Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI)

Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI) is Italy’s national public broadcaster. It is the largest broadcast company in the country, with an audience share of close to 36%. RAI operates more than 40 television and radio channels and also manages a range of commercial subsidiaries responsible for advertising sales, program distribution, and satellite television management.

Media assets

Television: RAI 1, RAI 2, RAI 3, RAI 4, RAI 5, RAI Gulp, RAI Movie, RAI News24, RAI Premium, RAI Scuola, RAI Sport, RAI Storia, RAI Yoyo, RAI 1 HD, RAI 2 HD, RAI 3 HD, RAI 4 HD, RAI 5 HD, RAI Movie HD, RAI Premium HD, RAI Sport+ HD, RAI 4K, RAI Italia, RAI World Premium, RAI Ladinia, RAI Sudtirol, RAI 3 BIS FJK

Radio: RAI Radio 1, RAI Radio 2, RAI Radio 3, RAI Radio 3 Classica, RAI Gr Parlamento, RAI Isoradio, RAI Südtirol, RAI Radio Trst A, RAI Radio Tutta Italiana, RAI Radio Techete, RAI Radio Live, RAI Radio Kids, RAI Radio 1 Sport, RAI Radio 2 Indie

State Media Matrix Typology

Captured Public/State-Managed (CaPu)

Ownership and governance

RAI is owned by the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance. The highest governing body at RAI is the Board of Directors, composed of seven members appointed for three years: two are elected by the Chamber of Deputies, two by the Senate, two are appointed by the Council of Ministers (the government), and one is nominated by RAI’s staff. The Board of Directors is responsible for appointing the broadcaster’s Chief Executive Officer.

After the resignation of Carlo Fuortes as CEO of the RAI Board in May 2023, who accused the Board of exerting political pressure on editorial policy, the leadership shifted to a new phase. In May 2023, the government appointed Roberto Sergio as CEO of the RAI Board on an interim basis, followed by a more permanent management reshuffle later that year. The Meloni government further consolidated its influence over the broadcaster by nominating Giampaolo Rossi, a figure close to the Prime Minister, RAI head in 2024. This leadership change has been widely debated in Italy, raising renewed concerns about RAI’s editorial independence.

Source of funding and budget

RAI’s funding is derived from a mixed model of license fees and commercial revenues, primarily advertising. Until 2023, Italian households paid an annual license fee of €90, which provided the bulk of RAI’s income.

The government announced on 16 October 2023 that it would cut the annual license fee by 20%. This decision, enacted into law in December 2023, reduced the levy to €70 starting 1 January 2024. The measure immediately lowered RAI’s projected budget for 2024 by hundreds of millions of euros, forcing the broadcaster to reconsider investments and programming strategies.

Additionally, government officials have been considering a structural reform of RAI’s funding model. Since late 2023, ministers have floated the idea of replacing the license fee with a levy linked to telephone or mobile subscriptions, arguing that RAI’s programming is increasingly consumed via smartphones and other connected devices. The proposal has been repeatedly discussed throughout 2024, and in several instances it was mentioned as a potential successor to the household levy.

Editorial independence

There are no formal legal obligations requiring RAI to promote government positions in its programming. However, because successive governments control the appointment of its Board and management, indirect political influence has been a constant feature of the broadcaster’s governance. Academic studies and European institutions have repeatedly flagged this as a major vulnerability in Italy’s media system.

In recent years, criticism of RAI’s editorial independence has sharpened. The controversial appointments of Giampaolo Rossi and Marcello Foa to the Board drew concern due to their outspoken pro-Kremlin sympathies. Carlo Fuortes’ resignation in May 2023 further exposed tensions between editorial management and political interference.

Under Giorgia Meloni’s government, political pressures on RAI have intensified. Italian commentators and international observers have described the broadcaster as “Tele-Meloni,” in reference to the Prime Minister’s perceived sway over programming. The European Commission’s 2024 Rule of Law Report specifically criticized Italy for failing to safeguard RAI’s independence, warning that political interference undermines the integrity of public service broadcasting.

RAI’s public service mandate is outlined in the Italian Constitution and the RAI Reform Law (2015), but these documents stop short of guaranteeing editorial independence. Similarly, RAI’s Code of Ethics outlines the broadcaster’s duties and responsibilities toward stakeholders but does not create binding safeguards against political influence.

AGCOM, Italy’s broadcast and telecom regulator, supervises RAI alongside the broader media system. In several cases, AGCOM has fined or censured RAI for failing to fulfil its public service remit. Yet, as AGCOM itself is appointed by political actors, its interventions have not fully addressed concerns about editorial capture.

Despite these challenges, RAI still lacks an independent monitoring or audit mechanism capable of systematically evaluating its editorial autonomy. The absence of such oversight continues to raise concerns among academics, journalists, and civil society groups, especially as budgetary pressures coincide with heightened political influence.

August 2025