The year’s most talked-about documentary is revealed, boasting a surprisingly high budget and never-before-seen scenes—what truly drives the national broadcaster’s massive investment?
The Spanish national broadcaster (RTVE) allocated a budget of €168,922 for the new documentary “Melodiva,” which documented the journey of Melody, Spain’s Eurovision 2025 representative. The film followed the singer from her victory at the Spanish “Benidorm Fest” to her performance at Eurovision in Basel. This project underscored the broadcaster’s extensive coverage of Eurovision.
On May 16, 2025, the documentary “Melodiva” aired on Spain’s “La 1” channel. With around 785,000 viewers and a 7.1% rating during prime time, the production company’s investment yielded a professional documentation of Melody’s journey, featuring exclusive footage, interviews, and comprehensive coverage from the pre-selection to the grand stage in Basel.
At the same time, the special program “Divas Calling” was produced for the national broadcaster at a separate cost of €59,276. This show included comedy sketches and interviews with personalities connected to the contest, broadcast from the studio in Seville.
What are the implications? The substantial expense for coverage highlights a growing trend of deeper Eurovision content investment by RTVE, as part of a strategy to strengthen Spain’s national brand in Europe. Although the broadcast figures did not meet all the desired viewer targets, the combination of commercial documentary format and OTT digital platforms to attract younger audiences signals a shift in approach. Beyond art and culture, these efforts represent a marketing investment that galvanizes fan communities, delivers content globalization, and creates economic and digital value.
As a “Big Five” nation, Spain qualified directly for the Eurovision final, held in Basel in May. The production of both “Melodiva” and “Divas Calling” is part of a broader initiative to embed Eurovision into Spanish public consciousness, with remarkable results: ratings peaked at over 5.8million viewers, reaching 6.3million during the voting phase.
As a reporter for Euromix who has attended multiple Benidorm Fest events in recent years, the strategic shift is clear: from one-off Eurovision “hype” to documentary filmmaking and integrating Eurovision into mainstream culture. This enables a deeper public understanding of the contest, crafts a personal narrative for the participant, and links their individual journey to national artistry and branding.
The promising investment that brought us “Melodiva,” along with the digital format “Divas Calling,” reflects a new model blending traditional and digital media, emphasizing in-depth content, cultural context, and youth engagement. Such a move points to a clear strategy of making Eurovision a broad cultural brand—especially in Eurovision powerhouses like Spain.
Spain in Eurovision 2025
“Esa Diva” (in English: “That Diva”) is the title of the song performed by singer Melody, who represented Spain at Eurovision 2025 in Basel, Switzerland.
Spain finished 24th with 37 points – 27 points from the juries (21st place) and only 10 (22nd place) from the televotes. In the last 20 years, Spain managed to finish only 3 times in the top 10 – in 2012, 2014 and 2022.
Eurovision 2025: This was Spain’s 65th participation in Eurovision. Spain joined the competition in 1961 and won it twice consecutively in 1968 and 1969. Spain has hosted the contest on its territory only once in 1969 and since then holds the longest waiting time since its last victory – 56 years.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +972-50-9441919
Aviad Berger – Israeli editor, reporter, and content creator specializing in the Eurovision Song Contest. He has been working with the EuroMix editorial team for about a year and a half. Since 2024, he has provided continuous Eurovision coverage from the host city, delivering live updates, exclusive interviews, and in-depth commentary.
Aviad is also a video editor and filmmaker active in the Israeli media industry.
