The first Benidorm Fest semi-final delivered another clear milestone in terms of media spread and social media impact. RTVE reported on the event, noting a 10.8 percent audience share during the broadcast window. This figure underscores the ceremony’s ability to connect with a broad audience while sparking lively online conversations across multiple platforms. The event’s initial night set a strong footprint across social networks and news feeds alike.
Across social channels, the momentum was evident. The banners and topics around the night, including the tags #benidormfestsemi1, #benidormfest2024, and #benidormfest, dominated national and international trends. The premiere’s reach extended beyond Spain, with coverage and engagement observed in 29 countries during the event window. Approximate counts show 122,378 interactions between 22:00 and 12:00, and 150,991 interactions during the live broadcast period. Social network analytics estimated a potential reach approaching 515 million people, signaling a global resonance for the festival and its participants.
Geographic and demographic patterns highlighted Spain as the primary hub of activity, responsible for about 63.46 percent of posts. Argentina, Colombia, and the United States followed with 16.78 percent, 5.44 percent, and 1.70 percent respectively. In terms of age groups, the 25-34 demographic stood out as the most active on the platform X. RTVE’s Director of Communications and Engagement, María Eizaguirre, explained that the festival has long connected with younger audiences in a distinctive way, mirroring its relationship with Eurovision. It was also noted that the gender distribution among social followers leaned male at 60.1 percent and female at 39.9 percent, offering insights into the audience composition surrounding the event.
From a television perspective, the first Benidorm Fest premiere on RTVE achieved a share of 10.8 percent, slightly higher than the previous year by 0.8 points. The average audience hovered around 1,005,000 viewers, indicating a modest decrease of 3.7 percent year over year. Nevertheless, the broadcaster highlighted moments when more than 3.3 million viewers were tuned in at peak moments during the night, a figure that exceeded the prior year by roughly 3.3 percent. These numbers reflect strong engagement levels across traditional broadcast and align with the festival’s growing cultural footprint.
Beyond live TV ratings, streaming and on-demand metrics contributed to the overall success. The eight participating artists accumulated well over nine million plays across music platforms during the premiere, underscoring the festival’s ability to drive deep listener engagement. Spotify alone tallied 6,145,742 plays during the morning after the show, with Nebulossa leading the pack with about 1.6 million spins, followed by Mantra with around 1.1 million and Lérica with approximately 773,000. On YouTube, the corresponding song ranking reached first place with roughly 2,951,000 views, while Nebulossa’s track racked up about 1.4 million views. Sofia Coll and Mantra followed, with 534,000 and 350,000 views respectively. Reruns of yesterday’s performances have already been viewed more than 189,000 times on the platform, illustrating lasting audience interest beyond the initial broadcast. These streaming and video metrics reinforce the event’s status as a multimedia moment that extends beyond the live broadcast.