Sanremo's second night, an immense Achille Lauro isn't enough

The bar isn't raised, ratings remain low, consistent with previous performances. The 15 big names and the newcomers created an at times boring evening. Not even the impeccable presence of co-host Achille Lauro and his songs, including a duet with Laura Pausini, boosted the audience. According to the Total Audience released by Auditel, 9,530,000 viewers watched the second evening of the 76th Italian Song Festival, with a 59.5% share. The first part, from 9:46 PM to 11:35 PM, was watched by 11,530,000 viewers, with a 58.2% share. The second, from 11:30 pm to 1:10 am, had 5 million 947 thousand viewers with a 62.7% share. The peak audience was at 9:57 pm with 13 million 706 thousand viewers, and the share peaked at 12:48 am with a 66.1% share.

This evening, Thursday, February 26, we'll have supermodel Irina Shayk and comedian Ubaldo Pantani co-hosting the evening. The remaining 15 competing artists will perform on the Ariston Theatre stage, along with the final of the "Newcomers" category, with finalists Niccolò Filippucci and Angelica Bove vying for the title, as voted by televoting, the Press Room Jury, and radio stations. Guests expected include two big names in music, Eros Ramazzotti and Alicia Keys, while Max Pezzali will perform live from the ship docked in Sanremo, and The Kolors will perform live in Piazza Colombo.

Tonight's ranking will be decided by the Radio Jury and the audience at home, who can vote by phone or text message. The show will air on Rai 1 at 20:40 PM, with streaming available on RaiPlay.