Italy: 330 national TV channels
February 16, 2021
From Branislav Pekic in Rome
At the end of December 2020, there were 390 TV channels, owned by 114 broadcasting groups, that could be received in Italy via the main distribution platforms.
The report, published by Confindustria TV, considered all channels distributed on the national DTT multiplexes, the subscription-based satellite platform Sky Italia and FTA DTH service TivùSat. The figures also include time-shifted versions, HD/Super HD, 4K-UHD channels, as well as PPV services and so-called temporary channels.
Out of the total, 330 TV channels are owned by broadcasting groups based in Italy, of which 125 are on DTT and 269 on satellite (free and pay).
Since the start of the analogue switch-off in 2012, the number of TV channels went from 329 and reached its peak in 2016 with 362 TV channels, before returning to initial levels at the end of 2020.
Time-shifted versions are down from 40 in 2016 to 17 in 2020, there are 28 PPV services, while HD channels total 111, accounting for 34 per cent of the total (net of overlaps on the various platforms). The FTA offer consists of 171 TV channels, while the number of pay-TV channels in 159.
The top five broadcasters in terms of channels are Sky Italia (105), followed by RAI (50), Mediaset (36), Discovery Italia (20) and Sciscione Group (19), accounting for 70 per cent of the total.
On the DTT platform, Mediaset dominates with 27 channels, ahead of RAI and Scisione Group (19 each), Sky Italia (13) and Discovery Italia (9).
On satellite, Sky Italia has the highest number of TV channels (102), followed by RAI (50), Mediaset (26), Discovery Italia (13) and ViacomCBS (13).
Out of the 239 parent national TV channels, 23 per cent are dedicated to movies and TV series, and 13 per cent each to sports and news. In the subscription-based segment, channels that air movies, TV series and football account for over 70 per cent of the total.