RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (Italian: [ˈrai ˌradjoteleviˈzjoːne itaˈljaːna]), commercially styled as Rai since 2000 and known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane (RAI), is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many terrestrial and subscription television channels and radio stations. It is one of the biggest broadcasters in Europe and the biggest in Italy, competing with Mediaset and other minor radio and television networks. RAI has a relatively high television audience share of about 35.9%.
RAI broadcasts are also received in surrounding countries, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, France, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, San Marino, Slovenia, Switzerland, Serbia, Romania, Tunisia, and the Vatican City, and elsewhere on pay television and some channels FTA across Europe including UK on the Hotbird satellite. Half of RAI's revenues come from the broadcast receiving licence fees, the remainder from the sale of advertising time. In 1950, RAI became one of the 23 founding members of the European Broadcasting Union.
