Rai 1 () is an Italian
free-to-air
Free-to-air (FTA) services are television (TV) and radio services broadcast in unencrypted form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring a subscripti ...
television channel owned and operated by state-owned
public broadcaster
Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...
RAI
RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many ter ...
– Radiotelevisione italiana. It is the company's
flagship television channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream and
generalist
A generalist is a person with a wide array of knowledge on a variety of subjects, useful or not. It may also refer to:
Occupations
* a physician who provides general health care, as opposed to a medical specialist; see also:
** General pract ...
programming, usually aimed towards families, including ''
TG1
''TG1'' (''Telegiornale 1'') is the flagship television newscast produced by Rai 1, the main channel of state-owned Italian public broadcaster RAI. It is the longest running program in the history of television in Italy as it has been broadcast ...
'' news bulletins,
prime time drama, cinema and entertainment, and major
breaking news
Breaking news, interchangeably termed late-breaking news and also known as a special report or special coverage or news flash, is a current issue that broadcasters feel warrants the interruption of scheduled programming or current news in orde ...
, sports and special events.
It was launched on 3 January 1954 as the first
regular television service in Italy. It was the only one until 4 November 1961, when RAI launched a
second channel. The channel was initially referred to as "Programma Nazionale". It received other names, such as "Rete 1" and "Raiuno" until it adopted its current name "Rai 1". It has the highest viewership in Italy, and regularly competes with
Mediaset's
Canale 5.
In the United Kingdom, it is available in free to air satellite broadcast from
Hot Bird 13B
Hot Bird 13B, known as Hot Bird 8 prior to 2012, is a geostationary communications satellite. Operated by Eutelsat, it provides direct-to-home (DTH) broadcasting services from geostationary orbit as part of Eutelsat's Hot Bird constellation at ...
.
Early history
The first set of programming for Rai 1 was almost completely educational with no advertising, except for the popular
Carosello
''Carosello'' () was an Italian television advertising show broadcast on RAI from 1957 to 1977. The series mainly showed short sketch comedy films using live action, various types of animation, and puppetry. It had an audience of about 20 milli ...
. Early shows were meant to teach a common language to a country torn apart by
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. Shows like ''Non è mai troppo tardi...'' were simply shot in a classroom setting and meant to help with reconstruction. While televisions were not widely available nor affordable, those who could spend the money on them became community leaders and often invited the neighborhood to visit. Bars and cafés turned from places where men would meet to argue or play cards into miniature cinemas where arguments over what show to watch would break out. Women and children were also more accepted inside the bars due to the lack of men post-war and their need to enter working society. Churches also bought televisions are a means of drawing people to spend time as part of those communities.
High-definition feed
The channel launched an
HDTV
High-definition television (HD or HDTV) describes a television system which provides a substantially higher image resolution than the previous generation of technologies. The term has been used since 1936; in more recent times, it refers to the g ...
1080i
1080i (also known as Full HD or BT.709) is a combination of frame resolution and scan type. 1080i is used in high-definition television (HDTV) and high-definition video. The number "1080" refers to the number of horizontal lines on the scre ...
simulcast in September 2013, available nationwide on subscription-television providers and on DTT (channel 1). Previously, HD programs used to be aired on
Rai HD
Rai HD is a group of television channels owned by Italian state-owned broadcaster RAI broadcasting in high-definition.
Rai HD Channels
* Rai 1 HD
* Rai 2 HD
* Rai 3 HD
* Rai 4 HD
* Rai 5 HD
* Rai Movie HD
* Rai Premium HD
* Rai Gulp HD
* Rai ...
.
Logos
File:Logo Raiuno 1983.svg, 3 October 1983 to 26 September 1988
File:Rai 1 logo.svg, 18 May 2010 to 12 September 2016
File:Rai 1 - Logo 2016.svg, In use since September 2016
Directors of Rai 1
* Giuseppe Matteucci: 1954–1976
* Mimmo Scarano: 1976–1979
* Paolo Valmarana: 1980
* Emmanuele Milano: 1980–1987
* Giuseppe Rossini: 1987–1989
* Carlo Fuscagni: 1989–1993
* Nadio Delai: 1993–1994
* Brando Giordani: 1994–1996
* Giovanni Tantillo: 1996–1998
* Agostino Saccà: 1998–2000, 2001–2002
* Pier Luigi Celli: 2000
* Maurizio Beretta: 2000–2001
* Fabrizio Del Noce: 2002–2009
* Mauro Mazza: 2009–2012
* Giancarlo Leone: 2012–2016
* Andrea Fabiano: 2016–2017
* Angelo Teodoli: 2017–2018
* Teresa De Santis: 2018–2020
* Stefano Coletta: 2020–present
Current programmes
News
*''
TG1
''TG1'' (''Telegiornale 1'') is the flagship television newscast produced by Rai 1, the main channel of state-owned Italian public broadcaster RAI. It is the longest running program in the history of television in Italy as it has been broadcast ...
'', the main news service, directed by Giuseppe Carboni
*''
TV7'', weekly late-night news programme
*''
Rai Meteo
RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance (Italy), Ministry of Eco ...
'', weather bulletin
*''
Speciale TG1'', enquiring programme
*''
Porta a Porta
''Porta a Porta'' (literally ''Door-to-door'') is an Italian late night television talk show hosted by the Italian journalist Bruno Vespa
Bruno Paolo Vespa (born 27 May 1944) is an Italian television and newspaper journalist.
A former directo ...
'', late-night talk show
Events
*''
Festival di Sanremo''
*''
Eurovision Song Contest''
*''
Zecchino d'Oro
Zecchino d'Oro (; meaning "Golden Sequin") is an annual international children's song competition established in 1959 by Niny Comolli. It is broadcast by Rai 1.
The first two contests were held in Milan. In 1961, the contest was taken up by th ...
''
*''
Festival di Castrocaro''
*''
David di Donatello''
*''
Junior Eurovision Song Contest
The Junior Eurovision Song Contest (often shortened to JESC, Junior Eurovision or Junior EuroSong) is an international song competition which has been organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) annually since 2003. It is held in a diff ...
''
Entertainment
*''
Tale e Quale Show''
*''
La Corrida
LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States.
La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* La (musical note), or A, the sixth note
* "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...
''
*'
*''
L'eredità
''L'eredità'' (''The inheritance'') is an Italian Rai 1 game show. It premiered on 29 July 2002. From 29 July 2002 to 10 June 2006, it was hosted by Italian presenter Amadeus. He was succeeded by Carlo Conti, who hosted the show until 14 April ...
''
Documentaries and Culture
*''
SuperQuark'', hosted by
Piero Angela
Piero Domenico Angela (; 22 December 1928 – 13 August 2022) was an Italian television host, science journalist, writer, and pianist.
He started as a radio reporter, then became a foreign correspondent, and established himself as the host of ...
*''
Quark Atlante'', ''SuperQuark'' Saturday afternoon spin-off, focusing on wilderness and adventure
*''
Lineablu'', focusing on the
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...
and shores, hosted by
Donatella Bianchi
*''
Linea Verde'', focusing on wilderness, agriculture and rural cooking, hosted by
Patrizio Roversi and
Daniela Ferolla
*''
Overland World Truck Expedition'', adventure and documentary expeditions
*''
Passaggio a Nord-Ovest'', focusing on history and archaeology
*''
Cinematografo'', focusing on cinema
*''
Rewind – Visioni private'', focusing on TV history
*''
Magazzini Einstein'', focusing on arts and culture
TV Series
*''
Il Commissario Montalbano
The ''Inspector Montalbano'' ( ) television series are Italian police procedural stories. Based on Andrea Camilleri's detective novels, they are located in the imaginary town of Vigàta, Sicily, which is based on Camilleri's native Porto Empedo ...
'', with
Luca Zingaretti
Luca Zingaretti (; born 11 November 1961) is an Italian actor and film director, known for playing Salvo Montalbano in the '' Inspector Montalbano'' mystery series based on the character and novels created by Andrea Camilleri. Zingaretti is a na ...
, produced in HD since Season 9
*''
Il giovane Montalbano'' (prequel of "Il Commissario Montalbano"), with
Michele Riondino
Michele Riondino (born 14 March 1979) is an Italian actor.
Born in Taranto, Riondino enrolled at the Silvio D'Amico National Academy of Dramatic Art, graduating in 2000. In 2006, he acted in ''The Black Arrow'', a TV series broadcast by Canale ...
and
Alessio Vassallo, produced in HD
*''
Don Matteo
''Don Matteo'' ( en, Father Matthew) is an Italian television series that has been airing on Rai 1, Italian national television's first channel, since 2000.
History
The protagonist of the series is Father Matteo (portrayed by Terence Hill), ...
'', with
Terence Hill
Terence Hill (born Mario Girotti; 29 March 1939) is an Italian actor, film director, screenwriter and producer. He began his career as a child actor and gained international fame for starring roles in action and comedy films, many with longtim ...
,
Nino Frassica
Antonino "Nino" Frassica (born 11 December 1950) is an Italian actor, Duke of Gela and television personality.
Biography and career
Born in Messina, Frassica is mostly known for his deadpan humour, characterized by absurd jokes he described as ...
and
Natalie Guetta
Natalie may refer to:
People
* Natalie (given name)
* Natalie (singer) (born 1979), Mexican-American R&B singer/songwriter
* Shahan Natalie (1884–1983), Armenian writer and principal organizer of Operation Nemesis
Music Albums
* ''Natal ...
, produced in HD since Season 7
*''
Un passo dal cielo'', with
Terence Hill
Terence Hill (born Mario Girotti; 29 March 1939) is an Italian actor, film director, screenwriter and producer. He began his career as a child actor and gained international fame for starring roles in action and comedy films, many with longtim ...
, produced in HD
*''
Fuoriclasse'', with
Luciana Littizzetto, produced in HD
*''
Che Dio ci aiuti'', with
Elena Sofia Ricci
Elena Sofia Barucchieri (born 29 March 1962), known by the stage name Elena Sofia Ricci (), is an Italian actress. She is known, among other things, for playing Sister Angela in the Italian television series .
Biography
Born in Florence, afte ...
, produced in HD
*''
Der letzte Bulle
''Der letzte Bulle'' (''The Last Cop'') is a German television series that was first aired in 2010. The series is about a policeman from the 1980s put into a modern police department in Essen.
Plot
The show is set in Essen, in the center of ...
'', with
Henning Baum
Henning Baum (born 20 September 1972) is a German film and TV actor. He is best known for his performance as Michael 'Mick' Brisgau in the TV Series ''Der letzte Bulle'' (''The Last Cop'').
Selected filmography
*''Mädchen, Mädchen'' (2001), ...
and , produced in HD
*''
Provaci ancora prof
''Provaci ancora prof!'' (English: ''Try again teacher!'') is an Italian television series.
Plot
The show follows the story of Camilla Baudino, a high school teacher that often finds herself involved in some crimes. Camilla, an amateur detective, ...
'', with
Veronica Pivetti
Veronica Pivetti (born 19 February 1965) is an Italian actress and voice actress.
Life and career
Born in Milan, Pivetti is the daughter of Grazia Gabrielli, a voice actress and of Paolo Pivetti, a stage director. She is the younger sister of ...
and
Enzo Decaro
Enzo is an Italian given name derivative of the German name Heinz. It can be used also as the short form for Lorenzo, Vincenzo, Innocenzo, or Fiorenzo. It is most common in the Romance-speaking world, particularly in Italy and Latin America bu ...
, produced in HD since Season 5
*''
Questo nostro amore'', historical drama with
Anna Valle
Anna Valle (born 19 June 1975) is an Italian actress and beauty pageant titleholder.
Life and career
Born in Rome, Anna Valle lived in Ladispoli up to thirteen years; after the separation of her parents she moved to Sicily, in Lentini, the ci ...
and
Neri Marcorè
Neri Marcorè (born 31 July 1966) is an Italian actor, voice actor, impressionist, television presenter and singer. He has appeared in 22 films and television shows since 1994. He starred in the film '' Incantato'', which was entered into the 20 ...
, produced in HD
*''
Um Himmels Willen
''Um Himmels Willen'' (English: ''For Heaven's Sake'') is a German television sitcom created by Jana Brandt and Sven Döbler, which originally aired on Das Erste since 8 January 2002. The 13th season was aired from 4 March 2014 to 3 June 2014 ...
'', with
Fritz Wepper
Fritz Wepper (born 17 August 1941, Munich, Germany) is a German film and television actor. He is best known for his role as Inspector Harry Klein in the long-running crime series ''Derrick'' (1974–1998). Wepper is also remembered for his roles ...
, produced in HD since Season 8
*''
Un medico in famiglia
''Un medico in famiglia'' (English: ''A doctor in the family'') is an Italian television series, based on the format of the Spanish series of Telecinco ''Médico de familia'', produced by Publispei and Rai Fiction. The series aired for ten seaso ...
'', with
Lino Banfi,
Giulio Scarpati
Giulio Scarpati (born 20 February 1956) is an Italian actor.
Life and career
Born in Rome, pretty active on stage, after several small film roles Scarpati had his breakout role in 1991 as Marco, the main character in the Giuseppe Piccioni's dra ...
and
Margot Sikabonyi, produced in HD since Season 6
*''
Una pallottola nel cuore'', with
Gigi Proietti
Luigi "Gigi" Proietti (2 November 1940 – 2 November 2020) was an Italian actor, voice actor, comedian, musician, singer and television presenter.
Early life
He was born in Rome to Romano Proietti, originally from Umbria, and Giovanna Ceci, a ...
, produced in HD
Sports
*
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
Finals (if Italy team involved only,
1954–
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
)
*
UEFA European Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations ( UEFA). The competition is conte ...
*
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
The UEFA European Under-21 Championship, the UEFA Under-21 Championship or simply the Euro Under-21, is a biennial football competition contested by the European men's under-21 national teams of the UEFA member associations. Since 1992, the comp ...
(5 matches: three Italy group matches, one semi-final, and one final)
*
UEFA Nations League
The UEFA Nations League is a biennial international football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the member associations of UEFA, the sport's European governing body.
The first tournament began in September 2018. The ...
(Italy matches only, plus a final)
*
Italy national football team
The Italy national football team ( it, Nazionale di calcio dell'Italia) has represented Italy in international football since its first match in 1910. The national team is controlled by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), the governing bo ...
: Nations League, qualifiers, friendlies, and finals tournament
Kids
*
44 Cats
*
Jurassic Cubs
*
Prezzemolo
''Prezzemolo'' is an Italian animated television series created by Lorenzo De Pretto and Giuseppe Ferrario. It is based on characters from the Gardaland theme park, and Gardaland distributes the series. The show was broadcast on Italia 1 from 7 ...
*
Tommy e Oscar
*
Topo Gigio
Topo Gigio () originally known as "COCO GIGIO" was the lead character of a children's puppet show on Italian television in the early 1960s. The character, created in 1958 by artist Maria Perego, her husband Federico Caldura, and fellow artist Guid ...
*
Piccolo Pollone
*
Chappy
Early programmes
Until the autumn 1976/77 season, regular broadcasting was in
monochrome
A monochrome or monochromatic image, object or palette is composed of one color (or values of one color). Images using only shades of grey are called grayscale (typically digital) or black-and-white (typically analog). In physics, monochrom ...
(black and white), with very few exceptions (shown in bold). Regular color broadcasting began during the winter 1976/77 season.
*''Un due tre...'' aka ''1, 2, 3'', satire/variety show starring
Raimondo Vianello
Raimondo Vianello (7 May 1922 – 15 April 2010) was an Italian film actor, comedian, and television host. He was a well-known Italian television personality.
Biography
He was born in Rome, but spent his youth in Pula, where his father, an ...
e
Ugo Tognazzi
Ugo Tognazzi (23 March 1922 – 27 October 1990) was an Italian actor, director, and screenwriter.
Early life
Tognazzi was born in Cremona, in northern Italy but spent his youth in various localities as his father was a travelling clerk fo ...
. Considered one of the most influential shows in Italian television history, it was discontinued in 1959 after the duo performed an ironic sketch about then-president of the Republic,
Giovanni Gronchi
Giovanni Gronchi, (; 10 September 1887 – 17 October 1978) was an Italian politician from Christian Democracy who served as the president of Italy from 1955 to 1962 and was marked by a controversial and failed attempt to bring about an "open ...
(six seasons, from 19 January 1954 to 2 August 1959).
*''Lascia o raddoppia'', a one-hour-long game show hosted by
Mike Bongiorno
Michael Nicholas Salvatore Bongiorno (; May 26, 1924 – September 8, 2009) was an Italian-American television host. After a few experiences in the US, he started working on RAI in the 1950s and was considered to be the most popular host in Ital ...
(1955–59, on Thursday, at 9:00 PM, except for the first season shown on Saturday night).
*''
Primo applauso'', early talent show hosted by
Enzo Tortora and
Silvana Pampanini
Silvana Pampanini (25 September 1925 – 6 January 2016) was an Italian film actress, director and singer. She was also the niece of the well-known soprano of the golden era of opera, Dame Rosetta Pampanini. Silvana Pampanini caused a sensation ...
. The
clap-o-metre was introduced to Italian television during this programme. Magician
Silvan
Silvan may refer to:
* Saint Silvan, Christian martyr
* Silvan (illusionist), Italian magician
* Silvan Byggemarked, Danish chain store that sells building materials
* Silvan Elves, woodland elves of J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium
* ...
and singer
Adriano Celentano debuted in ''Primo Applauso'' (from 29 April 1956 until December of the same year, Sunday night, 9:00 PM).
*''Telematch'', variety/game show hosted by
Enzo Tortora and
Silvio Noto
Silvio Noto (25 December 1926 – 24 October 2000) was an Italian TV and radio presenter, actor and voice actor.
Born in Bari, graduated in law, Noto became first known as radio-host after the first World War. He became popular as the host of s ...
(from 6 January 1957 to July 1958, Sunday night at 9:15 PM).
*''La macchina per vivere'', health care/educational programme about the human body (two seasons, from 31 January 1957, Thursday night at 10:45 PM).
*''
Il Musichiere'', one-hour-long Italian version of ''
Name That Tune
''Name That Tune'' is an American television music game show. Originally created and produced by orchestra conductor Harry Salter and his wife Roberta Semple Salter, the series features contestants competing to correctly identify songs being p ...
'', hosted by
Mario Riva
Mario Riva (26 January 1913 – 1 September 1960) was an Italian television presenter and actor. He appeared in 51 films between 1941 and 1960.
Life and career
Born in Rome as Mariuccio Bonavolontà, the son of a composer, Giuseppe (Joseph) ...
until his death (1957–60, on Saturday nights at 9:00 PM).
*''Campanile Sera'', one-hour-long game show, hosted by
Enzo Tortora,
Mike Bongiorno
Michael Nicholas Salvatore Bongiorno (; May 26, 1924 – September 8, 2009) was an Italian-American television host. After a few experiences in the US, he started working on RAI in the 1950s and was considered to be the most popular host in Ital ...
and Enza Sampò (1959–61, on Thursday at 9:00 PM). One of the various games on the show, "il gioco dei prezzi", was an early Italian incarnation of ''
The Price Is Right
''The Price Is Right'' is a television game show franchise created by Bob Stewart, originally produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman; currently it is produced and owned by Fremantle. The franchise centers on television game shows, but also inc ...
'' franchise.
*''Studio Uno'', Saturday night variety show, hosted mainly by
Mina (1961–66, 9:00 PM).
*''L'amico del giaguaro'', Saturday night comedy/variety show, hosted by
Corrado and starring
Gino Bramieri,
Marisa Del Frate
Marisa Del Frate (11 March 1931 – 5 February 2015) was an Italian actress, singer, and television personality.
Life and career
Born in Rome, Del Frate started her career as a model and took part in several beauty contests. In 1957, she succes ...
and
Raffaele Pisu
Raffaele Pisu (24 May 1925 – 31 July 2019) was an Italian actor and comedian.
Life and career
Born in Bologna as Guerrino Pisu into a family of Sardinian origin, Pisu debuted in the drama theater and in 1945 he was one of the founders of th ...
. Broadcast during 1961, 1962 and 1964 summer seasons, at 9:00 PM.
*''Giocagiò'', daytime half-hour-long Italian version of the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
. This Italian-German-French-Yugoslavian
was broadcast for the first time in Italy from 24 March 1968, on Sunday night, at 9:05 PM. In colour, but the program was shown in black and white in Italy the very first time it was aired.
*''
). This Italian-German-French
was broadcast for the first time in Italy from 19 December 1971, on Sundays, at 9:00 PM and in Germany from 5 November 1972. In colour.
*''