Sportitalia 2
An Italian sports television channel that has operated through digital terrestrial, satellite, web-streaming, and HbbTV distribution.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Sportitalia 2 is an Italian sports television channel associated with the Sportitalia network. The service began in September 2005 as a secondary outlet of Sportitalia under the name SI Live 24. Its initial role was to extend the parent network's sports programming through a separate channel, with a schedule oriented toward continuous sports coverage and complementary programming. It was subsequently renamed Sportitalia 24 in 2007 and later Sportitalia 2 in August 2009. The channel's distribution history reflects the changing structure of Italian television. In its early years, Sportitalia 2 was carried on digital terrestrial multiplexes and later became available on the Sky Italia satellite platform. It also expanded beyond conventional television: from April 2008, the channel was available through streaming on Sportitalia's official website. This made the service an early example of a sports broadcaster combining linear television distribution with online access. Between 2009 and 2012, the channel moved among Italian digital terrestrial multiplexes as broadcasting agreements and regional digital switch-off arrangements changed. It was carried first through the Mediaset 2 and TIMB 1 infrastructure, later through arrangements involving Tivuitalia and Screen Service, and subsequently on TIMB 2 in areas where the digital transition had taken place. Sportitalia 2 also joined Sky Italia on channel 226 in March 2009. During this period, the network increasingly used widescreen 16:9 presentation for selected events, reflecting the technical modernization of Italian sports television. Sportitalia 2's first major operating phase ended at midnight on 1 November 2013, when Sportitalia's channels were closed and replaced by the LT Group Multimedia channels Sport Uno, Sport Due, and Sport Tre. Those replacement channels themselves ceased broadcasting in February 2014. The Sportitalia service later returned to the Italian market, and on 1 July 2019 the channel reappeared under the SI Live 24 name. In its renewed form, it was distributed exclusively through the web and through HbbTV on compatible smart televisions rather than through the earlier national digital terrestrial and satellite configuration. The brand therefore represents both a channel and a distribution concept within Sportitalia: a continuously available sports outlet that has moved from a conventional secondary television channel to an internet- and connected-TV-oriented service. Its known market is Italy, and publicly documented material identifies it primarily as a national sports broadcaster rather than as a standalone corporate entity. The available reference material does not establish a current legal owner, executive team, headquarters, financial performance, or a detailed program-by-program rights portfolio.
History
Sportitalia 2 originated in September 2005 as a secondary channel created from the Sportitalia service. It initially used the name SI Live 24, signaling a continuous sports-oriented format. In 2007 it was renamed Sportitalia 24. The channel broadened its availability in April 2008 when it began streaming through Sportitalia's official website, in addition to its television distribution. Its terrestrial distribution changed several times during the transition to digital television in Italy. In January 2009, Sportitalia and Sportitalia 24 stopped using the Mediaset 2 multiplex and moved to TIMB 1. In March of the same year, Sportitalia 24 was added to the Sky Italia platform on channel 226. On 21 August 2009, the service adopted the Sportitalia 2 name. Later that year, Sportitalia and Sportitalia 2 began showing some events in 16:9 format, although the appropriate broadcast flag was not consistently activated. In February 2011, Sportitalia 2 moved to digital-terrestrial capacity operated by Tivuitalia, a Screen Service company, under a two-year broadcasting arrangement. In December 2011, the Sportitalia channels were added to the TIMB 2 multiplex in areas that had completed the digital switch-off and then became broadly visible through that multiplex. The channels were removed from the Tivuitalia multiplex in June 2012. The first lifecycle of Sportitalia 2 ended on 1 November 2013, when Sportitalia 1, Sportitalia 2, and Sportitalia 24 closed. They were replaced by Multimedia Sport Uno, Sport Due, and Sport Tre, operated within the LT Group structure. The replacement channels also closed on 20 February 2014. On 1 July 2019, almost six years after the closure, the service returned under the SI Live 24 identity. The revived outlet was distributed through the web and HbbTV on compatible smart televisions, marking a shift away from the earlier national terrestrial and satellite model toward internet delivery and connected-TV access. Publicly available reference material documents the channel's naming and distribution changes but does not provide a complete account of its programming rights, current corporate ownership, management, or financial position.
- 2019
Return as SI Live 24
[1]The broadcaster returned on 1 July through web streaming and HbbTV distribution.
- 2013
First broadcast closure
[1]Sportitalia 2 closed with the other Sportitalia channels and was replaced by LT Group Multimedia sports channels.
- 2011
Move to Tivuitalia digital-terrestrial capacity
[1]The channel moved to digital-terrestrial capacity operated by Tivuitalia under an arrangement reported as lasting two years.
- 2009
Terrestrial multiplex and satellite expansion
[1]The channel moved from the Mediaset 2 multiplex to TIMB 1 and joined Sky Italia on channel 226.
- 2009
Renamed Sportitalia 2
[1]On 21 August, Sportitalia 24 adopted the Sportitalia 2 name.
- 2008
Official website streaming begins
[1]From 5 April, Sportitalia 24 was also available as an online stream through the broadcaster's official website.
- 2007
Renamed Sportitalia 24
[1]The service changed its name from SI Live 24 to Sportitalia 24.
- 2005
Launch as SI Live 24
[1]The channel began in September as a secondary service created from Sportitalia.
Products and positioning
An Italian sports television service positioned as a continuous, complementary outlet within the Sportitalia network, with distribution evolving from digital terrestrial and satellite television toward web streaming and connected-TV access.
Sports television channel · 2009
Sportitalia 2
The channel's principal identity from August 2009 until its 2013 closure. It functioned as a complementary sports outlet within the Sportitalia network and was distributed through Italian digital-terrestrial multiplexes, with a period of availability on Sky Italia. Its programming and distribution were part of the wider Sportitalia channel offering.
Web and HbbTV sports service · 2019
SI Live 24
The revived identity used from July 2019 for the return of the Sportitalia service. Unlike its earlier phase, the channel was documented as operating exclusively through internet streaming and HbbTV on compatible smart televisions.
Brand decisions
2019
Return through connected-TV distributionStrategyBackground
The Sportitalia service had been absent from the air since the 2013 closure.
Action taken
The broadcaster returned as SI Live 24 with distribution through the web and HbbTV on enabled smart televisions.
Aftermath
The return marked a shift from the earlier terrestrial and satellite model toward online and hybrid broadcast-broadband delivery.
2013
End the original Sportitalia 2 broadcast serviceStrategyBackground
Sportitalia's original group of channels had undergone several terrestrial distribution changes and was facing a restructuring of the available channel lineup.
Action taken
Sportitalia 2 and the related Sportitalia channels were closed and replaced by Multimedia Sport Uno, Sport Due, and Sport Tre.
Aftermath
The replacement channels closed in February 2014, while the Sportitalia service later returned under the SI Live 24 identity.
2009
Rename from Sportitalia 24 to Sportitalia 2Generation changeBackground
The secondary Sportitalia service had operated as Sportitalia 24 since 2007 and was being distributed across terrestrial and satellite platforms.
Action taken
The channel changed its name to Sportitalia 2 on 21 August 2009.
Aftermath
The new identity remained in use until the channel's closure in November 2013.
Sources2 sources
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