Why TV is still the Italians' favorite mass medium
In 2023, television once again confirmed its place as the favorite mass medium of the vast majority of Italians. A surprising 95.9% of the national population watched TV, an increase of 0.8% from the previous year. The figure shows not only that television maintains its central role in daily Italian life, but also that its popularity continues to grow, driven in part by the rise in internet viewing.
The Sanremo Song Festival: The Giant of Italian television
Among televised events, the Sanremo Song Festival stands out for its immense popularity and economic impact, comparable to the Super Bowl game in the USA. In 2024, the festival generated an astonishing volume of business, with record-breaking advertising revenues of more than 60 million euro and over 14 million viewers. The main sponsors of Sanremo 2024 included: ENI, SUZUKI, COSTA CROCIERE, POLTRONESOFA'. The festival dominates viewing figures, and also plays a crucial role in the economics of Italian TV advertising.
Concentration of the Italian television market
Italian television is dominated by five main players: Mediaset, Rai, Sky, Warner Bros. Discovery, and La7. These giants account for most of the sector revenues, which total around 3.5 billion euro.
Diffusion and accessibility of TV
Televisions, traditional and smart, can be found in 97.3% of homes, for a total of 43 million sets. In December 2022, viewers could access 343 TV channels on the main platforms, managed by more than one hundred broadcasters, of which about 80 are headquartered in Italy.
Source: Data processed by Confindustria Radio Televisioni (CRTV).
The main Italian TV broadcasters
- RAI
- Mediaset
- Cairo Communication
- Sky Italia
- Discovery Italia
- Boing S.p.A
- 7 Gold
- Mediapason
- Rete Blu
- Paramount Global Italy
- Publirose
- Canale Italia
- Gold TV
The complete list of TV channels in Italy as of April 2024
| # | Channel | # | Channel | # | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rai 1 HD | 134 | ITALIA 134 | 521 | Rai 4 HD |
| 2 | Rai 2 HD | 135 | ITALIA 135 | 522 | Iris HD |
| 3 | Rai 3 TGR Regione | 136 | ITALIA 136 | 523 | Rai 5 HD |
| 4 | Rete4 HD | 137 | LUXURY CHANNEL 137 | 524 | Rai Movie HD |
| 5 | Canale5 HD | 138 | TELECAMPIONE | 525 | Rai Premium HD |
| 6 | Italia1 HD | 140 | STARMARKET | 527 | 27Twentyseven HD |
| 7 | LA7 HD | 141 | Italia 141 | 528 | TV2000 |
| 8 | TV8 HD | 146 | Rai Scuola | 529 | LA7d |
| 20 | 20Mediaset HD | 157 | FASCINO TV | 530 | La5 HD |
| 21 | Rai 4 | 167 | VH1 | 534 | Cine34 HD |
| 22 | Iris HD | 170 | PRIMA FREE | 535 | Focus HD |
| 23 | Rai 5 | 201 | RaiPlay | 537 | Warner TV |
| 24 | Rai Movie HD | 221 | ITCHANNEL | 539 | TOPcrime HD |
| 25 | Rai Premium | 231 | UNO TV | 540 | Boing HD |
| 26 | Cielo | 233 | RTL 102.5 NEWS | 542 | Rai Gulp HD |
| 27 | 27Twentyseven HD | 234 | CUSANO NEWS 7 | 543 | Rai YoYo HD |
| 28 | TV2000 | 244 | BABEL | 545 | Boing Plus |
| 29 | LA7d | 246 | Radio 24 | 546 | Cartoonito HD |
| 30 | La5 HD | 253 | Radio Radio TV | 548 | Rai News 24 |
| 31 | Real Time | 258 | RADIOFRECCIA | 549 | Mediaset Italia2 HD |
| 32 | QVC HD | 262 | Byoblu | 551 | TGCOM24 HD |
| 33 | Food Network | 265 | RDS Social TV | 554 | Rai Storia HD |
| 34 | Cine34 HD | 266 | RADIO ZETA | 556 | Mediaset Extra HD |
| 35 | Focus HD | 267 | ARTEORA TV | 560 | SPORTITALIA HD |
| 36 | RTL 102.5 | 401 | Sct Passion | 561 | TRAVEL TV |
| 37 | Warner TV | 410 | BUSINESS24 | 566 | RADIO 105 |
| 38 | GIALLO | 414 | ZONA DAZN | 567 | R101 TV |
| 39 | TOPcrime HD | 441 | DOLOMITI LIFE TV | 569 | Deejay TV HD |
| 40 | Boing HD | 454 | PREMIO CLUB | 570 | RadioItaliaTV |
| 41 | K2 | 472 | Sky Sport Uno | 701 | Rai Radio 1 |
| 42 | Rai Gulp | 501 | Rai 1 HD | 702 | Rai Radio 2 |
| 43 | Rai YoYo | 502 | Rai 2 HD | 703 | Rai Radio 3 |
| 44 | frisbee | 503 | Rai 3 HD | 713 | Radio Capital |
| 45 | Boing Plus | 504 | Rete4 HD | 714 | Radio Deejay |
| 46 | Cartoonito HD | 505 | Canale5 HD | 715 | Radio m2o |
| 47 | Super! | 506 | Italia1 HD | 724 | RDS Social TV |
| 48 | Rai News 24 | 507 | LA7 | 801 | Rai 3 TGR Valle d'Aosta |
| 49 | Mediaset Italia2 HD | 508 | TV8 HD | 802 | Rai 3 TGR Piemonte |
| 50 | Sky TG24 | 509 | NOVE | 803 | Rai 3 TGR Liguria |
| 51 | TGCOM24 HD | 520 | 20Mediaset HD | 804 | Rai 3 TGR Lombardia |
| 52 | DMAX | 521 | Rai 4 HD | 805 | Rai 3 TGR Veneto |
| 53 | Italia 53 | 522 | Iris HD | 811 | Rai 3 TGR Emilia-Romagna |
| 54 | Rai Storia | 523 | Rai 5 HD | 812 | Rai 3 TGR Toscana |
| 55 | Mediaset Extra HD | 524 | Rai Movie HD | 815 | Rai 3 TGR Lazio |
| 56 | HGTV | 525 | Rai Premium HD | 818 | Rai 3 TGR Campania |
| 57 | Rai Scuola | 527 | 27Twentyseven HD | 819 | Rai 3 TGR Puglia |
| 58 | Rai Sport HD | 528 | TV2000 | 822 | Rai 3 TGR Sardegna |
| 59 | Motor Trend | 529 | LA7d | 823 | Rai 3 TGR Sicilia |
| 60 | SPORTITALIA HD | 530 | La5 HD | 888 | Caccia e Pesca |
| 64 | SUPERTENNIS | 531 | RADIO ZETA | 899 | Radio TV Serie A con RDS |
| 66 | RADIO 105 | 532 | RADIOFRECCIA | 907 | LA7 TEST |
Conclusions
In Italy, television displays notable resilience in the digital age. While the new media continue to grow and diversify, television still occupies a special place in Italian society, not only for entertainment but also as an important vehicle of social and cultural cohesion. Its ability to evolve with the times ensures, that for now, it is the chief mass medium in Italy.