Italy’s media sector generated over €12 billion in revenue last year, a 4 per cent increase from 2023, according to the annual report of the Communications Authority (AgCom). Television accounted for the majority, contributing 72.8 per cent of the total (€8.8 billion), reflecting a 7.3 per cent growth.This growth was primarily driven by advertising revenue and a substantial rise in subscription and content sales across traditional and online channels, with pay-TV remaining the dominant revenue source (42.4 per cent). Public funding also increased, though at a slower pace.Public broadcaster Rai maintained its market leadership (27.3 per cent), followed by Comcast/Sky (22.5 per cent) and Fininvest/MFE-Mediaset (18.9 per cent). Online platforms, including Netflix, DAZN, TIM, Amazon, and Disney, significantly strengthened their position, capturing 21.5 per cent of the sector’s revenue—a 13 percentage point increase since 2020, driven by the appeal of premium content.Free-to-air TV held the largest share of the market (56.3 per cent), generating almost €5 billion in revenue, while pay-TV exhibited stronger growth (+11.2 per cent), approaching €3.9 billion in total revenue. Within pay-TV, satellite platform revenues rebounded, and online audiovisual media services continued their rapid expansion. Revenues from online offerings (subscriptions, sales, and rentals) grew by 15.4 per cent, reaching €2.1 billion and more than doubling their share of total pay-TV revenue since 2020.The rising prominence of online platforms is reshaping the competitive landscape in pay-TV, resulting in a more fragmented market structure, as indicated by a significant decrease in the HHI index.The transition to the DVB-T2 broadcasting system began in August 2024, promising more efficient use of the frequency spectrum, expanded channel availability, and improved visual/audio quality.Audience data showed a slight recovery in overall viewership for digital terrestrial and satellite platforms, but television consumption is increasingly shifting online, with viewers utilising connected TVs, smartphones, PCs, and tablets. Auditel’s total audience measurement, which integrates traditional TV viewership with digital device usage, confirms this trend.
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