Instant guide to free digital TV channels
italy
october 2011
BELLa BELLA Italian TV: home of the dancing girls
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Euro Spotlight
This month, Wotsat looks at TV from Italy and how to get it
Italy toolkit What you need to receive Italian free TV n Free-to-air DVB digital satellite receiver n 60cm dish for 13°E (and 19.2°E, 9°E), or 80cm (12.5°E)
There is no shortage of TV in Italy. As well as a long-established analogue terrestrial service (due to switch off in 2012) Italians enjoy free and pay digital terrestrial TV channels, numerous broadcasts by satellite (almost all on Hot Bird), and more recent IPTV networks. Three broadcasters dominate. RAI (originally Radio Audizioni Italiane but since 1954 Radiotelevisione Italiana) is the state-owned, and government controlled, public broadcaster, which has provided Italians with entertainment, culture and education for five decades. Rai1, Rai2, and Rai3 are free on all platforms, and there are around 10 more Rai niche channels for sports, Free Italian TV (exc adult)
position
Genre
3 Channel
13°E
Entertainment
90 numeri sat
13°E
Gambling
AB Channel
19.2°E, 13°E
Shopping
ACM
13°E
Building
Administra.it
13°E
Government
Arte Oggi
13°E
Auctions
Barbara Commercial TV
13°E
Shopping
BergamoSat
13°E
culture, kids, news, education and more. Silvio Berlusconi's Mediaset runs the relatively lowbrow and very commercial entertainment channels Italia1, Rete4 and Canale5, along with a host of more minor digital channels and the Mediaset Premium pay-TV terrestrial (and IPTV) platform – including football and films. The fact that Berlusconi has been Italy’s president or prime minister (notionally in charge of RAI) on and off since 1994 has led to many
charges of conflict of interest, and friction between state and state broadcaster. Rai1 and Canale5 regularly achieve the highest audiences, RAI and Mediaset attract over 70 per cent of Italian viewers. Third most popular in the Italian TV landscape is Telecom Italia Media’s La7. Sky also looms large in Italy with Sky Italia totally dominating the pay-TV satellite market. However, there are numerous independent satellite channels. There are several religious
Free Italian TV (exc adult)
position
Genre
Free Italian TV (exc adult)
position
Genre
Camera dei Deputati
13°E
Government
Italia 8 Prestige
13°E, 12.5°W
Shopping
Canale 5
13°E
Entertainment
Italia Channel
13°E
Shopping
Canale Aste
13°E
Auctions
Italiamia Sat
13°E
Shopping
Canale Italia 83
13°E
Entertainment
Jewels La Sorgente
13°E
Shopping
Carpe Diem
13°E
Religion
Justice TV
13°E
Legal matters
Challenger TV
13°E
Viewers’ video
Juwelo TV Italia
13°E
Shopping
Cielo
13°E
Entertainment
K2
13°E, 12.5°W
Kids' shows
Class CNBC
13°E
Financial news
La 5, La 7
12.5°W
Entertainment
Class Horse TV
13°E
Equine matters
La 8, La 9
13°E
Entertainment
Class TV Moda
13°E
Fashion
La Nuova TV
13°E
Entertainment
Class TV MSNBC
13°E
News
Liguria TV
13°E
Entertainment
Coming Soon TV
13°E
Entertainment news
Lunasat
13°E
Shopping
Deejay TV
13°E
Music
MC TV
13°E
Cars and bikes
Diamante TV
13°E
Shopping
Napoli Mia
13°E
Entertainment
Diprè TV
13°E
Arts
Napoli TLA
13°E
Entertainment
E’TV
13°E
Information
New TV
13°E
Shopping
Elite Shopping TV
13°E
Shopping
Nuvolari
13°E
Cars
Erde & Mensch
13°E
Religion
One TV
13°E
Entertainment
Frisbee
13°E
Kids' shows
Passione Pesca
13°E
Fishing
G di G Channel
13°E
Entertainment
People TV
13°E
Entertainment
GBR
13°E
Entertainment
Pianeta TV
13°E
Entertainment
Entertainment
Gold Sat
13°E
Shopping
Play TV
13°E
Entertainment
13°E
Lifestyle
Poker Italia 24
13°E
Gambling
13°E
Gaming
Bike Show TV
13°E
Cycling
In TV
13°E
Shopping
Primantenna World
13°E
Entertainment
Boing Italia
13°E
Kids’ shows
Italia 1
13°E
Entertainment
Punto Sat
13°E
Gambling
Italian pay-tv
Betting Channel
High Life TV
2 What Satellite & Digital TV October 2011
Pay or pirate TivùSat Satellites: Hot Bird 13°E Encryption: Nagravision 3 Channels: 60 SD Web: www.tivu.tv Similar to Freesat, TivùSat provides satellite access to the FTA digital channels available terrestrially, along with a number of specialist, local and
international channels. A Nagravision receiver or SmartCAM is required along with a TivùSat card, which is free to Italian residents with a ‘codice fiscale’ tax number. Some UK dealers will supply the package.
Sky Italia Satellites: Hot Bird 13°E
find more guides at www.wotsat.com Euro Spotlight
Euro Euro TV focus focus
Think Italy, think vino: local produce on local TV
Mediaset, lowbrow? Bring on the dancing girls
channels and plenty of less holy gambling and adult channels, and many hours of teleshopping. Most prominent are the dozens of FTA regional channels, with a hotchpotch of local news (always with a labelled microphone thrust in the face of the subject), amateurish entertainment, and the simply unexpected. The usually gratuitous presence of sexy young
female hosts is very common, which along with a TV obsession with football, shows the need for the crowd-pleasing circuses of ancient Rome has not diminished in 2000 years.
Striscia la Notizia
Next n Free and pay-TV from Germany
n Channel: Canale 5
Free Italian TV (exc adult)
position
Genre
Free Italian TV (exc adult)
position
Genre
QVC
13°E, 12.5°W
Shopping
Tele Padre Pio
13°E , 12.5°W
Religion
Radio Radio TV
13°E
Entertainment
Telecity
13°E
Entertainment
Rai Gulp
13°E
Kids' shows
Telecolore
13°E
Entertainment
Rai News, Rai Med
13°E
News
TeleFoggia
13°E
Entertainment
Rai Nettuno Sat
13°E
Education
Telefortune Sat
13°E
Fortune telling
Rai Scuola, Rai Storta
13°E
Education
Telemarket 1, 2
13°E
Shopping
Rai Sport 1, 2
13°E
Sport
Telenova
13°E
Entertainment
Rai 1, 2, 3
13°E
Entertainment
Telepace
13°E
Religion
Real Time
13°E
House and home
Teletirreno
13°E
Entertainment
Rete 4
13°E
Entertainment
Toscana Channel
13°E
Entertainment
Rete Oro Sat
13°E
Entertainment
Trentino TV
13°E
Entertainment
Reteconomy
13°E
Finance
TRSP
13°E
Religion
RTB Virgilio
13°E, 9°E
Information
TV Capital
13°E
Entertainment
RTL 102.5 RadioVisione
13°E, 12.5°W
Music
TV Koper Capodistria
13°E
Entertainment
San Marino TV
13°E
Entertainment
TV2000
13°E
Entertainment
Sardegna 1 Sat
13°E
Entertainment
TVA Vicenza
13°E
Entertainment
Senato Italiano
13°E
Government
Video Bergamo
13°E
Entertainment
Star Sat
13°E
Astrology
Videolina Sat
13°E
Entertainment
Studio 100 Sat
13°E
Entertainment
Virgin Radio TV
13°E
Entertainment
Studio Europa
13°E
Entertainment
Vista Tele Shopping
13°E
Promo
Super Tennis
13°E
Tennis
Viva l'Italia Channel
13°E
Tourism
TBN Italia
13°E
Religion
Wedding TV
13°E
Nuptials
TeF Channel
13°E
Finance
Wewell Channel
13°E
Health
Tele A
13°E
Entertainment
Yes Italia
13°E
Tourism
Tele Lautari
13°E
Religion
YouDem TV
13°E
Politics
Encryption: Videoguard Channels: 200 SD, 40 HD Web: www.sky.it Sky Italia is a carbon copy of Sky UK with channels such as Sky Uno, lots of Serie A football and films, a large HD collection, and a new 3D channel; even the boxes are identical (MySky instead of Sky Plus). Subscriptions start at €19/month. Official receivers and cards do turn up in the UK.
n On air: Monday-
Friday, 8.40pm n www.striscialanotizia. mediaset.it Striscia la Notizia (Strip the News) is a comedy news programme that falls somewhere between Mock The Week and The Late Show. Broadcast each weeknight on Canale 5 right after the main news and weather, it combines satirising current affairs with jokes, stunts, and (of course) dancing girls to poke fun at the pompous, expose deceptions, and reveal the liars in Italian public life. Two presenters (usually Ezio Greggio and Enzo Lacchetti) keep up the quick pace from behind a desk and in front of a studio audience, and the costumed mascot, Gabibbo, a sort of giant purple Sesame
Street reject , regularly represents the view of the man in the street. Recorded interviews and hidden camera probes expose Italy's underbelly, revealing everything from fake dentists to internet scams, drug-taking in professional cycling to waste in public services. Often the victims are invited (or even chased and forced) by Valerio Staffelli to accept the ‘Tapiro d'Oro’ (Golden Tapir) statuette to mark their exposure. Then there’s ‘Le Veline’, two scantily clad girls who do short sexy dance routines around the studio to end up on the presenters’ desk. The girls also change every couple of years and are chosen – always one blonde and one brunette – from a beauty contest held during the show’s summer hiatus.
Mediaset Premium Satellites: Hot Bird 13°E Encryption: Nagravision 3 Channels: 32 SD, 3 HD Web: www.mediasetpremium.it Satellite distribution of the terrestrial pay-TV service, for antenna sites. Not available for domestic reception and broadcast in DVB-S2 ACM so almost impossible to receive unauthorised.
October 2011 What Satellite & Digital TV 3