RAI International

RAI Internatioal Logo

RAI International is the international television service of Radiotelevisione Italiana, Italy's national broadcaster. Programming features a mix of news, discussion-based programmes, drama and documentaries as well as sports coverage including live games from Italy's top football league; Serie A.

RAI International is targeted at Italian expatriates who live abroad and 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, RAI International 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 International also strives to meet the demands for information and services from Italian communities abroad. RAI International broadcasts four television channels, via satellite, which vary according to the different geographical targets. RAI has organized the satellite service into 4 zones with each have a different localized schedule:

RAI also shares a cable TV channel with TV Guide Channel in the Boston, MA area on Comcast.

Controversy in Canada

In Canada, RAI International's programming was originally seen on Corus-owned Telelatino. This was because of Canadian media policy, originally tailored to promote Canadian voices, as opposed to foreign (often American) content. Due to this policy, many foreign channels were not allowed to be broadcast in Canada unless a Canadian company was involved. Even then, since it would be licensed as a Canadian channel, it would have to comply with Canadian content regulations. An example of this is BBC Canada, which is licensed by Alliance Atlantis - because of this Canadian programming can be seen on what is supposed to be a British channel. Another part of this policy was to licence substitute channels for American ones: i.e. TSN in place of ESPN. However, in 2003, RAI pulled the RAI International programming from Telelatino and, with the help of Rogers Communications (which itself owns several multicultural stations in Toronto under the OMNI Television brand), petitioned the CRTC to allow RAI International to be broadcast in Canada. [1] Although the Italian community in Montreal were in favour of admitting RAI International into the Canadian media marketplace, the Italian community in Toronto was divided, since some believed that it was a ploy by the then Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to gain influence over Canadian Italian-language media. Originally, the CRTC denied RAI's application, on the grounds that Telelatino was a substitute channel that would inevitably face competition. However, many Italian-Canadians could watch RAI International through grey-market satellite TV viewing cards that allowed them to watch US satellite television. Eventually, in 2005, the CRTC allowed RAI International to broadcast in Canada after a review of its policy on third-language foreign language TV services.

See also

• RAI, the Italy's publicly-funded national broadcaster.
• Radio RAI International International broadcasting station of Italy.

External links

• Official Site (Italian) (English) (Spanish)