Disney+ Signs New Deal With Rai
After making deals with many European partners, Disney has announced a brand new agreement with the Italian broadcaster, Rai, that will bring some of Rai’s most iconic titles to Disney+ customers.
This groundbreaking agreement between one of Europe’s leading public broadcasters, through its subsidiary Rai Com, the commercial arm of public television, and one of the leading global streaming services, expands Rai’s reach and the Disney+ catalogue, while strengthening the long-standing relationship between the two companies.
As part of this initiative, “Belve,” the renowned, conversation-driving talk show hosted by Francesca Fagnani, and “The Floor – Ne rimarrà solo uno,” the high-energy game show hosted this year by Paola Perego and Gabriele Vagnato, will be available for Disney+ customers to stream from the next day after airing on Rai 2.
In addition, Disney+ will expand its offering of high-quality local content with a selection of Rai’s unmissable titles from the recent past, including beloved series such as “Braccialetti rossi”, “Mina Settembre”, “L’amica geniale”, “Un passo dal cielo” and “Màkari”, as well as the docu-reality series “Il Collegio”, which has become a true cult classic for a generation.
These will be offered soon in a dedicated collection on Disney+ . These new additions will be added to the Rai titles already available on Disney+“Don Matteo”, “I Bastardi Di Pizzofalcone”, “Un Medico In Famiglia”, “Doc – Nelle Tue Mani”, “Il Commissario Ricciardi”, “Le Indagini di Lolita Lobosco”), complementing Disney+ Italian productions such as “The Lions of Sicily”, “The Ignorant Angels”, “This is not Hollywood” (Qui non è Hollywood), and “Boris 4”.
Karl Holmes, General Manager, Disney+ EMEA, said in a statement regarding this new deal:
“This collaboration with Rai will bring Disney+ customers in Italy an even broader selection of incredibly iconic local shows. Rai has a deep connection with viewers, an extraordinary decades-long heritage of high‑quality storytelling, and we are proud to bring them to our audience on Disney+. Building on over 40 years of Disney and Rai working alongside each other in Italy, this initiative also aligns with our approach to working with free‑to‑air broadcasters across Europe, helping them bring their stories to wider audiences while giving Disney+ customers more extraordinary local entertainment and more ways to enjoy the shows they love.”
This is the latest deal made with a European broadcaster, having worked with ITVX in the United Kingdom, RTVE in Spain, SIC in Portugal and ZDF in Germany, which, according to Disney, reflects a shared commitment to championing and supporting local storytelling.
Roger’s Take: Disney has drastically changed its strategy to reach audiences in Europe, shifting from spending millions of dollars on original content that wasn’t necessarily moving the needle, to more of a licenser, picking up some of the best shows and films already available through other providers. While I’d still like Disney to continue investing in more of its own original content, making these deals with European broadcasters does seem like a win/win for both sides. Disney+ gets more localised content, often to a higher standard, likely at a cheaper rate, while the local broadcasters get additional revenue. It’s not yet clear if these Italian shows will be available on Disney+ outside of Italy.
What do you think of this new deal with Rai? Let me know on social media!
