Benidorm Fest 2025
The Benidorm Fest was the audience leader with a 17.1% share and achieved the second best historical share of the festival
The result was well above the average for La 1 in January (10.4%) and almost doubled the second best, ‘Hay una cosa que te quiero decir’, with Jorge Javier Vázquez on Telecinco
The final of the Benidorm Fest 2025, broadcast on RTVE's La1, garnered a 17.1% share this Saturday, with 1,938,000 viewers. It was the audience leader and claimed the second best historical share of a final of this music festival, which selects Spain's representative at Eurovision. The number of unique viewers was 4.9 million and there were audience peaks of up to 24.1%. The most watched edition so far was that of 2022, when the singer Chanel was the winner. On this occasion, the winner was Melody, with the song Esa diva, which thus becomes the Spanish candidate for this year's European competition, which will take place in Basel, Switzerland, in May.
These are the audiences that the festival has achieved over the years:
Final of Benidorm Fest 2022: 21% and 2,966,000 spectators.
Final of Benidorm Fest 2023: 14.7% and 1,887,000 spectators.
Final of Benidorm Fest 2024: 16.6% and 1,977,000 spectators.
Final of Benidorm Fest 2025: 17.1% and 1,938,000 spectators.
That is to say, after the peak of the first edition and the notable drop of the second, the audience share has been growing progressively, but not the number of viewers, which was higher last year than this year. 17.1% is well above the average share of the channel, which in January was 10.4%.
The Benidorm Fest practically doubled the second best result of the night, that of the program Hay una cosa que te quiero decir, presented by Jorge Javier Vázquez, which had 9.7% share and 910,000 viewers and 2.8 million unique viewers.
The number of viewers reflects the average, while unique viewers are the total number of viewers who watched the program for at least one minute.
Melody
The Sevillian artist is one of the clear favourites with Esa diva, an electronic pop song with the essence of our country and inspired by her musical career. Although Melody did not give her best performance in the semi-final, as she suffered a sound failure that spoiled her performance, the singer is first in the bookmakers.
This is not the first time that Melody has entered a Eurovision pre-selection. The artist was on the verge of representing Spain in Eurovision in 2009 with Los Vivancos. However, the sudden withdrawal of the dance group from this competition hampered Melody's chances of victory. Tonight, we will see if the second time is the charm and the Sevillian manages to win the Bronze Microphone.
Lachispa
This singer from Cadiz won over all Eurofans when she released her song Hartita de llorar. Through a powerful saeta with electronic overtones, Claudia Lachispa opens up to reflect on the depression she suffered in the past. During her performance, the singer demonstrates her privileged voice and a 'claw' that goes through the screens.
Along with Melody, the artist was presented as one of the great favorites to win the Benidorm Fest 2025. However, her performance has left those who had high expectations of her a little cold. Some consider that the artist does not manage to ignite that spark that appears in her name, while others still fully trust her candidacy.
J Kbello
Also from Cadiz, J Kbello is one of the favourites to represent Spain in the next Eurovision Song Contest. This singer and dancer from Cadiz is making all the Eurofans dance with VIP, a song that combines carioca afro-funk rhythms with touches of electronic and UK garage, creating a unique and dynamic sound that fits perfectly with his style.
And J Kbello offers a proposal that not only takes advantage of his dancing skills, but also plays with the lights and a great catwalk that adds dynamism and emotion to his musical number. The only drawback is that, during his performance in the semi-final, he was a little serious and did not manage to transmit the sensuality that his song reflects.
Daniela Blasco
This singer and dancer from Mallorca has captivated the public and the jury with her Uh Nana. In her semi-final, Blasco offered a frenetic performance, full of complicated dance steps and managed to maintain her vocal ability for much of the performance. In fact, her musical number became the most watched video in our country for several hours.
However, the artist has also received a lot of criticism for not singing some verses of the song or for having the pre-recorded choruses too loud, something that prevented viewers from hearing Blasco's voice at certain moments of her performance. However, the young woman has not hesitated to respond to her detractors and promises changes to her proposal.
Benidorm Fest: what a poor level
Melody's enthusiasm led to a contest that was so low that it should reconsider its selection criteria
There was the duo Amaral, driven by the idea of “I’ve come here to sell my new album”, and probably thinking the same thing as many sensible people who sat in front of the television last night: the poor level of the Benidorm Fest 2025 final. Tonight’s events have been a blow to the reputation of a contest that takes place in the Alicante city to designate Spain’s representative at the Eurovision Song Contest, this year in Basel (Switzerland), on May 17. Some will think: what reputation are we talking about? Well, in 2022 we experienced a stimulating Benidorm Fest, with all the ingredients that make this invention an appetizing television product: friction, interesting songs, artists who take risks… You will remember: Rigoberta Bandini, Tanxugueiras, Chanel, Javiera Mena, Rayden, Varry Brava… It looks like a poster for a summer festival. Last year, the contest was saved by the audacity and charm of Nebulossa and the ability to be shocked by nonsense (Zorra was the name of the song) of many more people than we thought. But last night, no one came to the rescue.
The contestants are not to blame, of course. The ones responsible are those who selected, who insist on choosing by means of mimicry and algorithm: a song that sounds like Chanel; another like Rosalía; an electropop, which is always popular; a Latin song like Ricky Martin; a Nochentera, something by Quevedo. And so on. It is hard to believe that among the 1,000 songs that were presented there were not a dozen interesting and somewhat original performers. Tonight the processed sound prevailed, a rough soundscape lacking honesty and authenticity. And let us stop justifying this low level because it is the sound that is liked at Eurovision: the rock of Måneskin and the sensitivity of Salvador Sobral also came out triumphant. There is hope, it consists of being competent.
Melody's noble and forward-thinking attitude convinced the voters, a bet that starts from a few minimum requirements: that Spain does not come last in Basel and that it does not go out of tune too much. Well, it seems that the Sevillian can guarantee both things. Subtlety is not one of Melody's characteristics, which she was in charge of supporting in every second of Esa diva que ella es marca España pata negra: Andalusian hat, castanets, a giant comb. The song, full of clichés, sounds like those Latin pop songs from a couple of decades ago. Of course, we are sure that the courageous singer will give her all on the Eurovision stage. There is no need to worry about that.
We still have to thank the fans of the Sevillian singer, since the jury, incomprehensibly, voted for J Kbello, a guy with limited vocals and a proposal that has made us miss Chayanne, something we never thought would happen. The best were Lucas Bon, too sensitive and a good singer for a contest that rewards hip-shaking, and Mel Ömana, who can expect a future in this business if he gets Nathy Peluso out of his mind.
There was something disturbing about some of Melody's statements, which we excuse for the euphoria of the moment. She went so far as to say: «This is a place where art has no limits.» Art did not appear much last night.