Rai Sport

Sports fans and those who enjoy the socalled minor sports, which aren’t given much space in the programming of the general-interest channels but which make up the majority of the offering of the theme-based channels, are fully aware of this.

Reports live from the events were also successful, as were (considering the viewing figures) the features dedicated to sports champions of the past (Memoria Rai Sport or repeats of legendary football matches and other events).

Great sport on television, not forgetting the other forms of communication for the web. The Rai Sport website, the pages of which are visited by thousands of people every day and the live streaming of events, is confirmed as the most visited Rai website.

The most popular events included the World Athletics Championships in Daegu, Korea (26 August/4 September) and the World Swimming Championships in Shanghai, China (16/31 July). Again in 2011, Rai Sport monopolised cycling coverage.

Viewing figures for the Giro d’Italia (7/29 May), produced by Rai with stateof- the-art dynamic and traditional filming, were also hugely successful. The Tour de France and great cycling classics that Rai Sport broadcast in full, with hours and hours of programming on the general-interest channels and on Rai Sport 2, the channel traditionally dedicated to cycling, attracted good audiences too.

Rai Sport also ensured the complete coverage of the World Alpine Skiing Championships in Garmisch and the Nordic Skiing Championships in Oslo (both from November to March) with constant live broadcasts.

One of Rai Sport’s other highlighted sports, Formula 1 motor racing, was also very successful in 2011, with reporters and custom presentations at the circuits and historical features dedicated to the world of motor racing: Pole Position, Pit Lane, Reparto Corse, Numero Uno.

A separate chapter is reserved for basketball; 2011 marked the return of the Serie A championship and live broadcasting of the postponed match on Sunday evening.

In 2011 Rai was broadcaster for the European Diving Championships in Turin (8/13 March) and for the World Rugby Championships – Under 20 (6/26 June); events which Rai Sport monitored recording excellent audiences.

Audience levels were also maintained on the general-interest channels for all the appointments with the daily and weekly features and analyses: Tg Sport, broadcast at 5.50 p.m. on Rai 2, Sabato Sprint, 90° Minuto Serie B, Dribbling, Primo Stadio, Stadio Sprint, 90° Minuto, la Domenica Sportiva.

Further experimentation was carried out on the two theme-based channels which guarantee traditional news every day and tg flashes throughout the day, with the latest news updates.

But Rai Sport 1 and Rai Sport 2 made it possible to prepare, sometimes in a very short space of time, specials and analyses on news events that were hard to predict, such as cases of doping or illegal betting on football.

Considerable attention was also paid to social matters and disability, a perfect example being the feature Sportabilia.