Rai Movie

Rai Movie is an Italian film television channel belonging to Rai, Italy's state-owned public broadcasting group. Its programming is centered on feature films, with a strong emphasis on Italian cinema alongside international titles and a range of supporting content such as filmmaker and actor interviews, behind-the-scenes features, and documentaries about film culture. The channel is distributed in Italy through digital terrestrial television and the Tivùsat free-to-view satellite platform. The service began in 2003 under the name RaiSat Cinema World, placing it within Rai's family of thematic and satellite-oriented channels. In 2006, the brand was shortened to RaiSat Cinema. A significant distribution change followed on 30 June 2009, when the channel left the Sky platform and became available through Tivùsat, the Italian free-to-view satellite service created by Rai, Mediaset, and Telecom Italia Media. This transition supported a broader free-access distribution model while retaining satellite coverage for households outside or beyond the reach of terrestrial transmission. On 18 May 2010, RaiSat Cinema was renamed Rai Movie. The new name made the channel's cinema specialization more immediately recognizable and aligned it more closely with Rai's broader portfolio of plainly named thematic services. Rai Movie has continued to function as a film-oriented outlet within Rai's multichannel public-service offering, rather than as a standalone commercial studio or streaming brand. The channel also has an institutional relationship with major Italian film events. It has served as the official media partner of the Venice Film Festival since 2003 and of the Rome Film Festival since 2007. These partnerships connect the channel with festival coverage, interviews, promotional material, and wider reporting on Italy's film industry, reinforcing its role as a public broadcaster's cinema showcase. In April 2019, Rai announced a plan to close Rai Movie, together with Rai Premium, and use the capacity for a proposed new channel called Rai 6 aimed at a female audience. The proposal prompted criticism and an online petition that reportedly collected approximately 120,000 signatures. The planned closure date was not established in the referenced material, and the announcement therefore did not constitute a documented completed shutdown. Rai Movie remains best understood as an active or unresolved Rai channel brand, with its long-term position subject to Rai's channel-planning decisions.

Rai Movie developed from Rai's thematic television strategy and was introduced in 2003 as RaiSat Cinema World. From its beginning, the service was designed as a dedicated cinema outlet rather than a general-interest channel. Its programming combined feature films with material that contextualized cinema, including interviews, production-related segments, behind-the-scenes reports, and documentaries. In 2006, the channel changed its name to RaiSat Cinema. The revised branding retained the RaiSat identity while presenting a more concise description of the channel's subject matter. During this period, the service operated within Rai's wider satellite and thematic-channel ecosystem, complementing the group's general television networks with specialized programming. The next major change concerned distribution. On 30 June 2009, RaiSat Cinema was removed from Sky and became available through Tivùsat, a free-to-view satellite platform serving the Italian market. The move altered the channel's platform relationship and made it part of a distribution system intended to provide satellite television without a conventional pay-TV subscription. This was an important step in the channel's transition from its earlier RaiSat positioning toward a more broadly accessible Rai service. On 18 May 2010, RaiSat Cinema was renamed Rai Movie. The new identity emphasized the channel's central proposition in a direct and accessible way. Under the Rai Movie name, the service continued to broadcast a mixture of Italian and international films, supported by editorial programming focused on cinema, including interviews, backstage material, and documentaries. Rai Movie also built a visible relationship with Italy's major film festivals. It has been the official media partner of the Venice Film Festival since 2003 and of the Rome Film Festival since 2007. These associations strengthened the channel's connection to the national film sector and provided a natural basis for festival reporting, interviews, and promotional coverage. They also positioned Rai Movie as more than a passive film distributor: it served as a public broadcaster's editorial platform for Italian film culture. In April 2019, Rai announced a restructuring proposal under which Rai Movie and Rai Premium would be shut down to make room for a new channel, Rai 6, intended to target women. The proposal was controversial because Rai Movie had an established audience and a clear relationship with film culture and festivals. An online petition opposing the plan reportedly gathered around 120,000 signatures. The referenced account does not provide a confirmed closure date or document a completed shutdown. Accordingly, the proposal should be recorded as an unresolved strategic decision rather than as a definitively completed end to the brand. Rai Movie's historical identity is therefore shaped by three elements: its evolution from a RaiSat cinema service into a clearly named Rai channel; its movement from Sky distribution to Tivùsat and Italian digital broadcasting; and its role in presenting films and public-service editorial coverage of the cinema industry. Its future status has been affected by Rai's channel-planning debate, but the available material does not support declaring the brand defunct.

• 2019

  Closure proposal announced

  [1]Rai Movieen.wikipedia.org

  Rai announced a plan to replace Rai Movie and Rai Premium with a proposed channel called Rai 6, triggering public opposition.

• 2010

  Rai Movie branding introduced

  [1]Rai Movieen.wikipedia.org

  On 18 May, RaiSat Cinema was renamed Rai Movie.

• 2009

  Move from Sky to Tivùsat

  [1]Rai Movieen.wikipedia.org

  On 30 June, the channel left Sky and launched on the Tivùsat free-to-view satellite platform.

• 2007

  Rome Film Festival media partnership begins

  [1]Rai Movieen.wikipedia.org

  Rai Movie became an official media partner of the Rome Film Festival.

• 2006

  Renamed RaiSat Cinema

  [1]Rai Movieen.wikipedia.org

  The service adopted the shorter RaiSat Cinema name.

• 2003

  Launch as RaiSat Cinema World

  [1]Rai Movieen.wikipedia.org

  Rai launched the film-focused service under the name RaiSat Cinema World.

• 2003

  Venice Film Festival media partnership begins

  [1]Rai Movieen.wikipedia.org

  The channel began its role as official media partner of the Venice Film Festival.

A public-service, movie-focused television channel presenting Italian and international cinema together with editorial content about filmmakers, actors, festivals, and film production.

• Television channel · 2010

  Rai Movie

  Rai Movie is a Rai television service devoted primarily to feature films. Its schedule has included predominantly Italian films as well as international cinema, supported by interviews, behind-the-scenes segments, and documentaries. The channel is distributed through Italian digital terrestrial television and Tivùsat, giving it a public-service and free-to-view orientation within Rai's thematic-channel portfolio.

• Former television-channel brand · 2003

  RaiSat Cinema World

  RaiSat Cinema World was the original name of the film channel launched by Rai in 2003. It established the service's cinema specialization before the brand was shortened to RaiSat Cinema in 2006 and later became Rai Movie in 2010.

• Former television-channel brand · 2006

  RaiSat Cinema

  RaiSat Cinema was the intermediate identity used from 2006 until the channel's 2010 rebranding as Rai Movie. The service continued the film-focused programming established under RaiSat Cinema World.

• 2019Petition opposing the proposed closure

  Italy

  Following Rai's proposal to close Rai Movie and Rai Premium in favor of a planned Rai 6 channel, supporters organized an online petition to oppose the change. The petition was reported to have reached approximately 120,000 signatures.

  Outcome. The proposal generated substantial public controversy, but the available reference does not establish a final closure date or a completed shutdown.

  Source

• 2019

  Propose replacing Rai Movie with Rai 6Strategy

  Background

  Rai announced a channel-restructuring plan involving the proposed closure of Rai Movie and Rai Premium and the creation of a channel aimed at a female audience.

  Action taken

  Rai announced that the two channels would make way for a proposed Rai 6 service.

  Aftermath

  The plan triggered controversy and an online petition reported to have gathered about 120,000 signatures. The referenced material does not confirm that the closure occurred.

  Source

• 2010

  Rebrand RaiSat Cinema as Rai MovieStrategy

  Background

  Rai sought a more direct and recognizable name for its cinema-focused channel.

  Action taken

  On 18 May 2010, RaiSat Cinema adopted the Rai Movie name.

  Aftermath

  The channel continued as Rai's dedicated film service under the Rai Movie identity.

  Source

• 2009

  Shift distribution from Sky to TivùsatStrategy

  Background

  Rai changed the platform distribution of RaiSat Cinema as part of the launch and expansion of Tivùsat's free-to-view satellite offer.

  Action taken

  The channel was removed from Sky on 30 June 2009 and made available on Tivùsat.

  Aftermath

  The move placed the service within Rai's free-to-view satellite distribution model for Italy.

  Source

1. 1Rai Movieen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Rai official Rai Movie pagerai.it