Raitalia

Infobox TV channel
name = Raitalia
logofile = Raiitalia.pnglogosize =
launch = 1995
owner = RAI
("though intended for external consumption")
sister names = Rai Uno, Rai Due, Rai Tre
web = [http://www.international.rai.it www.international.rai.it]
country = Italy
broadcast area = Europe
North America
South America
Africa
Australia
network_type = Cable and Satellite television network
sat serv 1 = Dish Network (United States)
sat chan 1 = Channel 601
sat serv 2 = Bell TV (Canada)
sat chan 2 = Channel 701
sat serv 3 = SelecTV (Australia)
sat chan 3 = Channel 26
sat serv 4 = DStv (South Africa)
sat chan 4 = Channel 430
cable serv 1 = Rogers Cable (Canada)
cable chan 1 = Channel 610
cable serv 2 = Global Destiny Cable (Philippines)
cable chan 2 = Channel 52

Raitalia is the international television service of RAI, Italy's public national broadcaster. Rai Italia operates a television network that broadcasts around the world via 3 localized feeds. Programming features a mix of news, discussion-based programmes, drama and documentaries as well as sports coverage including 4 live games per week from Italy's top football league the Serie A.

Audience

Raitalia is targeted at Italian expatriates who live abroad, foreign citizens of Italian descent, and non-Italians interested in Italian language and culture; as such the network features a mix of the best programming from Rai as well as original programmes created especially for this channel.

Since its inception in 1995, Raitalia has worked under an agreement with the Italian government in order to develop the presence of public service in international radio and television broadcasting. Rai Italia also strives to meet the demands for information and services from Italian communities abroad.

Raitalia broadcasts three television channels, via satellite, which vary according to the different geographical targets. Raitalia has organized the satellite service into 3 zones with each have a different localized schedule:

In Europe Raitalia timeshares with Rai Med (Arabic language entertainment) and also shares a cable TV channel with TV Guide Channel in the Boston, MA area on Comcast.

Controversy in Canada

In Canada, Rai Italia's programming was originally seen on Telelatino a Canadian licensed channel launched in 1984 and currently majority owned by Corustogether with three prominent Italian-Canadians. Telelatino ( or "TLN") was launched over a decade before a RAI international tv channel ever existed. TLN had provided a level of availability and variety of Italian domestic and foreign programming to Canadians that was unsurpassed anywhere outside Italy.

to gain influence over Canadian Italian-language media.

Originally, the CRTC denied RAI's application, on the grounds that RAI had improperly denied supply of programming to TLN's Canadian viewers and that RAI's attempt to enter Canada on an unrestricted basis without any Canadian programming and financial obligations would be unfair competition. However, some Italian-Canadians could watch Raitalia through grey-market satellite TV viewing cards that allowed them to watch US satellite television. Eventually, in 2005, the CRTC allowed Raitalia to broadcast in Canada after a review of its policy on third-language foreign language TV services.

As a result of this initiative, RAI programming which had previously been popularized in Canada over 20 years by TLN which broadcast RAI programs nightly in prime time in over 3 million Canadian homes, is now broadcast in only a tiny fraction of those homes.

ee also

*RAI, the Italy's publicly-funded national broadcaster
*Rai Satelradio Italy's international radio service

Notes and references

External links

* [http://www.international.rai.it www.international.rai.it] Official Site it icon en icon es icon