Stefano De Martino, the host of the Italian game show Affari Tuoi, has spoken of the pressure he felt taking over the program from Amadeus, admitting he initially feared he would be unable to put his own stamp on the popular format. De Martino’s comments came as he reflected on the demanding schedule and unexpected success he experienced after assuming the role.
“Last summer when they offered me to host Affari Tuoi and I accepted, I had this ambition but didn’t know how it would go, especially taking the place of Amadeus,” De Martino said. “Many people told me it wouldn’t be easy. The emotional weight was heavy, I was very afraid of not being able to do it my way and having to simply follow the format of the program, but gradually I found a way to do Affari Tuoi my way. And it went very well. In my case, expectations were so low that it didn’t take much to do better.”
De Martino’s arrival on Affari Tuoi followed Amadeus’s departure from Rai, the Italian public broadcaster, and his subsequent move to Nove, a channel owned by Discovery. Amadeus hosted his final episode of Affari Tuoi on Rai1 in June 2024, attracting an audience of 4,579,000 viewers – a 25.3% share, before moving to Nove. His exit followed a period of negotiation with Rai, which reportedly did not seek to extend his contract.
The transition was strategically timed by Rai, according to reports from May 2025, as a counter-programming move against Amadeus’s new game show, The Cage – Prendi e Scappa, on Nove. Rai extended Affari Tuoi into the summer months, breaking with the tradition of reruns, in an effort to undermine the launch of Amadeus’s new program. This move was described as a “war” between Rai and Nove, with De Martino positioned as a key figure in the broadcaster’s strategy.
De Martino acknowledged the demanding pace of the show, stating, “Seeing what I’ve done, I understand this tiredness I carry around. It might be the change of season, but no, we started early and did a lot.” He too recalled expressing his gratitude to the staff he worked with during his time on the program, sharing videos on Instagram after the final recordings.
Amadeus himself expressed disappointment following his departure from Rai, noting a lack of recognition from the broadcaster’s leadership. He cited the absence of any Rai executives at a final celebratory toast as particularly disheartening for the production team.
