A court ruling in Italy obligates the city of Sanremo to launch a public tender for the production of the iconic festival in the coming years. What this means for RAI and Eurovision?
A seismic shift has occurred at the Sanremo Music Festival: Italy’s top administrative court has annulled the direct assignment of production rights to RAI, the national broadcaster, for the years 2026–2028. The court has ordered the city of Sanremo to initiate a public bidding process. The decision, handed down on May 29, 2025, reshapes one of Italy’s most revered cultural institutions and sets a powerful legal precedent for national events and broadcasting rights — with potential consequences for Italy’s future participation in the Eurovision Song Contest.
The Legal Battle That Changed Everything
The definitive ruling by the Consiglio di Stato (Council of State) rejected all appeals from RAI, its advertising subsidiary, and the City of Sanremo, upholding a prior decision by the TAR Liguria (Regional Administrative Tribunal of Liguria). That earlier ruling, issued in December, found the city’s direct deal with the national broadcaster to be a violation of Italy’s transparency and competition laws.
For months, RAI attempted to argue that the “Sanremo Festival” brand was, in effect, its own property. The court disagreed. For the first time in the festival’s history, it was determined that broadcast rights are not an exclusive asset of RAI, but must be subject to public procurement laws.
Economic, Political, and Cultural Fallout
The ruling opens up the market: a media juggernaut like Sanremo — cherished in Italy and beloved among Eurovision fans worldwide — is now up for grabs. As of the deadline of May 19, RAI remains the sole bidder, but a mandatory negotiation phase is now underway.
Even if RAI retains the broadcast role, it will no longer dictate the terms unilaterally. The city has already issued strict conditions: a minimum annual fee of €6.5 million, plus a share of commercial revenues derived from the “Sanremo” brand. These demands are likely to fuel a fierce business negotiation over broadcast rights, branding, and profit-sharing.
Beyond the financial implications, there’s a looming cultural question. RAI has hinted that if it loses the bid, it may launch a competing music festival in another Italian city — a move that could fracture Italy’s cultural landscape. On the other hand, some see this as an opportunity: a chance for new players, innovative formats, and perhaps even a renewed synergy between Sanremo and Eurovision — a relationship that has cooled in recent years.
It All Started With One Production Company
The legal saga was sparked by a relatively small production company named “JE”, not even a direct competitor to RAI. JE submitted a formal expression of interest to the City of Sanremo, requesting rights to commercially exploit the festival. When the city declined and renewed its deal with RAI, JE took the matter to court — and history was made.
For years, critics in Italy argued that the national broadcaster was effectively monopolizing the festival without sufficient oversight. Only now, with this latest ruling and the rejection of RAI’s final appeal, has that argument translated into enforceable law. It’s a rare and significant verdict, delivering a clear message to both the cultural and broadcasting sectors: transparency, competition, and equal access are mandatory — even for national icons.
On-the-Ground Reactions – and the Fan Community
Within the EuroMix community, one of the leading Eurovision news platform in the world, the ruling made waves. In conversations with fans across Europe, opinions varied: some feared the loss of Sanremo’s historic continuity, while others applauded the city’s newfound accountability. “Finally, the city must prioritize the public interest over RAI’s convenience,” one fan commented.
From years of covering Sanremo — whether on-site, in interviews with performers, or in comparing its format to Eurovision models — it’s clear that RAI’s production has long been both a stabilizing force and a limiting one. This ruling represents a moment of potential, but also of risk: Sanremo could evolve — or fragment.
Expert Analysis: What This Means for the European Media Market
From a competitive standpoint, this is nothing short of an earthquake. Most European countries are not yet bound by public tender laws for their national music competitions. This ruling could inspire similar scrutiny elsewhere. Will Spain, France, or Greece follow suit?
For now, RAI is expected to retain the broadcast rights for 2026–2028 — but under far stricter conditions. For viewers, the change may be subtle. But in terms of leverage and transparency, it’s monumental. Consider this: the Sanremo Festival generates over €65 million in annual advertising revenue — a figure that helps explain why this legal battle was fought so fiercely.
Italy at Eurovision 2025
“Volevo essere un duro” (translated as: “I Wanted to Be Tough”) is the song performed by singer Lucio Corsi, which came second at the 75th edition of the Sanremo Festival. The song was written by the singer himself along with Tommaso Ottomano. This was the singer’s first-ever appearance at the festival. The song is performed in Italian. The song finished fifth in the grand final with 256 points.
Italy returns to the Eurovision Grand Final Top 5 after last year achieving “only” seventh place.
Eurovision 2025: This was Italy’s 50th participation in Eurovision. Italy joined the contest in 1956, was one of the seven founding countries, and has won three times over the years. Italy’s most recent victory was at Eurovision 2021 with the song “Zitti e buoni” performed by the band Måneskin.
