Italian Court Rules Against Rai in Sky Dispute

ROME: An Italian court has ruled that state broadcaster Rai is in the wrong for blocking Sky Italia’s carriage of its free-to-air channels on the Sky platform.

A Rome administrative court declared that Rai is violating its public service charter by encrypting its free-to-air channels, denying Sky the ability to carry the channels on its platform. Sky Italia filed suit a while back to challenge a 2009 decision by Italian communications watchdog AGCOM that permitted Rai to encrypt some of its programming.

Andrea Zappia, the CEO of Sky Italia, commented: “The ruling of the Regional Administrative Court of Lazio is a victory for all Sky subscribers and represents an important reminder that Rai must comply with its public service obligations towards all Italian citizens. With this ruling, the Regional Administrative Court reaffirmed a principle of justice and a principle of non-discrimination towards Sky subscribers who, over the last years, have unfortunately seen some programs being blacked out on their Sky decoders—as recently happened again on the occasion of the European Football Championship—even though they pay Rai’s license fee.”