Digitale Terrestre

Digital terrestrial television represents the opportunity for Rai and the Italian television system to create a farreaching publishing innovation, keeping free television in first place in the offering of information, entertainment and culture. It is a unique opportunity to articulate the free offering on several channels, enhancing programming, experimenting and reaching the most critical public groups for traditional general-interest television. And consequently it is an opportunity to maintain the ratings, resources, creativity and centrality within the television system of free television. Besides a broader choice of channels, DTT also offers better quality pictures: viewing in cinema format (16:9) and the possibility for broadcasting in high definition.

Upon completion of the digitalisation process, all the broadcasts will be digital and it will no longer be possible to receive the analogue signal. 2012 has been established as the final deadline for the switchover to digital television for all the EU member countries.

2010 was the year in which Northern Italy played a leading role in the switchover to DTT. On 26 November 2010 Lombardy and Eastern Piedmont (including the provinces of Parma and Piacenza and excluding the province of Mantua) switched to digital. This switchoff involved over 11.7 million people. On 2 December 2010, the switch-off took place in Emilia Romagna, implicating about 3.7 million people and 250 municipalities. The Veneto region and the provinces of Mantua and Pordenone completed the switchover to DTT on 10 December, with the involvement of over half a million people. Friuli Venezia Giulia, on the other hand, completed the switchover to DTT on 15 December 2010, taking the total number of people already reached by DTT to over 39 million.

Rai's Digital Terrestrial structure, managed and directed by the Deputy Director General's office for the switchover to DTT and multiplatform strategies, carried out the following activities:

• participation in technical tables and task forces called by AGCOM and the Ministry for Economic Development - Communications Department for planning DTT frequencies in the switch-off areas, coordinated with the other national and local broadcasters;
• definition, in agreement with Rai Way and together with the Ministry for Economic Development - Communications Department and AGCOM, of the criteria for the construction of the digital networks which, as regards Mux 1, followed - upon instruction by AGCOM and the Ministry - different planning criteria in 2010 to those implemented in 2009;
• consequent supply to Rai Way of the criteria and planning targets of the digital networks, approving the new general plan and its organisation by technical areas;
• planning with the Ministry for Economic Development - Communications Department of communication with users regarding the switch-off;
• management of relations with the regional and local consumer institutions for the planning and management of the switch-off in the area;
• participation in the activities of Dgtvi for the coordination of the switch-off activities and for the definition of the technical standards of digital television;
• management of relations with the manufacturers of decoders and televisions with built-in decoders, to sustain the dissemination of devices with adequate functionalities and contrast - in agreement with Dgtvi and the consumer associations - the dissemination of decoders and televisions that do not comply with these standards;
• the continuous supply to Rai Way of information on targets and communication of the broadcasting needs of the Rai with regard to operational management by Rai Way and for more effective alignment of Rai's broadcasting strategies and the running of the network;
• coordination of the technical experimentation of Rai HD;
• coordination of the planning of Rai's positioning on platforms for the integration of DTT, particularly following Rai's participation in Tivů Srl and the development of Tivů Sat, and defining the strategic criteria for the evolution of the digital Terrestrial platform towards the integration between broadcasting and offer through broadband with the IP protocol.

Tivů and Tivů Sat

Tivů Srl was established on 24 September 2008 and became operational in January 2009, supplying services for the digital terrestrial platform. As of 31July 2009, the company launched the free satellite platform TivůSat which, to date, has reached the target of 800,000 cards activated with 12 decoders, a CAM and 14 Tivů Sat certified iDTV. The satellite platform replicates the free television offering available in DTT from Rai, Mediaset, La7 and other operators, and hosts numerous international channels.

With the digital offering, Tivů Sat proposes, free of charge, to reach those areas where terrestrial broadcasting does not arrive fully or at all. Rai's participation in the platform ensures the observance by the public service of the neutrality restriction regarding technology.

Throughout the whole of 2010, the company carried out communication campaigns, especially during the switchoff, to promote the terrestrial platform (Tivů) and the satellite platform (Tivů Sat).