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 terrestrial and subscription television channels and radio stations. It is one of the biggest television broadcaster in Italy and competes with Mediaset, and other minor television and radio networks. RAI has a relatively high television audience share of 33.8%. RAI broadcasts are also received in neighbouring countries, including Albania, Bosnia, Croatia, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, San Marino, Slovenia, Vatican City, Switzerland, and Tunisia, and elsewhere on pay television. Half of the RAI's revenues come from broadcast receiving licence fees, the rest from the sale of advertising time. In 1950, the RAI became one of the 23 founding broadcasting organizations of the European Broadcasting Union.