The latest content deal between The Walt Disney Company’s streaming service, Disney+, and a major European broadcaster is with… RAI in Italy.
The agreement, unveiled on Tuesday, follows Friday’s deal with Spain’s RTVE which marked the first time Europe’s state broadcaster has agreed to make shows available on a streaming platform the day after their linear broadcast. Now, the RAI deal marks Disney’s second agreement, also the second in a week, that will bring content to Disney+ directly after its linear broadcast.
As part of it, a popular talk show Balvhosted by Francesca Fagnani and the game show Floor – la rimarrà solo onewhich this year was hosted by Paola Perego and Gabriele Fagnato, will be available to Disney+ customers in Italy to stream from the day after its broadcast on RAI 2.
Additionally, Disney+ will feature RAI titles from the recent past such as Russian Bracciality, MENA SETTEMBER, Nice friend, The passage of time and Makarias well as a documentary reality series Il Colegio. These programs will be presented in a dedicated collection on Disney+ in Italy, which will be launched soon.
The RAI deal is the latest step in Disney+’s big push to strike collaborations with European free-to-air broadcasters. Its previous deals were with ITV in the UK, which was recently expanded to include Hulu, ARD and ZDF in Germany, SIC in Portugal and Atresmedia in Spain.
Disney executives have touted content-sharing agreements with European broadcasters as a win-win proposition, citing that the large free-to-air channels still gather the largest audiences and have the largest shows, along with the largest production budgets. These deals allow Disney+ to complement its successful global content with local programming, while broadcasters get the opportunity to reach younger audiences via Disney’s streaming device.
“This collaboration with RAI will provide Disney+ customers in Italy with a wider selection of incredibly popular local shows,” said Karl Holmes, General Manager of Disney+ EMEA. “RAI has a deep connection with viewers and an exceptional, decades-long legacy of high-quality storytelling, and we’re proud to bring it to our audiences on Disney+.
“Building on more than 40 years of Disney and RAI working side by side in Italy, this initiative also aligns with our approach of working with free-to-air broadcasters across Europe, helping them bring their stories to wider audiences while giving Disney+ customers more exceptional local entertainment and more ways to enjoy the shows they love,” he concluded.
