Launches and failures in Italian DTT
January 29, 2016
By Branislav Pekic in Rome
The Italian DTT scene has seen a scurry of activities in January, with both new channel announcements and closures of existing services.
Italian publishing and media group Feltrinelli has reached an agreement with Sky Italia that will see its LaEffe TV channel, previously available on DTT and FTA satellite platform TivuSat, becoming an exclusive of the pay-TV platform.
The arrival of LaEeffe will enable Sky Italia to boost its cultural offer that already includes the Sky Arte HD and Classica HD channels. The change will take place on January 30 and will also involve all-news channel Sky TG24 taking the place of LaEffe on the national DTT network (position 50).
Viacom International Media Networks has announced the launch of the Paramount Channel in Italy on the national DTT network (position 27), starting from February 27th.
Meanwhile, the former Viacom-owned MTV Italia (re-named as MTV8 after its acquisition by Sky Italia) is being transformed into a general entertainment service. The rebranding includes a logo change, with more emphasis on the “8”, hinting that the MTV name will abandoned in the near future. However, MTV fans can still watch the MTV Next, MTV Hits and MTV Rocks channels, although a subscription to Sky Italia is required.
Finally, after 10 months on the air, sports network Gazzetta TV closed down in January and its place has been taken over by Split TV that airs sports programmes from Pitch Production International.