Rai Cultura has announced that 1.6 million spectators watched the opening of “La Forza del Destino.”

The audience was 10.2 percent of the shares on Dec. 7, 2024.

In a statement Rai CEO Giampaolo Rossi said, “The success of “La Forza del Destino” which was staged last night for the premiere at La Scala – with over 1 million 600 thousand spectators and a 10.2 share – is a confirmation of what our public service can masterfully do, a unique machine that manages, through the professionalism and experience of the Rai team, to guarantee such a long and complex live broadcast, allowing everyone to take part in a global event of such symbolic and cultural significance. For this reason, my thanks go to the Rai women and men involved, and of course to Milly Carlucci and Bruno Vespa, who accompanied the public to discover Verdi’s opera.”

The number for this season’s opening night was slightly higher than last season, which saw 1.4 spectators watch “Don Carlo.” The 2019-20’s “Tosca” broadcast broke records which was viewed by 2.8 million on Rai 1, the most viewers for an opera in the history of the broadcaster.

“La Forza del Destino” opened the Teatro alla Scala’s 2024-25 season and saw a 12-minute ovation.