.svg) Logo used since 2016 | |
 RAI headquarters in Rome | |
| Company type | Società per azioni (S.p.A.), state-owned |
|---|---|
| Industry | Mass media |
| Founded |
|
| Founder | Government of Italy |
| Headquarters | 14Viale Giuseppe Mazzini Rome, Italy |
Area served | Italy and other neighbouring countries in the European Union,Tunisia, Switzerland,Albania,Bosnia,Monaco,Montenegro,San Marino, andVatican City |
Key people |
|
| Products | |
| Services |
|
| Revenue |  €2.52 billion (2021)[1] |
| €30.44 million (2021)[2] | |
| Owner | Ministry of Economy and Finance |
Number of employees | 12,605 (2023)[2] |
| Subsidiaries |
|
| Website | |
RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana[3] (Italian:[ˈraiˌradjoteleviˈzjoːneitaˈljaːna]), commercially styled asRai since 2000 and known until 1954 asRadio Audizioni Italiane (RAI),[a] is the nationalpublic broadcasting company of Italy, owned by theMinistry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates manyterrestrial andsubscription television channels andradio stations. It is one of the biggest broadcasters in Europe, and the biggest in Italy competing withMediaset[5] and other minor radio and television networks. RAI has a relatively high television audience share of 35.9%.[6]
RAI broadcasts are also received in surrounding countries, includingAlbania,Bosnia,Croatia,France,Malta,Monaco,Montenegro,San Marino,Slovenia,Switzerland,Serbia,Tunisia, and theVatican City, and elsewhere onpay television and some channels FTA across Europe including UK on the Hotbird satellite. Half of RAI's revenues come from thebroadcast receiving licence fees, the remainder from the sale of advertising time.[7][8] In 1950, RAI became one of the 23 founding members of theEuropean Broadcasting Union.
RAI is 99% owned by theItalian Government Ministry of Economy and Finance and is the sole licensee (concessionaria in esclusiva) of the radio, television, and multimedia broadcasting public service. For this reason, the agreement with the Government prescribes a series of rules and guarantees that RAI must follow to ensure fair public service to the citizens.[9]
Management and Board of Directors are elected by the ruling Parliament through the Parliamentary Commission for the General Direction and Supervision of Broadcasting Services (Commissione parlamentare per l'indirizzo generale e la vigilanza dei servizi radiotelevisivi), every three years, in agreement with almost all parliamentary exponents, usually following the political side of the majority and leaving some space for minor roles to minority parties exponents.[10][11]
RAI is formally a privatejoint-stock company (società per azioni), although all stocks are state-owned; its company statute describes how the strict relationship with the Republic is also ruled by different national laws. The most recent one is the 2015Riforma della Rai, "Rai Reform", i.e. the 2015 law no. 220, including theTesto unico della Radiotelevisione ('Consolidated Law on Radio and Television'). RAI and broadcasting are supervised by the commission, which also rules economic budgets and main regulations, including public service's electoral segments during electoral campaigns.
Unione Radiofonica Italiana (URI) was formed in 1924 with the backing of theMarconi Company following a model adopted in other European countries. URI made its inaugural broadcast—a speech byBenito Mussolini (1883–1945) atTeatro Costanzi—on 5 October. Regular programming began the following evening, with a quartet performingHaydn's Quartet No. 7 in A major from Palazzo Corradi. At 21.00CET, Ines Donarelli Viviani announced for the first time: "URI—Unione Radiofonica Italiana Rome station 1RO 425 metreswavelength. To all those who are listening our greetings, good evening."[12]Guglielmo Marconi'sS.A. Radiofono—Società Italiana per le Radiocomunicazioni Circolari (Radiofono) held 85% of URI shares andWestern Electric'sSocietà Italiana Radio Audizioni Circolari (SIRAC) held the remaining 15%.
Under the provisions of Royal Decree No. 1067 of 8 February 1923, wireless broadcasting became a state monopoly under the control of the Ministry of Posts and Telegraphs; URI was commissioned to provide services for a minimum of six years pursuant to Royal Decree No. 2191 of 14 October 1924Concessione dei servizi radioauditivi circolari alla Società Anonima Unione Radiofonica Italiana.[13] When URI's contract expired in 1927, it was succeeded under Royal Decree Law No. 2207 of 17 November 1927 by the partially nationalisedEnte Italiano per le Audizioni Radiofoniche (EIAR), which becameRadio Audizioni Italiane S.p.A. (RAI) with investment fromSocietà Idroelettrica Piemontese (SIP) in 1944.
During the reconstruction followingWorld War II, much of RAI's early programming was influenced by the "Reithian" style of theBBC. The emphasis was on educational content. Programs such asNon è mai troppo tardi andUn viaggio al Po introduced people to what life was like in other parts of the country, at a time when most people could not afford to travel.
Over the following years, RAI made various changes to its services. It reorganised its radio stations in November 1946 into two national networks,Rete Rossa andRete Azzurra ('Red Network' and 'Blue Network'). It added the culture-basedTerzo Programma in October 1950. On 1 January 1952, theRete Rossa became theProgramma Nazionale (focusing on informational content) and theRete Azzurra became theSecondo Programma (with a greater emphasis on entertainment). The three radio channels eventually became today'sRai Radio 1,Rai Radio 2, andRai Radio 3.
In 1954, the state-owned holding companyIstituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale (IRI) became the sole shareholder and URI—now renamedRAI – Radiotelevisione italiana to reflect its extended responsibilities—finally began a regular television service. On 3 January at 11:00 CET, the first RAI television announcer presented the day's schedule, which was broadcast from the service'sMilan headquarters and relay stations inTurin andRome. At 14:30, the first regular programme in Italian television history was broadcast:Arrivi e partenze, hosted by Armando Pizzo andMike Bongiorno. The evening's entertainment was a theatre performance,L'osteria della posta, written byCarlo Goldoni. 23:15 saw the start of the day's concluding programme,La Domenica Sportiva—the first edition of a weekly series which continues to this day.[14]
RAI was originally the subsidiary of RAI Holding S.p.A. RAI Holding was absorbed into RAI as of 1 December 2004, per Article 21 of Law 112/04. RAI is governed by a nine-member Administrative Council. Seven of the members are elected by a committee of theItalian Parliament. The other two (one of which is the president) are nominated by the largest shareholder: the Ministry of Economic Development. The Council appoints the Director-General. The Director-General and the members of the Administrative Council are appointed for a renewable three-year term.
In 2005, the government ofSilvio Berlusconi proposed partialprivatisation of RAI by selling 20% of its ownership. This proposal was very controversial, in part because Berlusconi was the head of the leading private broadcasterMediaset. Some critics stated that Mediaset could become the buyer and thus increase its dominant position. After the revelation that RAI would lose €80m ($96m, £54m) in 2006, the privatisation plan was suspended in October 2005.[15][16]
On 18 May 2010, Raisat received a major upgrade and re-branded with a new logo and a new name. It and all of the sister channels dropped thesat part from the name and becameRai YoYo,Rai 5 (formerly known asRai Extra),Rai Premium, andRai Movie (formerly known asRaisat Cinema). On 11 June 2013, RAI was one of the few European broadcasters to condemn and criticise the closure of Greece's state broadcasterERT. RAI is 99% owned by the Italian Government Ministry of Economy and Finance, so it is said that it broadcasts content that may politically influence people.[17][18]
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The Alberto Ribera logo was introduced in 1967, however, this did not have significant application except on studios and portable cameras. A second variation of the Carboni logo was introduced in 1977, which was not officially adopted but appeared in some graphics, including that of the time signal.[19]
RAI's broadcasts content and nominees are frequently accused of political bias,[17][18] depending both on the management for each channel or programme, and on the lack of meritocracy[clarification needed] in contracts with television hosts and also technicians, also concerting cachets[clarification needed] and salaries.[20] However, many people underline that RAI needs to balance political equity and public services with the market rules and competitors.[21] All these issues are ongoing.
RAI's main channels are considered slightly politically oriented: Rai 1 is liberal or centre-right, Rai 2 is usually more right-oriented, while Rai 3 typically has the majority of left oriented programmes and hostsFabio Fazio andBianca Berlinguer, or the journalistic deep investigation programmeReport, famous for its investigations over far-right scandals.[22] This issue in Italy is referred aslottizzazione and is yet to be solved.
RAI is frequently subjected to controversies and censorship accusations regarding political matters, especially civil rights and LGBT issues. The broadcaster was strongly accused in 2008 of cutting the gay love scene of the Oscar-winning movieBrokeback Mountain. RAI initially apologised for the cut, explaining that the cut was due to a pre-cut edition originally planned for the prime-time slot, and wasn't corrected when airing was shifted to the late-night slot. Critics noticed that similar scenes of heterosexual lovers were never cut out before in prime-time and reinforcing the accusation of homophobic censorship.[23] The company rescheduled a new uncut version of the movie, but this was aired again in an even later time slot, a choice seen as a confirmation of the accusation. Only two years later, the movie aired again with all homosexual sex and kisses cut off. RAI was forced again to apologise, accusing a problem" with the pre-cut edition by the distribution company and a lack of fact-checking by the RAI employee.[24][25]
In 2011, episode 125 of the German TV SoapUm Himmels Willen ('For Heaven's Sake'), shown in Italy since 2004, was entitledRomeo and Romeo and due to screen on Rai 1 but was left out in order to "avoid controversy", according to the broadcaster.[26] In 2016, during the first clear broadcast of the showHow to Get Away with Murder, on Rai 2, the gay kisses for one of the main characters (portrayed byJack Falahee) were completely cut off. RAI apologised again, stating that the incident was "merely the mistake of an overzealous editor".[27] Criticism on the social media platforms was so strong that Falahee and showrunnerShonda Rhimes both tweeted against the network's "inexcusable" censorship.[28][29][30]
In 2021, another accusation was made against RAI by Italian rapperFedez. During the 1 MayConcertone, a traditional Italian TV broadcast concert in celebration of theInternational Workers' Day, the rapper was invited to perform and have a speech on the stage. The rapper honoured the entertainment workers affected by theCOVID-19 pandemic and spent half of his speech in support of legislation that would punishviolence against women andLGBT people ashate crimes in Italy. During his speech, he recalled all the political exponents' hate speech (confirmed by videos or sentenced by court) during the late years, and accused Rai 3's executive of trying censoring his speech by order of superiors as "this is how it works". RAI immediately denied all accusations and Fedez leaked a recorded audio of the conversation between him and the executives, where managers and hosts (declaring their names and roles to him) tried to censor his speech, by "asking you to adapt to a system that you probably don't get".[31][32][33]
After the video was reposted by all national media and web news sites, RAI sued the rapper, while a parliamentary investigation was opened. Fedez replied he was proud and ready to face the court, and he said he was available as a testimony for the RAI's Superior Commission.[34] Fedez's accusation was one of the biggest media scandals of RAI, as not only all political parties took sides in the cause (centre and left in favour of the rapper, including ex-prime ministersGiuseppe Conte andEnrico Letta, while right and far-right parties in favour of RAI, includingMatteo Salvini andGiorgia Meloni's colleagues).[31] The scandal increased when the parliamentary commission denied a hearing with Fedez, only speaking with RAI's executives. In the very much criticised email answer (which screenshot was published by Fedez on Instagram) the Office of the Commission stated that even if not prohibited by law, it was not custom to invite external people to the Commission investigation. Fedez replied to the email with only three clown emojis, a fact that further angered the far-right politicians.[35]
In July, the new board of RAI was elected, including the CEO and executives; this led to RAI's CEO Fuortes revealing not only the withdrawal of the action in court for failing all the required accusatory elements but also that no legal action was ever meant by the new management. Far-right exponents opened a parliamentary question over the withdrawal.[36][37] After the CEO's declaration, no other details were said about any apology or agreement with Fedez: nonetheless, the rapper was invited byFabio Fazio to the first episode of the new season of his late show.[38] Following the 2021 controversy, Fedez reinforced some controversy against RAI when he announced he was not invited to the 2022 Concertone for the first time.[39]
Shortly after the Meloni government took office in October 2022, influential managers were replaced, and well-known journalists and presenters such as Fabio Fazio, Bianca Berlinguer, and Lucia Annunziata left RAI. In 2023, Giorgia Meloni was accused of pressuring out the head of RAI for not supporting her political agenda.[40] In 2024, Meloni called for her government's ministers to be given more speaking time in theEuropean election campaign. In doing so, she called on the RAI to violate the law "par conditiono", according to which all parties must receive the same amount of broadcasting time. The resistance to this was massive, and the plans are off the table for the time being.[41]
As of August 2024[update], theMedia and Journalism Research Center evaluated RAI to be "Captured Public or State Managed/Owned Media" under itsState Media Matrix.[42][43]
Antonio Scurati, a well-known Italian writer and expert of the history of fascism, was commissioned by the public broadcaster RAI to read a speech on the day of liberation from fascism (Italian:Festa della Liberazione) on 25 April. However, at short notice, Scurati was disinvited again and was no longer allowed to give his speech. The presenter of the show did not want to accept that and quickly decided to read out his words in front of the camera.[44]
A passage from Scurati states, "As long as those who govern us do not utter the wordanti-fascism, the specter of fascism will continue to haunt the house ofItalian democracy." It is a clear criticism of Prime Minister Meloni, because the leader of the Fratelli d'Italia party has not distanced herself from her party's fascist beginnings.
He was turned down for ideological and political reasons, Scurati told theGerman public broadcaster ARD. "I criticized the fact that, during the 19 months of Meloni's government, the Prime Minister insisted on the reading of history that corresponds to herneo-fascist background, i.e. she shifted the blame for the slaughter and massacres onto the German Nazis, even though the fascists ofSalò were accomplices and collaborators."[44]
RAI was investigated and fined (with many executives arrested or fired) for unjustified expenses and suspicious gifts.[45] It was noticed that, frequently, dinners, expensive watches and jewellery were all paid by RAI for unknown people outside the company.[46] In 2022, a new scandal was investigated by theGuardia di Finanza surrounding corruption and bribes. At least 5 people in total were arrested, while the investigation is still ongoing.[47]
| Name | Launched | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Rai 1 | 3 January 1954 | Generalist and family-oriented |
| Rai 2 | 4 November 1961 | Generalist, catering towards youth/urban audiences |
| Rai 3 | 15 December 1979 | Cultural and regional programming |
| Rai 4 | 14 July 2008 | Youth/urban programming and movies |
| Rai 5 | 26 November 2010 | Arts and culture programming |
| Rai 4K [it] | 17 June 2016 | Ultra HD 4K programming channel |
| Rai Movie | 1 July 1999 | Films |
| Rai Premium | 31 July 2003 | Popular fiction and films |
| Rai Gulp | 1 June 2007 | Shows for pre-teens |
| Rai Yoyo | 1 November 2006 | Shows for young children |
| Rai News 24 | 26 April 1999 | Rolling news coverage |
| Rai Storia | 2 February 2009 | Documentaries about history and culture |
| Rai Sport | 1 February 1999 | Sports coverage news |
| Rai Scuola | 19 October 2009 | Documentary, cultural and educational |
Programming on Rai 1/2/3 and Sport via satellite is encrypted outside Italy due to programming and sports rights.
| Name | Launched | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Rai Italia | 1 January 1992 | Catered towards Italian expatriates |
| Rai World Premium [it] | 6 May 2013 | Italian culture and national TV shows |
| Name | Launched | Language | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rai Alto Adige [it] | 1960 | Italian | Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol |
| Rai Ladinia | 26 September 1988 | Ladin | Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol |
| Rai Südtirol | 7 February 1966 | German | Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol |
| Rai 3 BIS FJK [it] | 1995 | Italian andSlovene | Friuli-Venezia Giulia/Furlanija Julijska Krajina |
| Rai Vd'A [it] | 1968 | Italian andFrench | Valle d'Aosta/Vallée d'Aoste |
On FM, AM, Satellite, DAB/DAB+, DTT, Filodiffusion, Web:
Regional stations:
Only on Satellite, DAB/DAB+, DTT, Filodiffusion and Web:
Strutture Rai [it] ('Rai Structures') is a news organisation internal to RAI, or rather an internal management and division, created in order to independently manage the programs broadcast on the generalist and, in particular, thematic networks. After 2000, RAI reorganised its corporate structure with the creation of specific structures, listed here:
 | |
| Formerly |
|
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Genre |
|
| Predecessor | URI/RAI |
| Founded | 1949; 76 years ago (1949) inTurin, Italy |
| Headquarters | 18 Via Umberto Novaro,Rome ,Italy |
| Revenue | 2,360,000,000 euro (2020)  |
Number of employees | 12,751 (2021) |
| Parent | RAI |
Rai Libri is the print publishing arm of RAI. It primarily publish magazines and periodicals for news, entertainment, the broadcast industry, and since its inception, broadcast schedules. Since 1969, it has also published theDictionary of Orthography and Pronunciation [Wikidata], the largest Italian dictionary of its type.
RAI's history in print with the Unione Radiofonica Italiana (URI)'s weekly magazineRadio Orario which debuted in January 1925 and becameRadiocorriere in 1930. Edizioni Radio Italiana (ERI) was founded in 1949 in Turin, formed entirely from RAI capital to build onRadiocorriere's success. In 1954 primary ownership was split between RAI andIstituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale (IRI).[48] That same yearRadiocorriere becameRadiocorriere TV, which would continue to be published until RAI divested in 1995.[49]
During the 50s and 60s the ERI publishedClasse Unica,L'Approdo letterario [it] andL'Approdo Musicale [it], and in 1969 the first edition of theDOP. The 80s saw the premiere of the monthliesModa (1983) andKing (1987),[50] along with registering a new company name in 1987: Nuova Eri Edizioni Rai-Radiotelevisione Italiana S.p.A., or "Nuova Eri".[48]
Since the 1990s, RAI/ERI has increasingly focused on publishing books written by its own broadcast stars, both in news and entertainment. In 1995 Nuova ERI closed and reopened in 1997 as "Rai Eri".[51] On 15 October 2018, they renamed to "Rai Libri". Rai Libri also edits technical publications:Elettronica e telecomunicazioni since 1946,[52]Nuova rivista musicale italiana since 1967,[53] andNuova civiltà delle macchine since 1957.[54] It produces its own reports on communications and media, with the second edition of the book-and-documentaryRicordeRai released in 2004 in collaboration withRai Teche.
RAI (originally URI) had printed its broadcast schedules nearly without interruption starting in 1925 asRadio Orario, then from 1930 asRadiocorriere,[55][56] then continuously from 1954 asRadiocorriere TV, until RAI divested in 1995. The magazine was restarted under publisherRcc edizioni [it] with a print edition from 1999 to 2008, closing due to poor sales. It reopened in 2012 as an online-only publication, with a handful of special-occasion independent print runs in the intervening years, including 2005 (its 80th anniversary),[57] 2010 (switchover toDTTV),[58] and 2011 (150thanniversary of the unification of Italy).[59] The Rai Ufficio Stampa website has published programming schedules and television blurbs online since 2011 under the magazine's name. On 3 January 2014, Rai Teche published online the complete 1925–1995 archives of URI/RAI'sRadio Orario/Radiocorriere/TV.[60]
| Seat | Centers of television production | Auditoriums/theatres | Studios |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rome | Centro radiotelevisivo "Biagio Agnes", Saxa Rubra | 16 | |
| Rome | CPTV Via Teulada, 66 | 9 | |
| Rome | CPTV Studi "Fabrizio Frizzi", Via Ettore Romagnoli, 30 | 6 | |
| Rome | Teatro delle Vittorie | 1 theatre | |
| Rome | Auditorium ofForo Italico | 1 auditorium | |
| Milan | CP Corso Sempione, 27 | 3 auditoriums | 5 |
| Milan | CPTV Via Mecenate, 76 | 4 | |
| Naples | CP Viale Marconi, 9 | 1 auditorium | 7 |
| Turin | CP Via Verdi, 16 | 1 auditorium | 6 |
There are RAI offices in foreign countries, which produce news reports that are broadcast live in Italy. These offices are inBrussels,Paris,Berlin,London,New York City,Beijing,Cairo,Jerusalem,Nairobi,Moscow,Rio de Janeiro, andBangkok.
As March 2015, RAI has a debt of€442 million and theItalian Court of Audit was worried about the size of RAI's debt for the impact that this may have on Italian people, as the company is owned by the state.[61]
Italians must purchase an annualtelevision licence for about €90 every year in order to legally own a TV or HDTV. It is known asCanone Rai, "Rai Tax", because it is used to part-fund the RAI. Since 2016, it is financed through the electricity bill.[62]
RaiPlay is RAI'sover-the-top media service (OTT). It covers viewers across multiple devices such as computers, tablets, smartphones. The service's website contains all RAI's radio stations and television channel.
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