Digitale Terrestre

Digital terrestrial television represents the opportunity for Rai and the Italian television system to create a far-reaching publishing innovation, keeping free television in first place in the offering of information, entertainment and culture.

It is an 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.
The digitalisation process will be completed in Italy on 30 June 2012, with the switch-off of the last regions.

2011 was the year in which Liguria, Tuscany, Umbria and the Marches played a leading role in the switchover to DTT.
On 10 October Liguria (excluding the province of La Spezia) launched the switch to digital, completing the process on 1 December.
This switch-off involved over about 1.4 million people. On 2 December 2011, the switch-off took place in Tuscany, Umbria and in the provinces of La Spezia and Viterbo, implicating about 5 million people and over 400 municipalities.

The Marches completed the switch to digital on 21 December 2011, taking the number of people reached by digital terrestrial technology to over 49 million.

Rai’s Digital Terrestrial structure carried out the following activities:

• participation in technical tables and task forces called by AGCOM and the Ministry of Economic Development – Communications Department for planning the switchoff activities, coordinated with the other national and local broadcasters;
• coordination of the company activities aimed at implementing the switch-off, particularly supplying indications to Rai Way with regard to the digital network planning aims and approving the new general project and its arrangement by technical areas;
• 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;
• planning with the Ministry of 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;
• coordination of the planning of Rai’s positioning on platforms for the integration of DTT, particularly following Rai’s participation in Tivù Srl and the development of Tivù 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.

Tivù and Tivù Sat

Tivù Srl was established on 24 September 2008 and became operational in January 2009, supplying services for the digital terrestrial platform.

As of 31 July 2009, the company launched the free satellite platform Tivù Sat which, to date, has reached over 1,350,000 cards activated with 25 decoders, 3 CAM and numerous Tivù 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, Tivù 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 2011, the company carried out communication campaigns, especially during the switchoff, to promote the terrestrial platform (Tivù) and the satellite platform (Tivù Sat).