Rai 2 (until May 2010 known as Rai Due) is the second public television channel broadcast by Italian state-owned broadcaster RAI. Rai 2 first started broadcasting on 4 November 1961. In the eighties it was known for its political affiliation to the Italian Socialist Party; in recent years it has shifted its focus towards the youth with the airing of talk shows, reality television, drama series, sitcoms and infotainment.
The channel launched its own HD feed by late-September 2013 on pay television. The feed entered on DTT in September 2016.
Programmes
A few programmes include:
- TG2 (Newscast)
- Quelli che... il Calcio
- Castle
- Desperate Housewives
- ER
- Eurovision Song Contest (finals until 2015)
- Felicity
- JAG
- Las Vegas
- Law & Order
- Life on Mars
- NCIS
- NCIS: Los Angeles
- NUMB3RS
- Once Upon a Time
- Past Life
- Popular
- Primeval
- Starsky and Hutch
- Digimon (2000-2013, now moved to Super!)
- The PowerPuff Girls
- Kid Paddle
- Ashita no Nadja
- Pretty Cure
- Teletubbies
- Monster Allergy
- Wunschpunsch
- Winx Club (2004-2014, now moved to Rai Gulp)
- Chaotic (Caiotici)
- NASCAR Racers (Gare Nascar)
- Inazuma Eleven
- Yo-Kai Watch (Le Avventure di Yo-Kai Watch)
- Tokyo Mew Mew
- Spaced Out (Gli Astromartin)
- Robotboy
- Tom
- Scan2Go
- Wheel Squad
- Star Wars Resistance (upcoming)
- Alisa Knows What to Do! (upcoming)
- Code Lyoko (Note: did not air the second, third and fourth series)
- Random/ Cartoon Flakes (2005-2014)
- Go-Cart mattina (1997-2005)
Not longer aired programmes
Until 1975 regular broadcasting was monochrome, with very few exceptions. Since late 1975, then called Rete 2 began airing some new shows in colour, then beginning semi-regular colour broadcasting during the autumn season (a few hours a week). Rai 1 followed its "sister network" a few months later. Eventually, regular broadcasting in colour began on 1 February 1977.
- Rischiatutto, one-hour-long Italian version of Jeopardy!, hosted by Mike Bongiorno, aired on Thursday night, from 5 February 1970, at 9:15 PM (in 1972 season at 9:30 PM). About 20 million viewers watched every episode of the show,[2] the first one aired on Rai 2 to enter in the list of the Ten Most Watched Programmes on Italian TV during the year. The final two seasons (1973 and 1974) were aired on Rai 1.
- Ondalibera (known popularly as Televacca, Cow TV), was a one-hour-long comedy and satirical show hosted by a very young Roberto Benigni in his television debut. In the show, the Tuscan peasant Mario Cioni (Benigni) hosts a programme aired in the fictional local channel Televacca, which has its headquarters in a stable full of hay and animals. Using a sometimes vulgar and desecrating speech, with a heavy Tuscan accent, Benigni improvised monologues and satirised the TV medium and the society. Co-hosts were the boor Monna (Carlo Monni) and his "daughter" Donatella, a Daisy Mae Yokum stylish young woman.[3] Considered one of the most controversial programmes in Italian TV history, censored and interrupted after only four episodes despite being relatively successful, the programme debuted on 19 December 1976, airing on Sunday nights at 8:45 PM.[4]