BTN News: The turbulent journey of “Los Iglesias: Hermanos a la Obra” on Spain’s La 1 has taken another unexpected turn this week, as the show vanished from its usual Tuesday night slot after airing only four episodes. The home renovation program, hosted by Julio José and Chábeli Iglesias, which caters to the design needs of various celebrities, has faced constant schedule changes, albeit always within the Tuesday night lineup. The fourth episode, broadcasted on July 30th, was relegated to a late-night time slot, drawing a meager 4.9% audience share and sparking a wave of criticism over its content. This Tuesday, La 1’s programming underwent a significant shake-up, leading with a feature film, followed by two new episodes of the series HIT. According to a spokesperson from the network, the program’s airtime has been altered, with its new slot to be announced soon. (Update: The fifth episode is scheduled to air on Friday, August 9th at midnight.)
“Los Iglesias” initially premiered on July 9th, riding the wave of excitement from the Euro 2020 semifinal between Spain and France. The match, which captivated over 11.5 million viewers, gave “Los Iglesias” a strong start, with a 15.2% audience share, largely benefiting from the preceding football event. However, the following week, on July 16th, the show was moved to a prime-time slot without the advantage of the football lead-in, and its ratings plummeted to a 6.8% share. The July 23rd episode, in which the siblings renovated terrace furniture for their mother, Isabel Preysler, saw another dip, securing only a 5.5% share with an average of just 500,000 viewers.
The July 30th episode faced intense scrutiny even before its airing due to its controversial content: the Iglesias siblings were tasked with revamping the garden of Ana Obregón’s home, including the construction of a playhouse for her granddaughter. Critics questioned whether this was the type of content that should be funded by a public broadcaster. Ultimately, the episode was pushed to a late-night slot and suffered a further decline in viewership, achieving only a 4.9% share with just 269,000 viewers tuning in.
The production cost of “Los Iglesias” stands at approximately 245,000 euros per episode, with Chábeli earning 28,000 euros and Julio José 13,000 euros per episode, as revealed by RTVE in response to a Transparency request by ABC. Upcoming episodes are expected to feature renovations in the homes of notable personalities such as Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Luis Fonsi, Arancha Sánchez Vicario, and Norma Duval.
While La 1 enjoyed a remarkable 14.6% average audience share in July—its highest in nearly 13 years, buoyed by the Euro 2020 and the Tokyo Olympics—the network has struggled to secure a solid audience for its Tuesday night programming. Following a hiatus of over two and a half years since the second season finale, La 1 finally aired the third season of the series HIT. Premiering on July 16th after “Los Iglesias,” and therefore late at night, the show managed only a 4.6% share with 280,000 viewers. The second episode on July 23rd fared even worse, dropping to a dismal 3.2% share. A shift to prime time on July 30th, after two episodes had already aired, did little to boost ratings, which only climbed to 4.2%. This Tuesday, August 6th, the series returned to the late-night slot, airing two episodes back-to-back, with the broadcast extending until nearly 2:40 a.m.
The decline in viewership for both “Los Iglesias” and HIT highlights the challenges La 1 faces in maintaining a consistent and engaged audience for its Tuesday night programming. Despite a promising start, “Los Iglesias” has struggled to sustain its initial momentum, and with the continued fluctuations in its scheduling, the future of the show remains uncertain. The network’s attempt to salvage its prime-time ratings with the reintroduction of HIT has also met with limited success, raising questions about the overall strategy for La 1’s programming lineup. As the network searches for a new slot for “Los Iglesias,” viewers and critics alike will be watching closely to see if the show can reclaim its early promise or if it will fade into obscurity, just like its recent late-night airings.
