Sanremo 2026 is about to begin. From Tuesday 24th to Saturday 28th February, millions of Italians will be glued to their TVs to watch the 76th edition of the Festival hosted by Carlo Conti, along with Laura Pausini. Thirty big names are competing, plus four newcomers, but above all, there are some notable musical guests and super guests, from Tiziano Ferro to Eros Ramazzotti, and Andrea Bocelli.
Sanremo 2026: How Much Is the Festival Worth?
But Sanremo isn't just a musical spectacle; it's also an event that significantly impacts RAI's budget. In the past, this impact was severely negative, with the Festival consistently losing money and severely impacting the public broadcaster's finances. In recent years, the tide has turned. The Festival has become a money-making machine which this year will have a economic impact record-breaking: second Ey's estimates, let's talk about ben 252,1 million euro, seven million more than the 245 million of 2025, almost fifty more than the 205 million of 2024, with a added value comparable to the GDP of approximately 96 million and over 1300 jobs activated.
Where did this $252 million come from? From the sum of three components: 102 million euros of direct economic impact, on the value of production; 110 million euros of indirect economic impact and almost 40 million euros of induced economic benefits.
"Our analysis shows that the Sanremo Festival remains a key driver of regional economic growth, with significant benefits for the country, including in terms of its image. Compared to last year, the event's value is slightly higher, reaching €252 million, in line with the increase in advertising revenue, confirming the importance of investment in the music industry and artistic events of this scale," explains Mario Rocco, Head of Valuation, Modeling & Economics at EY.
Sanremo 2026: How much does it cost and how much does RAI earn?
Let's start from the largest voice: the advertising and sponsorship expenses. Those made publicly available, Ey calculates, have a overall economic impact of approximately 176 million, with an added value of over 65 million and the creation of more than 800 jobs, the consultancy firm further explains.
The activity of the spectators and professionals present in Sanremo, instead, contributes with a production value of 28 million and an added value of approximately 12 million, activating 225 jobs.
Third item to consider is the organizational expenses: the value of production in 2026 is estimated at around 48 million euros, while RAI's direct expenses amount to 20 million of euros, stable compared to previous years. How much is the revenue? Between advertising and sponsors this year we have reached 70 million euro, three million more than the 67 in 2025, almost double the 37-38 million in 2020. And again: much more than 2021 (40 million), 2022 (42 million), and 2023 (50 million).
Sanremo 2026: How much do Carlo Conti and Laura Pausini earn? Here are the salaries of the hosts, co-hosts, and guests.
Before talking about money, a premise is necessary. Rai does not reveal official salaries, So these are estimates and rumors. That said, let's start from Carlo Conti, who is not only the host, but also the artistic director of Sanremo 2026. His salary should be around 500 to 600 thousand euros, a figure that however does not only include the five evenings of broadcast of the festival, but also all the work carried out in the previous months.
Co-hosting the festival for all five evenings is Laura Pausini, but for now, his fee remains top secret. It should certainly be equal to or higher than that of the super guests who will be appearing on the Ariston stage: Tiziano Ferro, Eros Ramazzotti and Alicia Keys, Andrea Bocelli they could earn up to 100 thousand euros.
And the co-hostsCan Yaman, Achille Lauro, Pilar Fogliati, the comedian Lillo, the supermodel Irina Shayk, Nino Frassica could receive salaries between 20 and 60 thousand euros.
How much do the singers competing at Sanremo earn?
In this case it is not appropriate to talk about compensation, but it is more correct to define them as "expense reimbursements". The contribution that RAI pays to the record companies for each singer who goes on stage amounts to 75 thousand euros, 13 thousand euros more compared to last year "in the face of a cost of the missions that can vary from 120 thousand to 150 thousand euros net of record investments", he specifies The sun 24 hours. If there is a band on stage, the basic contribution is added 3 thousand euros for each member of the group. In addition, further measures are planned 4 thousand euros for the guest of the cover evening which rises to 8 thousand euros if it is an international group or artist. Finally the new proposals: in this case the reimbursement of expenses is much lower, approximately 25mila euros, with an additional 3 euros for each additional member in the case of groups.
How much do tickets cost to see Sanremo 2026 at the Ariston?
“For this year's edition – explains Mario Rocco of Ey – we estimate a percentage of places occupied by spectators equal to 90% of the total over the five evenings and the daily expenditure of a single spectator is approximately 500 euros, taking into account, among other things, the costs related to transport, accommodation, catering and various expenses".
In numbers, a ticket To watch the festival from the stalls of the Ariston on the first four evenings (Tuesday through Friday) it costs €240, while in the gallery it drops to €132. The difference is obviously related to the view and proximity to the stage. The price doubles for the final evening on Saturday: €875 for the stalls and €430 for the gallery. Compared to previous editions, the average price has increased by 20%. There are also subscriptions: 1.835 euros for the five evenings in the stalls, 959 for the gallery.
How much does advertising cost during the festival?
Sanremo is the most watched non-sporting event of the year, which means that advertising during the festival costs a lot. And this year rates are up 8% compared to last year. In numbers, a second of prime time advertising in 2026 could cost around 4.900 €, but the cost varies based on the format, time, and type of ad. For example, a 60-second telepromotion airing around 11:15 PM on both Rai1 and RaiPremium costs over €2 million, while a standard prime-time ad costs around €150,000.
