decisively, and perhaps irrevocably, moved online.
Print Media
- Newspaper circulation in Spain totaled 1.9 million daily copies in 2023, down 4.5% YoY
- El País sold 113,000 daily copies in 2023, leading national dailies
- ABC newspaper ad revenue €45 million in 2023
- Magazine market circulation 78 million copies annually 2023, down 6%
- La Vanguardia Catalan daily reached 92,000 copies/day 2023
- Total print ad spend €420 million in 2023, 12% decline YoY
- El Mundo circulation 65,000 daily in 2023, digital subs compensating print loss
- Regional press like El Correo 120,000 copies/weekday 2023
- Sports newspaper Marca led with 98,000 daily sales 2023
- Print media workforce 12,500 journalists in Spain 2023, down 8% from 2020
- Sunday supplements circulation boost: 25% higher than weekdays 2023
- El Periódico de Catalunya 105,000 copies/day 2023
- Newsprint consumption 450,000 tons/year in Spain 2023
- Free press distribution 2.1 million copies daily 2023 (20 Minutos, etc.)
- La Razón circulation stabilized at 42,000 daily 2023
- Magazine ad pages down 15% to 180,000 pages in 2023
- Hola! magazine top seller 320,000 copies/issue avg 2023
Print Media Interpretation
It appears the Spanish press is trying to save more trees by printing fewer papers, but with ad revenue and readership both in decline, the industry's main plot twist seems to be its own survival.
Radio
- Spanish radio listeners totaled 21.5 million daily in Q1 2024, 75% reach among 14+
- Cadena SER led with 24.7% daily share in EGM wave 1 2024
- Average daily radio listening time was 150 minutes per listener in 2023
- Los 40 Principales reached 2.8 million daily listeners in 2023, youth demo leader
- Radio ad revenue in Spain hit €512 million in 2023, up 8.2% YoY
- COPE network had 10.2% national share in EGM Q1 2024
- 82% of Spaniards listen to radio weekly, with car listening at 45% of total time
- RNE (Radio Nacional) public stations reached 4.1 million weekly in 2023
- FM radio coverage 99.5% of Spanish population in 2023
- Podcast listeners via radio apps: 3.2 million monthly in Spain 2023
- Onda Cero's 'Más de Uno' topped morning slot with 1.5 million daily listeners Q1 2024
- Radio listening among 13-24 year olds dropped to 28% daily reach in 2023 from 35% in 2020
- Total radio stations active in Spain: 1,250 in 2023, with 300 national scope
- Kiss FM youth share 7.8% in EGM 2024, up 12% YoY
- Public radio budget €180 million in 2023, 65% from state funding
- Digital radio (DAB+) trials reached 2 million potential listeners in Madrid/Barcelona 2023
- Sports radio programming occupied 22% of total airtime in 2023
- Europa FM grew to 9.1% share, gaining 0.8 points in 2023 EGM
- Elderly 65+ daily radio reach 92% in Spain 2023
Radio Interpretation
In Spain, radio steadfastly commands the car and the elderly while anxiously courting the young, proving that even as its traditional audience remains devoutly tuned in for over two hours a day, the industry's future hinges on navigating a digital detour without losing its signal.
Television
- In 2023, Spanish television households totaled 18.2 million, with a penetration rate of 97.8% among all households
- RTVE's audience share in Spain for prime time in Q1 2024 was 12.4%, down from 13.1% in Q1 2023
- Antena 3 led Spanish TV channels with 13.8% daily audience share in 2023, followed by Telecinco at 11.2%
- Pay TV subscribers in Spain reached 9.5 million in 2023, representing 52% of TV households
- Average daily TV viewing time per Spaniard aged 4+ was 208 minutes in 2024, a 1.5% increase YoY
- La1 (TVE) averaged 9.2% prime time share in 2023, with top program 'Televisión Española' peaking at 18.5%
- Streaming platforms accounted for 28% of total TV consumption in Spain in Q4 2023, up from 22% in 2022
- Telecinco's 'Sálvame' finale in 2023 drew 2.8 million viewers, the highest-rated program of the year
- Regional TV channels in Catalonia (TV3) held 22.4% share in 2023 within the region
- Smart TV adoption in Spanish homes reached 65% in 2023, enabling 42% hybrid TV usage
- La Sexta news bulletin averaged 8.7% share in 2023, outperforming national average by 15%
- Total TV ad spend in Spain was €1.42 billion in 2023, down 5% from 2022 peak
- Children aged 4-12 watched TV for 85 minutes daily on average in 2023
- Vodafone TV subscribers numbered 1.2 million in 2023, with 15% churn rate
- 'El Hormiguero' on Antena 3 averaged 1.9 million viewers nightly in 2023
- Public TV funding via fee in Spain totaled €1.15 billion in 2023 budget
- 4K TV sets in Spanish homes: 12.5 million units by end-2023, 68% of total TVs
- News genres captured 18% of total TV airtime in prime time 2023
- Movistar+ had 4.1 million subscribers in Spain Q4 2023
- Women over 65 watched TV 4.2 hours daily average in 2023, highest demo
Television Interpretation
Nearly every Spanish household has a television, but as traditional broadcasters battle for shrinking slivers of attention—with even RTVE slipping—the real power is shifting toward streaming platforms and the steadfast loyalty of audiences like women over 65, who still reign as the undisputed queens of the living room remote.
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