«Habemus Papam», Leo XIV and the last lay mass of generalist television

At 7:30 p.m. on May 8, when Cardinal Protodeacon Dominique Mamberti pronounced the ritual “Habemus Papam,” Italy gathered once again in front of a screen. It did so in silence, as one does with gestures that are known by heart. What happened was something that seems to happen rarely, but does happen: television returned to being a shared space, a place of collective presence. And all this in an era often labeled as post-television.

According to Auditel data processed by Studio Frasi, 20.8 million people were tuned into the main television networks to watch the live announcement of the new pontiff: Leo XIV. A figure that defies the times, that belies the narrative - for many observers too hasty - of the irreversible decline of generalist TV. In reality, what is disappearing is not the medium, but the daily use that is made of it. And when the event requires it (it also happens with sporting events, or major national or international news events) television returns to being our agora.

Between the white smoke (18:08) and the end of the live broadcasts (20:00), the overall average audience was 16.5 million. Rai 1 led with 7.8 million, almost tripling Canale 5, which stopped at 2.7. Following, SkyTg24 was the most watched all-news channel with 971 thousand viewers, while Tv2000 – the network of the Episcopal Conference – exceeded half a million, doing better than Rai 2. These are numbers that tell us something more than just tastes: they speak of trust, symbolic proximity, recognition.

"In this context - comments Francesco Siliato, media analyst at Studio Frasi - the most interesting fact is the symbolic role that Rai 1 continues to play: it remains the channel of officialdom, of the institution, of legitimacy. When an event occurs that calls the country to collective attention, that's where we return". In the ten minutes in which the new Pope spoke, between 7:30 and 7:40 p.m., Rai 1 gathered over 9 million viewers per minute. A quantitative record, but above all a symbolic one. In short, Rai's first network confirms itself as the channel of institutional legitimacy, the place where the country meets when it needs to recognize itself. It is a conditioned reflex, but also a cultural habit even before being a media choice.

The special editions of the news confirm this structure. Again according to the elaborations of Studio Frasi on Auditel data, Tg1, with 7.6 million, leads the extraordinary editions. Tg5 follows with 2.6 million. Then TgLa7 (1.2), Tg3 (950 thousand), Tg4 (619 thousand), Studio Aperto (507 thousand), Tg2 (493 thousand). But it is in the post-event dynamics that a significant detail can be seen: Tg1 drops, Tg5 gains. Once the ceremony is over, the viewer returns to being an individual, no longer a crowd.