Rai faces scrutiny over low viewership and political management

Italian public broadcaster Rai is facing internal and political scrutiny following low Auditel viewership ratings for prime-time programs Filorosso and Patù. The Democratic Party (PD) has criticized the management, labeling the shows “bad products” and a “waste of money,” while accusing the leadership of prioritizing a specific political narrative over audience engagement.

Labor unions Usigrai and Unirai have also clashed over the results, with Usigrai describing the programming choices as “failures of the Rai leadership.” The controversy centers on the high costs of certain presenters compared to the low market share achieved.

In other news, the municipality of Fermo has initiated expropriation proceedings for the historic Excelsior cinema to transform it into a 500-seat theater. While the local Democratic Party supports the redevelopment, they have raised concerns regarding the project's total cost and legal feasibility.

Additionally, Alessandro Di Battista has criticized the current state of the political landscape, specifically targeting the lack of cohesion within the broad field of center-left and Five Star Movement politics. Meanwhile, Stefano De Martino has faced social media backlash following a comment on the show Affari Tuoi that viewers linked to Fabrizio Corona and Belén Rodriguez.