During the next live show of the Spanish selection series Operación Triunfo, to be held on Monday 6 January, the professional jury will nominate four artists to leave the academy for the last time this season. On 27 January, the three finalists will be chosen through televoting.
As the big final of the first edition of Operación Triunfo was organised on 11 March 2002, the actual deadline the European Broadcasting Union sat for the national selections last year, it is expected that the Spanish televiewers will have at least one and a half months to decide which song to represent Spain in Riga, since the EBU deadline this year is on 20 March. Whether the same method as used last year, when each of the three finalists performed three songs, will be copied this season, is not yet known, but due to the disposal of a long period of time, the chances are high for the amount of entries to increase from the initial nine songs.
From 13 January onwards, the Spanish public will have the power to decide who will stay inside the academy and who will not. Instead of the jury nominating four artists, the televoters will be able to choose between all the remaining artists untill 27 January, when the viewers will choose their three favourites of the remaining six singers.
The three winners of the first edition were Rosa López, David Bisbal and David Bustamante. This year, Tony Santos (picture) has been appointed the favourite of the televiewers during the majority of the live shows. At the moment there are nine youngsters left in the academy.
