RAI to broadcast all HD by end-2016
April 1, 2016
By Branislav Pekic in Rome
Italian public broadcaster RAI is planning to broadcast all of its 14 TV channels in HD by the end of the year, according to local daily “Il Sole 24 Ore”.
Currently, five TV channels are available in HD (Rai 1 HD, Rai 2 HD, Rai 3 HD, Rai 4 HD and RaiSport HD) on the free-to-air DTH platform Tivùsat. They will be followed in May by Rai Movie HD and Rai Premium HD, while the remaining seven channels will launch HD versions during the second half of 2016.
In addition, RAI plans to launch a special channel during the European Football Championship, taking place in France from June 10th to July 10th. It will broadcast 7 matches in Ultra HD, from the quarter final stage.
The Ultra HD broadcasts will be available to around 200,000 families out of the 2.2 million (8.5 per cent of total households) that receive their TV via Tivùsat.
According to some reports, RAI is planning to introduce a permanent Ultra HD offer from 2017.