The future of Italy’s television

During the roundtable, participants discussed several fundamental aspects of the ongoing transition to a very different sort of television. By 2012, tv will be made up of a sort of “digital pie” in three pieces: paid and free satellite – with hundreds of channels; cable – with sixty or so channels; and IP – with hundreds, or even thousands of channels, including accessible libraries and programs on demand. Markets will change accordingly, as will the primary players and the norms regulating it all. To this end, participants considered the Italian Gentiloni Bill on television reform. No agreement could be reached, as the pros and cons of the bill inspired diverse evaluations. Participants also considered the role of public television in Italy and Europe today, as well as proposals to overhaul RAI.