Television in Italy


Television in Italy was introduced in 1939, when the first experimental broadcasts began. However, this lasted for a very short time: when fascist Italy entered World War II in 1940 all transmissions were interrupted, and were resumed in earnest only nine years after the end of the conflict, on January 3, 1954.
There are two main national television organisations responsible for most viewing: state-owned RAI, accounting for 37% of the total viewing figures in May 2014, and Mediaset, a commercial network which holds about 33%. The third largest player, the Italian branch of Discovery Communications, had a viewing share of 5.8%. Apart from these three free to air companies, Comcast's satellite pay TV platform Sky Italia is increasing in viewing and shares.
According to the BBC, the Italian television industry is widely considered both inside and outside the country to be overtly politicized. Unlike the BBC which is controlled by an independent trust, the public broadcaster RAI is under direct control of the parliament. According to a December 2008 poll, only 24% of Italians trusted television news programmes, compared unfavourably to the British rate of 38%, making Italy one of only three examined countries where online sources are considered more reliable than television ones for information.
Terrestrial television has historically been the dominant form of transmission in the country.

Television providers

Digital terrestrial television

technology has expanded rapidly and now every major network in Italy transmits in DVB-T format, while analog broadcasts were continued until the end of the transition, originally set by law to December 31, 2006 but later pushed back to the end of 2012.
The Berlusconi II Cabinet started promoting the digital format in December 2003 by granting a public financial contribution for the purchase of a MHP digital television decoder. Starting from January 2005 Mediaset and Telecom Italia Media started offering pay TV services through a prepaid smartcard, including football games, movies and TV shows. In February 2006, during the 2006 Winter Olympics held in Turin, RAI experimentally broadcast a number of sport events using a 1080i signal and H264 coding. The HD signal has been transmitted over the Turin area, using DVB-T hierarchical modulation, and only specially crafted decoders have been able to receive this signal: they were placed in strategical points in the town.
During the UEFA Euro 2008 and the 2008 Summer Olympics, RAI started experimental high definition broadcasting on Rai Test HD, available only in Turin, Milan, Rome, Sardinia and Aosta Valley, continuing with the 2008 UCI Road World Championships and a few matches of the UEFA Champions League. In July 2008 the European Commission's directorate for competition expressed concerns on whether the actions taken by the current Italian government would be able to alter the current status of duopoly in the broadcasting market held by RAI and Mediaset. Beginning October 31, 2008, in the first region of Italy planned to interrupt analog transmission, Sardinia, television networks broadcast multiplexes only in digital format. Licence fee payers from the region were entitled to a 50 euros discount off the price of a digital television decoder or a new, digital-compatible TV set.

Satellite television

Italy has had digital satellite broadcasts since the 1990s, with the launch of Stream TV and TELE+. In 2003 these merged into Sky Italia, today this pay TV platform is broadcasting from Hot Bird satellites. HDTV regular services started in June 2006 under the name Sky HD, with the broadcasting of the 2006 FIFA World Cup in High Definition. Additional movie and sport channels are planned for the service. Tivù Sat, a Free Satellite Service similar to the UK version Freesat, was launched in June 2009, ensuring access to national television channels from digital terrestrial television networks. Shareholders include Mediaset, Telecom Italia Media and the State-owned company Rai.

Pay television

Current providers

Italy currently has the lowest percentage of transmissions from cable television of almost all of the world's developed countries.
In the 1960s the public television network RAI was a monopoly and the only network authorized to broadcast in Italy. Giuseppe Sacchi, a former RAI editor, launched on April 21, 1971 the first "free" television station, called Telebiella and based in Biella. It started to broadcast on April 6, 1972, devoted primarily to news and information. Immediately the government led by Giulio Andreotti forced Sacchi to dismantle Telebiella. Later a new law was issued to regulate and allow cable broadcasting, although with tight limitations: only one cable system for every city and only one TV channel for each system. Cable television remained undeveloped for many years, with the exception of a few amateur projects. In the 1990s, first Telecom Italia and then Fastweb created optical fiber networks and launched their IPTV offers. IPTV was the only service to offer video on demand up until 2009.

List of nationwide television stations

Most important all national free-to-view channels

All channels broadcast 24 hours, are in format and also FTA on digital satellite.
The channels from 10 to 19 are made available for Italian regional television.

'''RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana S.p.A.'''">RAI">'''RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana S.p.A.'''

Rai is Italy's national public broadcasting company, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Rai's broadcasts are also received in neighboring countries, including Albania, Croatia, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, San Marino, Slovenia, Vatican City, and southern Switzerland. It is one of the 23 founding broadcasting organizations of the European Broadcasting Union.
ChannelLCN on DVB-TLaunchedDescription
Rai 111954generalist
Rai 221961generalist
Rai 331979generalist
Rai 4212008generalist, TV series, movies and entertainment for young audience
Rai 5232010cultured-oriented entertainment, documentaries
Rai Movie241999movies
Rai Premium252010best RAI's past programs
Rai Gulp422007cartoons, TV series and entertainment programs for teens
Rai News 24481999all news
Rai Storia542009documentaries focused on history
Rai Sport + HD571999live sports and news
Rai Sport581999live sports and news
Rai Scuola1462009educational

Mediaset S.p.A.">Mediaset">Mediaset S.p.A.

Mediaset is the largest commercial broadcaster in the country. The group competes primarily against the public broadcaster and market leader RAI. Due to their proximity to Italy, Albania, Croatia, Switzerland, Malta, San Marino, the Vatican City and Slovenia also receive Mediaset broadcasts. In addition to its domestic television interests, Mediaset also operates a series of news, entertainment and sport websites; holds 50.1% of the Spanish broadcasting firm Mediaset España Comunicación; owns the film production company Medusa Film; and heads a consortium which owns the television production house Endemol.
ChannelLCN on DVB-TLaunchedDescription
Rete 441982generalist
Canale 551980generalist
Italia 161982generalist
20202018generalist, oriented to films, TV series and sport events
Iris222007TV series, movies and cultured-oriented programs
La5302010TV series, movies, entertainment, reality shows, female-oriented channel
Cine34342010past and current cult shows from Mediaset channels
Focus352018documentaries
Top Crime392013TV series and movies on the world of crime
TgCom24512011all news
Mediaset Extra552019past and current cult shows from Mediaset channels
Italia 2662011TV series, movies, entertainment, reality shows, male-oriented channel
Radio 105 TV1572019radio broadcast and news
R101 TV1672014radio broadcast and news
Virgin Radio TV2572018radio broadcast and news

Cairo Communication S.p.A.">Cairo Communication">Cairo Communication S.p.A.

ChannelLCN on DVB-TLaunchedDescription
La772001generalist
La7d292010women infotainment, TV series, movies, light entertainment, La7 reruns

Discovery Italia S.r.l.">Discovery Networks EMEA">Discovery Italia S.r.l.

Sky Italia S.r.l.">Sky Italia">Sky Italia S.r.l.

'''ViacomCBS Networks Italia S.r.l.">ViacomCBS Networks EMEAA">ViacomCBS Networks Italia S.r.l.'''

Boing S.p.A (50% Turner Broadcasting System Italia">Turner Broadcasting System">Turner Broadcasting System Italia, 50% [Mediaset])

Television Broadcasting System S.r.l.

Alma Media S.p.A.

GEDI Gruppo Editoriale S.p.A.">GEDI Gruppo Editoriale">GEDI Gruppo Editoriale S.p.A.

RTL 102,500 HIT RADIO S.r.l">RTL 102.5">RTL 102,500 HIT RADIO S.r.l

[Liberty Interactive]

GM Comunicazione S.r.l.

Other national channels

Network of local televisions

Foreign channels

The Auditel measures television ratings in Italy. The two most watched channels are still Rai 1 and Canale 5 which together share 33% of the audience. Following these in terms of ratings are Rai 3 and Rai 2 with 14% of total share and finally a third group of stations made up of Italia 1 and Rete 4 which together reach 12% of TV ratings. Apart from the seventh ex analogue television La7 with a market share of 4%. All the six RAI and Mediaset generalist channels had a slightly lower daily audience in 2013 compared with previous years, while Comcast's pay TV platform called Sky Italia, nationwide channel La7 owned by Cairo Communication and several new free-to-air digital stations are increasing in ratings day by day.
PositionChannelLaunch dateOwner2008200920102011201220132014201520162017
1Rai 11954RAI22.8622.9922.3321.8020.6319.8618.118.317.8417.43
2Canale 51980Mediaset21.8220.9620.6720.3320.5018.7817.015.914.9515.37
3Rai 31979RAI9.119.319.069.078.467.758.57.77.386.73
4Rai 21961RAI11.2911.2710.3810.608.909.028.37.66.776.62
5Italia 11982Mediaset11.4811.0911.1810.8310.689.228.36.186.545.97
6Rete 41982Mediaset8.638.228.688.287.476.796.75.425.034.89
7La72001Cairo Communication2.713.022.973.083.183.063.823.683.763.26
8Real Time2005Discovery Italia<0.90<0.90<0.90<0.90<0.90<0.901.091.41.531.52
9DMAX2011Discovery ItaliaN.E.N.E.N.E.N.E.N.E.N.E.<0.90<0.901.321.40
10Rai Yoyo2006RAIN.E.<0.90<0.90<0.90<0.90<0.90<0.90<0.901.341.38
11Iris2007MediasetN.E.N.E.<0.90<0.90<0.90<0.90<0.901.261.311.31
12Cielo2009Sky ItaliaN.E.N.E.N.E.N.E.<0.90<0.90<0.90<0.90<0.901.30
13Top Crime2013MediasetN.E.N.E.N.E.N.E.N.E.N.E.N.E.N.E.1.051.06
14Rai Premium2003RAI<0.90<0.90<0.90<0.90<0.90<0.90<0.901.251.141.06
15Rai Movie1999RAI<0.90<0.90<0.90<0.90<0.90<0.90<0.900.920.951.03
16Boing2004Mediaset
Turner Broadcasting System		<0.90<0.90<0.90<0.90<0.90<0.901.050.99<0.900.99
17Rai 42008RAIN.E.N.E.N.E.<0.90<0.90<0.900.981.10.960.92