The 76th edition of the Sanremo Music Festival opened with an average audience of 9.6 million viewers on Tuesday night. It captured 58% of the television share, according to overnight figures.
The result marks a drop compared with the first night of the 2025 edition, which drew 12.6 million viewers and a 65.3% share. Despite the decline, the Sanremo Music Festival remains Italy’s most-watched annual television event and a central fixture in the country’s cultural calendar.
Conti returns as host
The show, broadcast live from the Teatro Ariston in Sanremo runs until Saturday. Carlo Conti is presenting the show for the second consecutive year and the fifth time overall.
This year Laura Pausini, the Grammy-winning singer, joins Conti as a presenter. Pausini’s victory at Sanremo in 1993 in the Newcomers’ section launched her career. Her return to the Ariston stage as co-host was one of the most anticipated elements of the opening night.
Proceedings began with a tribute to legendary presenter Pippo Baudo, who died in August aged 89. Baudo holds the record for hosting the festival 13 times and is widely credited with shaping its modern format.
Performances and provisional rankings
Among the highlights of the first evening were performances by reigning champion Olly and by Tiziano Ferro, who marked the 25th anniversary of his career with a celebratory appearance.
After the competing artists performed their entries, the provisional top five, based on votes from the press jury and online media, were, in random order: Arisa, Fulminacci, Serena Brancale, Ditonellapiaga and the pairing of Fedez with Marco Masini.
Voting will continue throughout the week, combining the press jury, radio jury and public televote. The winner will be crowned in Saturday’s final.
