They call her TeleMeloni and the debate on the term used has been heated for some time now. We could choose another, more neutral but effective definition: TeleFantozzi. Yes, because the new Rai allowed a flagship title to expire and did not renew the rights for the group Warner Bros. Discovery take the program away from Viale Mazzini it was far too simple. Not even a theft in the building, just the stolen goods found directly outside the condominium.
We are talking about “Usual Unknowns“, the game show dedicated to hidden identities hosted by Amadeus from 20 March 2017 to 15 April 2023. A program that has consecrated Mr Sebastiani and allowed Rai1 to obtain excellent ratings and regain leadership in the prestigious segment. The news had been in the air for weeks, now made official in an interview by Laura Carafoli, head of Southern European content for the Warner Bros. Discovery group: “In September he debuts on Nove with Identity, the format known in Italy as I Soliti Ignoti. A first entry into the field with a product that speaks to everyone.”
The managers of Viale Mazzini recalled the importance of formats, almost to diminish the strength of the faces and Amadeus’ farewell. And they succeeded in losing not only the leading face of the public service but also a well-established and successful title. A title that will allow Amadeus to don’t start from scratch, to push his desire for novelty and innovation especially in prime time where two shows await him for a total of sixteen episodes. So Rai1 will have to challenge its King in the same slot and be able to keep the entire audience “Your business“ which will almost certainly be entrusted to the controversial and very powerful Stefano De Martino, despite the doubts of the Banijay production company. With the dancer strong of a contract from eight million euros for the next four years, reports the weekly “Today”.
Struggling with critics but also with numbers, the latest edition hosted by Amadeus achieved a seasonal average close to 25% share, with bets at 31%, bringing the game of parcels to glory: this is the most watched prime time access on Rai1 in share of the last fifteen years. We will have to wait until September to find out the Auditel indications, but Rai1 has lost an important title in the meantime. A game show that would have made “Affari Tuoi” catch its breath at the first difficulty. TeleMeloni? You decide. TeleFantozzi? Without any doubt.
