Rai

The RAI (full name Rai – Radiotelevisione italiana S.p.A. (pronounced [ˈrai ˌradjoteleviˈzjoːne itaˈljaːna];[2] commercially styled Rai; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane)[3] is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The RAI operates many DVB and Sat television channels and radio stations, broadcasting via digital terrestrial transmission (15 television and 7 radio channels nationwide) and from several satellite platforms. It is the biggest television broadcaster in Italy[citation needed] and competes with Mediaset, and other minor television and radio networks. The RAI has a relatively high television audience share of 33.8%.[4][better source needed] RAI broadcasts are also received in neighboring countries, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, San Marino, Slovenia, Vatican City, Switzerland, and Tunisia, and elsewhere on cable and satellite. Sometimes Rai 1 was received even further in Europe via Sporadic E until the digital switch off in July 2012. Half of the RAI's revenues come from broadcast receiving licence fees, the rest from the sale of advertising time[5][6]. In 1950, the RAI became one of the 23 founding broadcasting organizations of the European Broadcasting Union.