RSI La 2

RSI La 2 was launched by the Italian-language Swiss broadcasting service on 1 September 1997. Its creation responded to the need for a second Italian-language channel with a distinct editorial function. The service was developed for younger viewers and for sports coverage, giving RSI a way to place live events and complementary programmes outside the schedule of RSI La 1. Although its launch followed the closure of Svizzera 4, the new channel was not intended as a straightforward continuation of that service. The channel's early years were shaped by financial and scheduling limitations. It initially broadcast only during a limited weekend-oriented window, beginning on Friday evening and continuing through Sunday. During the remainder of the week, the transmission capacity was used to relay SF2, which had also recently been launched within the Swiss broadcasting system. That arrangement changed in early 1998, when the relay was replaced by Euronews. At the same time, RSI La 2 developed more original programming and increased the volume of sports carried on the channel. Sport became the defining feature of the service. Over time, RSI La 2 served as a major Italian-language outlet for live events and competitions, including the Olympic Games, football tournaments and club competitions, Formula One, motorcycle racing, cycling, alpine skiing, tennis and ice hockey. Its sports identity was reinforced by studio and magazine formats, including La domenica sportiva and SportnonStop. The channel also maintained space for music, entertainment, reruns and selected information programming. Unlike a general-interest first channel, it did not provide a regular conventional news bulletin schedule. A major technical transition occurred on 24 July 2006, when RSI La 2 ended analogue broadcasting. It continued via digital terrestrial television, satellite and cable, becoming the first channel in the SRG SSR network to make that transition. For many years, terrestrial availability was concentrated in Italian-speaking Switzerland rather than extending across the entire country. This distinction changed in practical importance after Swiss digital terrestrial television was shut down in 2019, leaving cable, satellite and other distribution systems as the principal ways to receive the service. RSI La 2 operates within the wider structure of RSI and SRG SSR. Its purpose is not to compete as an independent commercial brand, but to complement RSI La 1 and contribute to Switzerland's multilingual public-service broadcasting system. Its enduring editorial proposition is a focused Italian-language channel where sport and live events receive priority, supported by entertainment, music, repeats and selected information content.

• 2019

  Swiss digital terrestrial television is discontinued

  [1]RSI La 2en.wikipedia.org

  The shutdown of digital terrestrial television in Switzerland changes the channel's distribution landscape, with cable, satellite and other platforms becoming central to access.

• 2006

  Analogue broadcasting ends

  [1]RSI La 2en.wikipedia.org

  RSI La 2 ends analogue transmission on 24 July and continues through digital terrestrial television, satellite and cable.

• 1998

  Weekday relay arrangement changes

  [1]RSI La 2en.wikipedia.org

  The weekday relay carried through the channel's early schedule changes from SF2 to Euronews, while RSI La 2 continues developing original programming.

• 1997

  RSI La 2 begins broadcasting

  [1]RSI La 2en.wikipedia.org

  The channel starts transmission on 1 September as a new Italian-language second channel, with an editorial focus on younger audiences and sport.

A complementary Italian-language public-service channel specializing in sport, live events and selected entertainment, with a lighter and more sports-oriented role than RSI La 1.

• Public television channel · 1997

  RSI La 2 television service

  The core RSI La 2 service is an Italian-language public television channel for Switzerland. It complements RSI La 1 with a schedule built around sports, live events, entertainment reruns, music and selected information programming. The service has historically been distributed through terrestrial, cable and satellite systems, with its terrestrial footprint especially associated with Italian-speaking Switzerland. It does not provide a conventional regular newscast service.

• Sports broadcasting · 1997

  Sports programming

  Sport is the channel's principal programming category. RSI La 2 has carried live and recorded coverage of major international and Swiss competitions, including football, the Olympic Games, Formula One, MotoGP, cycling, alpine skiing, tennis and ice hockey. Sports magazines such as La domenica sportiva and SportnonStop provide analysis and additional context around event coverage.

1. 1RSI La 2en.wikipedia.org
2. 2RSI La 2 official websitela2.rsi.ch