Rai 1 (Rai Uno, ) is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana. It is the company's flagship television channel and is known for broadcasting mainstream and generalist programming, usually aimed towards families, including TG1 news bulletins, prime time drama, cinema and entertainment, and major breaking news, sports and special events. it is available in Digital Terrestrial Television, Tivùsat and Sky Italia.
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.Rai 2: info, storia e curiosità StaseraTv.it 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 Europe, it is available in free-to-air satellite broadcast from Hot Bird 13B. Since Sky Italia receives the signal directly from its satellite, the Rai channels are subject to content restrictions, as the same satellite signal is used to cover all of Europe. In September 2020, the Rai and Mediaset channels on Sky started airing commercials for Tivùsat during encrypted programming.Programmi criptati su Sky: va in onda lo spot per Tivùsat
History Early years The first television channel receivable in Italy started its experimental broadcasts in 1934.Televisione After the interruption caused by the Second World War, it was reinstated in 1949 from Triennale di Milano and for its presentation, Corrado Mantoni was selected, already noted for his radio work and especially for the announcement of the end of the conflict. Its regular broadcasts started at 11am on Sunday, January 3, 1954. Initially, the channel had no official name, because it was directly identified as Rai TV, which was the name of the company.
The first set of programming for Rai 1 was almost completely educational with no advertising, except for the popular Carosello. Early shows were meant to teach a common language to a country torn apart by World War II. 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 neighbourhood 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.
The Sanremo Music Festival, until then broadcast exclusively on radio, began television broadcasts in 1955, and since 1956 (though for a few years seen on other networks of the corporation), it carried the Eurovision Song Contest, which was derived from Sanremo.
1960s In the 1960s, with the advent of the economic boom, television, up until then a luxury item, turned into a mass object. On 4 November 1961, Rai launched its second network (Secondo Programma, the current Rai 2) while the existing Rai channel was renamed Programma Nazionale.
Rai reforms The Rai reforms of 1975 introduced new norms related to the television reform: among other things, control of the public service passed from the Government to Parliament, cable broadcasts were regulated (thus encouraging the creation of local private TV) and each channel was assigned its own management. Telegiornale, which until then was a single unit that produced bulletins for both networks, was divided into two different newspapers: TG1 for the first channel and TG2 for the second. The first news programs under the new names were broadcast starting from 15 March 1976. On 5 April 1976, the National Program took on the name Rete 1 (Network 1).
The reform also provided for the establishment of the role of network director, guarantor figure for the contents broadcast by the channel, as well as that of the news director; the first directors of Rete 1 and TG1 were respectively Mimmo Scarano and Emilio Rossi, both Christian Democrats, appointed on 2 December 1975.
In 1977, the strand ended after a 20-year run; in the same year, Rai, after six years of trying, started producing its own programs in color, giving birth to the Italian neotelevisione period.
1980s After losing its television monopoly at a local scale in the previous decades, Rai lost it at a national scale; in 1980 the broadcasts of Canale 5 (owned by Fininvest of Milanese publisher Silvio Berlusconi) began, and in 1982, those of the Italia 1 (owned by Rusconi) and Rete 4 (owned by Mondadori) began.
Shortly after the launch of Rete 4, the three public channels changed names: on 2 October 1983, the three channels removed the word "Rete", replacing it with the current "Rai". In the same year, the logos for the three networks were created: Rai 1 was represented by a blue sphere. The name change occurred to prevent Rete 4 from being mistaken for a RAI channel.
By early 1988, some 14 million viewers watched TG1, with the vast majority of which remaining with the channel after the main edition ended.
2000s In 2002, Fabrizio Del Noce, akin to Forza Italia, became the channel's director.
High-definition feed The channel launched an HDTV 1080i simulcast in September 2013, available nationwide on subscription-television providers and on DTT (channel 1). Previously, HD programmes used to be aired on Rai HD.
Availability outside Italy In Slovenia, France (except Monaco), Greece, Austria, Lebanon, Hungary, Switzerland, Croatia, Lithuania, San Marino and Vatican City. The channel is also available to watch on satellite via Hellas Sat 4.
The channel used to be carried terrestrially in northern Tunisia. The secular audience in its catchment area preferred it to Tunisia's two channels, which were religiously charged at the time.Slavin, B. (1988, Sep 25). Tunisia takes new, more tolerant attitude toward religion. St.Petersburg Times It was also included on the legal Israeli cable networks when they started in 1989.Immanuel, J. (1989, Jun 23). A FORCE FOR CHANGE? Jerusalem Post
The three main Rai channels distributed over satellite are subject to content restrictions. This issue was criticized by Eurodeputee Gianni Pittella in September 2005, especially following its acquisition of the rights to the 2006 FIFA World Cup, claiming that the Italian diaspora in Europe was penalized for the blocking.Connazionali penalizzati per i programmi Rai "criptati per l'estero"
Logos
Directors of Rai 1 NamePeriodGiuseppe Matteucci3 January 1954 - 14 March 1976Mimmo Scarano15 March 1976 - 6 March 1980Paolo Valmarana7 March - 9 October 1980 (ad interim)Emmanuele Milano 10 October 1980 - 6 April 1987Giuseppe Rossini 7 April 1987 - 8 December 1988Carlo Fuscagni9 December 1988 - 25 October 1993Nadio Delai26 October 1993 - 16 September 1994Brando Giordani17 September 1994 - 14 August 1996Giovanni Tantillo 15 August 1996 - 31 May 1998Agostino Saccà 1 June 1998 - 18 June 200030 April 2001 - 5 May 2002Pier Luigi Celli 19 June - 10 September 2000Maurizio Beretta 11 September 2000 - 29 April 2001Fabrizio Del Noce6 May 2002 - 27 May 2009Mauro Mazza28 May 2009 - 28 November 2012Giancarlo Leone29 November 2012 - 17 February 2016Andrea Fabiano18 February 2016 - 11 October 2017Angelo Teodoli12 October 2017 - 26 November 2018Teresa De Santis27 November 2018 - 14 January 2020Stefano Coletta14 January 2020 - June 2022 From June 2022, as part of a management reorganization of Rai, network management has been abolished in favour of gender ones.
Current programmes Events (2003, since 2007) David di Donatello (1963-1967, 1969, 1971-1972, 1976-1977, 1979, 1984, 1986, 1988-1995, 1997-2000, 2002, 2004-2005, 2009-2015, since 2018) (since 2022, first on Real Time (TV channel)) Eurovision Song Contest (1956-1965, 1971-1973, 1975-1977, 1979, 1983, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1997, since 2016) Festival di Castrocaro Junior Eurovision Song Contest (since 2022, first on Rai Gulp) (since 2003) (1992-2020, from 2024) Notte della Taranta (since 2021, first on Rai 2 and Rai 5) (since 2019, first on Rai 2) (since 2023, first on Rai 2 and Rai 3) Prix Italia (since 2019, first on Rai 3) Oscars - La notte in diretta (from 2024, first on Canale 5 and Sky Uno) (1993-1998, 2001, since 2015) Sanremo Music Festival (since 1955 (1955-1962 and from 1981, every night; 1963-1980, only final night)) (since 1990, first on Rai 2 and Rai 3) TIM Music Awards (since 2012, first on Italia 1) (since 2000) (2024) (since 2000) Zecchino d'Oro (since 1959)
Shows in prime time Ballando con le stelle (since 2005) (2008-2013, 2016-2017, from 2023) Tale e quale show (dal 2012) (from 2012) (2016, from 2022) (2019, from 2022) The Voice Senior (from 2020) (from 2023) The Voice Kids (from 2023) (from 2024) (from 2024) (from 2024, first on Rai 2)
Game shows L'eredità (since 2002) Affari tuoi (2003-2017, from 2023) (since 2007)
Daytime entertainment Domenica in (since 1976) (since 1994) (since 2004) (since 2004) (since 2010) Unomattina in famiglia (since 2010, first on Rai 2) (since 2017) (since 2019) (since 2020) (since 2021) (since 2022) (since 2022) (from 2023) (from 2024, first on Sky Uno and Rai 3)
Disclosure and culture (1977-2002, since 2023) (since 1981) (since 1982) (since 1994), focusing on the Mediterranean Sea and shores Overland (since 1996) (since 1997) (2000-2001, since 2014) (since 2011) Milleeunlibro - Scrittori in tv (since 2013) (since 2014) (since 2015) (since 2017) (since 2018) (since 2018) (since 2018) (since 2018, first on Rai 3) (since 2021) (since 2021) (since 2022) (since 2022) (since 2022)
(since 2023) (since 2023) (since 2023) (since 2023) (since 2023) (since 2023)
News and information (since 1960) (since 1963) TG1 (since 1976) (since 1976) (since 1981) (since 1981, also broadcast on other Rai networks Rai) Unomattina (since 1986) (since 1992) TG Parlamento (from 1993, also on Rai 2 and Rai 3) Porta a porta (since 1996) (since 2000, first on Rai 2) (since 2011) (2011, since 2013) (since 2016) (since 2018, also broadcast on other networks RAI) (since 2022) Storie di sera (since 2023) (since 2023)
(since 2023) (since 2025)
Editing (since 2012), a programme using video clips, images, and vintage films from the RAI archive and connected to each other based on a specific. theme, thread, or character. (from 2024)
Entertainment Il cantante mascherato Arena Suzuki
Documentaries and culture Quark Atlante, SuperQuark Saturday afternoon spin-off, focusing on wilderness and adventure Linea Verde, focusing on wilderness, agriculture and rural cooking, hosted by Patrizio Roversi and Daniela Ferolla Overland World Truck Expedition, adventure and documentary expeditions Rewind – Visioni private, focusing on TV history Magazzini Einstein, focusing on arts and culture
TV series Il Commissario Montalbano, with Luca Zingaretti, produced in HD since Season 9 Il giovane Montalbano (prequel of "Il Commissario Montalbano"), with Michele Riondino and Alessio Vassallo, produced in HD Don Matteo, with Terence Hill, Nino Frassica and Natalie Guetta, produced in HD since Season 7 Un passo dal cielo, with Terence Hill, produced in HD Fuoriclasse, with Luciana Littizzetto, produced in HD Che Dio ci aiuti, with Elena Sofia Ricci, produced in HD Der letzte Bulle, with Henning Baum and , produced in HD Provaci ancora prof, with Veronica Pivetti and Enzo Decaro, produced in HD since Season 5 Questo nostro amore, historical drama with Anna Valle and Neri Marcorè, produced in HD