Industry

The 75th Sanremo Music Festival, held from February 11-15, 2025, marked a significant milestone in Italy's musical heritage, showcasing a blend of emerging talents and seasoned artists. The festival not only celebrated musical excellence but also achieved remarkable success in viewership, setting new records and surpassing previous editions. Under the adept direction of Carlo Conti, the festival returned to its musical roots, steering clear of the political controversies that had marked previous editions. The event featured memorable performances, including Simone Cristicchi's poignant piece on Alzheimer's disease and Giorgia's powerful rendition, which, despite critical acclaim, placed her sixth in the competition. The festival's focus on musical artistry over spectacle was well-received, contributing to its widespread acclaim. A highlight of the festival was the Nuove Proposte category, where emerging artists competed for a spot in the final. The competition showcased fresh talent, with one of the newcomers ultimately winning and gaining recognition in the Italian music scene.

VICTORY OF OLLY

Emerging artist Olly clinched the top spot with his heartfelt performance of "Balorda Nostalgia." At just 23, Olly's unexpected triumph over established names like Simone Cristicchi and Giorgia resonated with audiences nationwide. In a post-victory press conference, he expressed his astonishment: "Everything that has happened is total madness. When I said in recent weeks that I didn't consider the possibility of winning the Sanremo festival, I was sincere." Olly has been granted a week to decide whether he will represent Italy at the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest. Should he decline, runner-up Lucio Corsi, who impressed with "Volevo essere un duro," will take his place.

RATINGS

1st episode 75th Sanremo Festival (Rai 1) 12.218 / 65% on Tue 11/02. All 29 competing artists took the stage to present their songs for the first time. The evening concluded with a ranking based on press jury votes, revealing the top five acts in random order.

2nd episode 75th Sanremo Festival (Rai 1) 11.410 / 64.1% on Wed 12/02. Fifteen of the 29 artists performed their entries again. Voting was split equally between a radio jury and public televote, culminating in a top five ranking for the night, announced in no particular order.

3rd episode 75th Sanremo Festival (Rai 1) 10.404 / 59.7% on Thu 13/02. The remaining 14 artists showcased their songs for the second time. Similar to the previous night, the combined votes from the radio jury and public determined the top five performances, listed without specific ranking.

4th episode 75th Sanremo Festival (Rai 1) 13.187 / 70.4% on Fri 14/02. Artists performed covers of Italian or international songs, often collaborating with guest performers. This special evening featured a separate competition, with votes from the press jury, radio jury, and public. The results of this night did not influence the overall competition standings.

5th episode 75th Sanremo Festival (Rai 1) 13.016 / 73.1% on Sat 15/02. All 29 artists returned to perform their original songs. The final rankings were determined by a combination of votes: 34% from the public, 33% from radio representatives, and 33% from journalists.

The 75th Sanremo Festival of 2025 achieved an overall average of 67.1% share across the five evenings, surpassing the 66.2% of the previous edition. The Sanremo 2025 coverage garnered an average of 21,512,547 viewers with a 56.30% retention rate and an average viewing time of 1 hour and 8 minutes. The average age of the audience was 52 years. The festival saw significant success among younger audiences, with the highest share percentages not recorded in the older age brackets, as is typical for Rai1, but among younger groups. The share began at 72.53% for children aged 4-7 years. It increased to 82% for those aged 15-19 years and peaked at 83.87% for the 15-24 age group. Shares above 70% were also seen in the 25-34 and 35-44 age ranges, with a 70% share in the 45-54 range.

INTERNATIONAL AIRING

Internationally, the event was broadcast through various European channels:

Spain: RTVE Play aired the final with Spanish commentary by Giuseppe di Bella, Irene Mahía, and Mawot.
Albania: RTSH broadcast the first three nights on RTSH 2 and the last two on RTSH 1.
Moldova: TRM aired all the evenings on Moldova 1.
Montenegro: RTCG broadcast the event on TVCG 2 and Radio 98, with commentary by Nebojša Šofranac.
Romania: TVR 1 aired all the evenings with commentary by Bogdan Stănescu and Kyrie Mendél.
United Kingdom: GlitterBeam Radio provided the final broadcast with commentary by Eugenio Ceriello and Michael Walton-Dalzell.

Additionally, Rai Italia made the festival available for Italians abroad, and RaiPlay offered global streaming, accessible in European Broadcasting Union member countries.