Mediaset has reshaped Cuatro’s morning lineup, and with those shifts comes a notable change for a once-legendary program. Deportes Cuatro, long a flagship in sports news on Cuatro, has been reduced to a compact segment within a broader morning block. The evolution marks a shift in how sports updates are integrated into the channel’s daily schedule, moving away from a dedicated flagship format toward more condensed coverage that airs as part of a wider morning cadence, hosted by a marquee presenter team over time.
The scheduling overhaul announced for the morning grid last week introduced a longer presence for the daytime staple, extending its air time to mid-afternoon as part of a broader rhythm across the morning to early afternoon hours. At the same time, the brand decision surrounding Deportes Cuatro, which was published concurrently with these changes, became a matter of internal strategy rather than a standalone program identity. The net effect has been to place the sports bulletin deeper into the day, with emphasis placed on maintaining audience engagement across the stream rather than preserving an isolated flagship block.
In the latest development, Manu Carreño, who was responsible for steering the sports space, now appears in the Losada program—but without a dedicated set and only for brief, episodic appearances. As the schedule evolved, the former long-running format known as Deportes Cuatro: El VAR, which was rebranded, managed to secure a very modest share of screen time and audience, signaling a broader recalibration of Cuatro’s sport coverage strategy rather than a straightforward continuation of the old presentation style.
These changes reflect a trajectory away from the era when the Deportes Cuatro brand and its presenters, such as Manolo Lama and Manu Carreño, stood as defining pillars of sports news on Cuatro. The brand was once a reference point for sports updates and one of the network’s most-watched programs, frequently cited for its distinctive coverage and on-air presence. The departure of key figures and subsequent changes to the presenting team contributed to a gradual erosion of the program’s former power and resonance with viewers.
Even after the cancellation of Noticias Cuatro in 2019, the format persisted with its own set and tone for a time. The shift in the Cuatro lineup ultimately altered how the sports segment was positioned within the morning schedule, aligning it more closely with other daytime programs and reducing the emphasis on a standalone sports flagship. The evolution illustrates how networks continually refine brand identity and audience targeting by recalibrating flagship brands, presenter lineups, and the balance between long-standing rituals and fresh, contemporary formats. Cited: Mediaset