From 'Masterchef' to 'The Voice': the show's wear and tear is putting prime time in crisis.

A few years ago, television was experiencing one of its golden moments. Prime time reached audience figures that seem unattainable today, with millions of viewers glued to their favorite shows night after night. Networks were investing heavily in new formats, most of them adapted, and the show was constantly revamped. Given the success of these shows, alternative versions soon emerged, designed to prolong the phenomenon.

We experienced this with 'Mastechef,' which, after its resounding success, gave way to 'Masterchef Junior' and 'Masterchef Celebrity,' maintaining high viewership levels. The same thing happened with 'The Voice,' which added 'Kids' and 'Senior' versions, adapting to all audiences. 'Maestros de la Costura' also became a phenomenon, proving that fashion could be engaging in primetime. And 'Got Talent Spain' not only consolidated its place among the most-watched programs but also expanded its format with specials starring children or well-known figures. This strategy of exploiting successful formats in different versions was a winning formula for several years, consolidating an era in which mainstream television still reigned supreme in Spanish homes. However, everything that is exploited ends up being obsolete, and even more so with the rise of platforms and declining audiences.

Over the last decade, the various versions of "MasterChef" in Spain have experienced a notable decline in viewership, reflecting both the wear and tear of the format and changes in consumer behavior. While the eighth edition in 2020 garnered a 20% share and 2,658,000 viewers during its premiere, the 2024 edition reached record lows, falling short of a million viewers with 12.9%. The same thing happened with the "Celebrity" version, which debuted in 2016 to great success, achieving a 28.2% share and 3,499,000 viewers in its finale. Last year's ninth edition, however, closed with the lowest-rated finale, reaching only a 15.6% share and 960,000 viewers. It was the first season in which no program surpassed a million viewers.

Although music is one of the factors that doesn't guarantee, but does tend to positively affect, formats, some, like "The Voice" and its cover versions, have been affected. This international competition garnered 5,453,000 viewers in its first final, a 37.3% share in 2012, figures currently only matched by soccer. The last edition registered 1,244,000, a 15.3% share. Thus, some of the most expensive programs broadcast on television are losing impact after the format has been exploited.

While most are slowly losing viewers, there's one format that's still afloat with better figures than its premiere: 'Tu cara me suena' (Your Face Sounds Familiar). During its first season, it achieved an average share of 18.9%, while so far this season it's achieved 21.6%. Maybe it's the live music, the familiar faces, the fun of watching a celebrity imitate a movie or make a fool of themselves. It's the mystery of television: sometimes it predicts a program's failure with a recession, and other times it delivers surprises like this one.