The deals are flowing this week for Disney+ as the Mouse House ties with Italy’s Rai just days after Spain’s RTVE.
The Disney+-Rai deal is similar to RTVE in that certain Rai shows will drop on the streamer the day after airing on Rai 2. These include Belve, the talk show hosted by Francesca Fagnani, and The Floor – Ne Rimarrà Solo Uno, the game show presented this year by Paola Perego and Gabriele Vagnato.
In addition, Disney+ will take recent shows like Braccialetti Rossi, Mina Settembre and docu-reality series Il Collegio. These complement Disney+ Italian productions such as The Lions of Sicily, The Ignorant Angels and This is not Hollywood, Disney said. At Series Mania last week, Disney+ Europe content boss Angela Jain unveiled an Italian adaptation of Tom Hindle’s Murder on Lake Garda.
The deal has been struck between Disney+ and Rai’s commercial arm Rai Com. It comes just four days after the RTVE deal and follows similar pacts with the UK’s ITV and Germany’s ZDF.
Karl Holmes, General Manager, Disney+ EMEA, said: “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.”