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Rai, Mediaset take on Sky

Italy’s public broadcaster Rai and Silvio Berlusconi’s Mediaset will launch their new DTH platform, which is set to increase competition with Sky Italia, at the end of the month.

TivuSat will be a free-to-air satellite platform and initially carry 22 channels, both Italian and international. It is set to launch on July 31. RAI and Mediaset will each own 48.25% of the venture with the 3.5% balance taken by Telecom Italia.

Channels will include Rai Uno, Rai Due, Rai Tre, Canale 5, Italia 1, Rete 4, La 7 and new digital channels such as Rai 4, Boing, Rai Gulp, Iris and Rai News 24.

Earlier this week Sky Italia announced it would boost its movie offering with a new channel and high definition transmissions, in a bid to offset the possibility of a pull-out of both Mediaset and Rai’s channels from its service.

In February, Rai said it was bringing an early end to its encryption deal with DTH operator Sky, which fuelled rumours that Mediaset would follow suit and decline renewal of its own deal with the News Corp-owned satcaster

If the contracts are not renewed Sky viewers will not be able to access the pubcaster’s channels via Sky’s set-top-box and will have to purchase a separate Tivu unit when they hit the market at the end of this month.

Sky Italia has offered to pay Rai €425m (US$603m) for its pay channels, including Rai Sat and Rai Cinema, for the next seven years. However, the pubcaster has rejected the proposal, which doesn’t include its three main free-to-air channels.

Italy is set for a full migration from analogue to digital over the next two years.

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