TV Sorrisi e Canzoni
TV Sorrisi e Canzoni is an Italian weekly entertainment and television listings magazine.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
TV Sorrisi e Canzoni is an Italian weekly magazine focused on television schedules, music, entertainment and celebrity-oriented popular culture. Its title can be translated approximately as “TV, Smiles and Songs,” reflecting the publication’s historical combination of broadcasting information and music coverage. The magazine was established in 1952 in Foligno by Casa Editrice Campi under the original title Sorrisi e Canzoni d’Italia, with Agostino Campi serving as editor-in-chief. Its first issues were released irregularly, but the publication adopted the shorter name Sorrisi e Canzoni and became a weekly in June 1953. The magazine developed an early connection with Italy’s major popular-music events. From 1955, it published the lyrics of songs competing at the Sanremo Music Festival in advance of the competition. This helped position the title as a practical and highly accessible guide to contemporary Italian music, at a time when lyrics, radio exposure and festival appearances were central parts of the country’s mass entertainment culture. In 1960, during the editorship of Tarquinio Maiorino, the publication adopted its current name, TV Sorrisi e Canzoni, emphasizing television’s growing importance in Italian households. Its editorial role expanded further during the 1960s and 1970s. In 1967, the magazine introduced Superclassifica, a chart of the best-selling recordings in Italy. The feature became an important branded music property and strengthened the magazine’s position within the recording industry and broader pop-cultural conversation. In 1971, the publication created the Telegatto awards, an entertainment award initiative associated with television and popular media personalities. Under editor-in-chief Gigi Vesigna, the magazine moved beyond schedules, radio and music to include wider entertainment reporting, current-affairs material and lifestyle news. Ownership changed as the title grew. In the mid-1970s, Rizzoli acquired the magazine and moved its editorial offices to Segrate, near Milan. In 1982, it was purchased by Silvio Berlusconi, and in 1997 Berlusconi sold it to Mondadori. The title subsequently became part of the Mondadori publishing group’s magazine portfolio. Publicly cited circulation figures show that the magazine reached very large audiences during the late twentieth century and remained one of Italy’s leading television magazines in the early twenty-first century: reported circulation exceeded 1.8 million copies in 1984, approached 2 million in the period from September 1993 to August 1994, and was reported at 1.622 million copies in 2001. It was also reported as Italy’s best-selling magazine in 2004, with circulation of approximately 1.381 million copies. The brand’s core proposition combines utility and entertainment. Readers can use it to find television listings while also following performers, television programs, music releases, awards and lifestyle-oriented stories. Its editorial identity has therefore depended on translating the rapidly changing Italian entertainment industry into a mass-market weekly format. As television, music distribution and media consumption have evolved, the brand has extended its presence through the Sorrisi.com website, while retaining its association with the printed magazine. The available reference material does not identify a current editor-in-chief, current circulation, or a detailed breakdown of its present digital and print operations.
History
TV Sorrisi e Canzoni began in 1952 in Foligno as Sorrisi e Canzoni d’Italia, a publication launched by Casa Editrice Campi with Agostino Campi as editor-in-chief. After three irregularly issued numbers, it adopted the name Sorrisi e Canzoni and established a weekly publishing rhythm in June 1953. The magazine’s early editorial identity linked popular music with broadcasting. Beginning in 1955, it published Sanremo Music Festival lyrics before the event, giving readers advance access to material associated with one of Italy’s most important music competitions. In 1960, under editor-in-chief Tarquinio Maiorino, the title became TV Sorrisi e Canzoni. The change reflected television’s increasing importance and gave the publication the name under which it became widely recognized. The magazine added a national best-selling-records chart in 1967. Known as Superclassifica, the feature connected the title to the Italian recording market and became one of its most recognizable editorial properties. In 1971, the magazine created the Telegatto awards, extending its role from reporting on television and music to actively organizing a prominent entertainment award property. The publication broadened its editorial range under Gigi Vesigna. In addition to television and radio schedules and music, it began covering wider entertainment topics, current affairs and lifestyle news. This expansion helped the magazine serve as a general popular-entertainment weekly rather than a narrowly functional listings publication. Corporate ownership also changed over time. Rizzoli acquired the magazine in the mid-1970s and moved the editorial office to Segrate, in the Milan area. Silvio Berlusconi purchased the title in 1982. In 1997, he sold it to Mondadori, after which it became part of the Mondadori publishing group. Reported circulation figures indicate a substantial mass-market presence: 1,836,355 copies in 1984; 1,997,809 copies between September 1993 and August 1994; 1,622,000 copies in 2001; 1,381,000 copies in 2004; 1,086,414 copies in 2007; and 883,220 copies in 2010. The available sources describe it as Italy’s leading television magazine during several of those periods and as one of the world’s major television-magazine titles by circulation in the early 2000s. The brand continues to combine weekly listings with entertainment journalism and has an associated digital presence through Sorrisi.com. The available reference material does not establish a current editor, current ownership structure beyond its Mondadori affiliation, or current circulation.
- 1997
Sale to Mondadori
[1]Berlusconi sold the title to Mondadori, which incorporated it into its publishing portfolio.
- 1982
Acquisition by Silvio Berlusconi
[1]Silvio Berlusconi purchased the magazine.
- 1975
Rizzoli ownership period begins
[1]The magazine was acquired by Rizzoli during the mid-1970s, and its editorial office moved to Segrate.
- 1971
Telegatto established
[1]TV Sorrisi e Canzoni created the Telegatto entertainment awards.
- 1967
Superclassifica introduced
[1]The magazine launched a chart tracking the best-selling recordings in Italy.
- 1960
Current title adopted
[1]During Tarquinio Maiorino’s editorship, the publication became TV Sorrisi e Canzoni.
- 1955
Sanremo lyrics coverage begins
[1]The magazine began publishing Sanremo Music Festival lyrics ahead of the competition.
- 1953
Adoption of the Sorrisi e Canzoni name
[1]After three irregular issues, the magazine adopted the shorter title and became a weekly in June.
- 1952
Launch as Sorrisi e Canzoni d’Italia
[1]Casa Editrice Campi established the magazine in Foligno, with Agostino Campi as editor-in-chief.
Products and positioning
A mass-market Italian entertainment and television-listings brand combining practical programming information with music charts, celebrity coverage, television reporting, lifestyle content and popular-culture features.
Weekly magazine · 1952
TV Sorrisi e Canzoni
The core weekly print publication provides television schedules alongside reporting on music, television, performers, entertainment events, current affairs and lifestyle. Its format combines a practical listings function with broad popular-culture coverage, allowing it to serve both as a program guide and as a general entertainment magazine.
Music chart · 1967
Superclassifica
Introduced in 1967, Superclassifica is the magazine’s branded chart of best-selling recordings in Italy. It strengthened the publication’s relationship with the music business and gave readers a recurring reference point for popular recording trends.
Entertainment award · 1971
Telegatto
Established in 1971, Telegatto is an award property created by TV Sorrisi e Canzoni and associated with television and entertainment. It expanded the brand’s role from publishing coverage of popular media to organizing and promoting an entertainment recognition platform.
Digital media
Sorrisi.com
Sorrisi.com is the brand’s official web presence, extending TV Sorrisi e Canzoni’s entertainment and television-oriented identity into a digital channel. The available references do not provide a detailed description of its current editorial services.
Brand decisions
1971
Creation of the Telegatto awardsProduct launchBackground
The publication had expanded from listings and music into broader television and entertainment coverage.
Action taken
It established the Telegatto awards as an entertainment recognition initiative.
Aftermath
The awards broadened the brand’s visibility and connected it directly with television personalities and entertainment programming.
1967
Launch of SuperclassificaProduct launchBackground
The magazine’s music coverage created an opportunity to provide a regular ranking of recordings popular in Italy.
Action taken
TV Sorrisi e Canzoni introduced Superclassifica, a chart of national best-selling recordings.
Aftermath
The chart became a recurring music property and reinforced the brand’s position within Italian popular music coverage.
1960
Repositioning around televisionStrategyBackground
Television was becoming increasingly central to Italian mass entertainment, while the magazine already covered radio and music.
Action taken
The publication adopted the name TV Sorrisi e Canzoni under editor-in-chief Tarquinio Maiorino.
Aftermath
The new title clarified the magazine’s television-centered identity while retaining its established association with music.
Sources2 sources
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