Fourth Millennium: why it continues to sweep audiences 20 years later with Iker Jiménez and Carmen Porter

Few formats in Spanish can boast 21 seasons, the same network, the same hosts and an audience that does not decline. Cuarto Milenio, the «Ship of Mystery» of Cuatro, demonstrated it again on Sunday, June 7, 2026: according to Dos30TV, the prime of the night reached 6.7% share, 668,000 viewers and 3,120,000 unique viewers, with a growth in commercial value of 7.4%. Directed and presented by Iker Jiménez, with Carmen Porter by her side, the program continues to be one of the most unique phenomena on Spanish-language television—recognized inside and outside of Spain—and one of the few weekly spaces in the Hispanic world that combines mystery, science, current events and philosophical reflection live.

The figures: a prime time that does not give up

The specialized account @Dos30TV published on Monday, June 8, the data from the previous Sunday: Cuarto Milenio was “good again” in the Cuatro prime with 6.7 % share, 668,000 average viewers and 3.12 million accumulated unique viewers. In addition, the program contributed +4.9% of capital gains to the channel that day and raised its commercial value to 7.4%—figures that confirm that it not only retains its loyal audience, but also drags its audience to the rest of the Sunday schedule.

Context matters: season 20 closed with an average of 719,000 viewers and 6.9% share, surpassing its closest competitor by 1.6 points, according to Mediaset. The premiere of T21 on September 7, 2025 registered 7.8% and 625,000 viewers (ElDiario.es / Vertele). Maintaining these figures in June 2026—months later, with competition from reality shows and soccer—explains why Cuatro continues to bet on the format despite specific changes on the schedule (such as the exceptional replacement of June 14 by a Horizonte special on Donald Trump, according to El Periódico Mediterráneo).

A childhood idea that became a vocation

The origin of Cuarto Milenio was not born in a Mediaset office, but in the childhood curiosity of Iker Jiménez. According to his biography in Wikipedia, his interest in "the paranormal" began after reading a book about UFOs in his uncle's library, coinciding with news of sightings in Álava in 1984. 10 years he discovered The great book of UFOs by Pierre Delval; In a later reflection on the program, he said that a story starring a child of the same age marked him: "I would not have dedicated myself to this nor would I be sitting here today," he explained in Brand, alluding to the “butterfly effect” of small vital signs.

At the age of 17 he already presented The Other Dimension on Radio Alameda. In 2002 he created Milenio 3 on Cadena SER – the radio germ of the Milenio universe – and on November 16, 2005 he premiered Cuarto Milenio on the newly born channel Cuatro, along with Carmen Porter. Twenty years later, Iker summarizes the miracle on the official website: «It is a miracle that the program is still alive after 20 seasons of uninterrupted broadcast, on the same network and with the same presenter» (ikerjimenez.com).

These closing reflections—philosophical, personal, sometimes spiritual—are part of the format's DNA and explain part of the audience's loyalty. It is not just a magazine about strange phenomena: every Sunday, Iker turns mystery into a pretext to talk about the human condition, curiosity and the sense of the inexplicable. The clip «The light of the authentic enigma», shared by @navedelmisterio, is a recent example of this weekly ritual.

Carmen Porter: beyond the co-presenter

Carmen Porter—graduate in Information Sciences, deputy director of the program and co-presenter from day one—is not an ornament on screen. She manages the editorial part, conducts interviews and field reports (such as the trip to Hiroshima or the coverage of the tsunami warning in Japan in 2025) and maintains a constant presence on networks, although her account @carmenporter_ is protected. The professional and personal couple of Iker and Carmen define the tone of the space: journalistic rigor mixed with complicity and contained humor.

In the FormulaTV file, Cuarto Milenio appears as Cuatro's longest program, with 18 special editions and spin-offs such as Cuarto Milenio Zoom and the live show Horizon —the latter born during the pandemic and today reserved for the most urgent news, from the Valencian DANA to geopolitical specials.

Why does it work? Beyond the news

The audience success is not explained only by the paranormal morbidity. Cuarto Milenio has evolved from the first, more modest sets — described by 20minutes— towards a unique hybrid:

• Mystery and science: ufology, archaeology, parapsychology, religion and historical enigmas with academic and testimonial voices.
• Breaking news: catastrophes, train accidents, international arrests or viral phenomena analyzed on the same Sunday - such as the "seal shark" of Luarca or the arrest of Nicolás Maduro in recent episodes of T21 (Mediaset Infinity).
• Prestige guests: over the seasons, figures such as Colonel Pedro Baños, psychologist Stan Katz, international researchers and experts in geopolitics, criminology or physics have visited the set.
• In-depth reports: monographs such as “The syndrome” (rapeseed oil), Chernobyl or, in T21, Hiroshima with exclusive material.
• Social aid: emergency coverage—floods, fires, tragedies—with an informative tone and link with Horizonte when current events demand it.

Iker summed it up in the 2005 premiere, quoted by 20minutes: "If you are a curious soul, if you believe that there is much left to discover, if you are capable of feeling the fascination of the unknown, I am convinced that this is the program for you." Twenty years later, the formula is still valid because the Spanish public—and increasingly the international one, via Art and Latin American platforms—continues to look for a space where the unusual coexists with the immediate.

A unique case on Spanish television

Comparing Fourth Millennium with other formats helps to understand the magnitude of the milestone. In Spain, few weekly prime time spots exceed two decades with the same host on the same network. Iker cites Informe Semanal as a historical reference, but highlights the rarity of an entertainment-mystery magazine with such longevity. It is, in his words, "the Formula 1 of Spanish prime time" - on Sunday night where Cuatro competes face to face with reality shows, movies and sports.

T21 arrived loaded with new features—sections on nocturnal beings, cemeteries, human experiments—and with the ambition of dealing with global issues without losing the “Ship of Mystery” tone. It turns exactly 20 years since the first program in November 2025; Season 21 is, according to Iker, "as if we took away the two, as if it were season 1": starting again with enthusiasm.

In summary

Why is it sweeping the audience? Because it combines mystery, urgent news, important guests and personal reflections by Iker Jiménez in a Sunday ritual schedule. How long does it last? Since 2005; season 21 ongoing. Who leads it? Iker Jiménez (director and presenter) and Carmen Porter (deputy director and co-presenter). Latest figures? 6.7%, 668,000 viewers and 3.12 M uniques on June 7, 2026. Where to watch it? Sundays on Cuatro and on demand on Mediaset Infinity. Official accounts: @CuartoMileniotv, @navedelmisterio and @carmenporter_.