Italiana (powered by Rai) (formerly Rai Scuola) is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned by Rai, an arm of state-owned broadcaster RAI. Launched in 1999 as Rai Edu Lab, the channel adopted its current name in 2026.
Programming The channel broadcasts documentaries, culture, and cuisine.
History Replacing RaiSat 3 - Encyclopedia, the channel was born on 28 June 1999 under the name of Rai Educational Sat and was originally broadcast only via satellite. On 10 June 2002, after the channel was split, it changed its name to Rai Edu 1 and, on 19 October 2009, to Rai Scuola.
From 3 February 2004, Rai Edu 1 also became available on digital terrestrial television in most of the Italian national territory with Mux B.
From 2 February 2009, it was replaced in this multiplex by Rai Storia, but the channel's broadcasts on digital terrestrial continued until 18 May 2010, when the logos of the Rai channels were renewed.
From 21 December 2011, the channel returned to broadcast on digital terrestrial for the areas covered by Mux 2 until 14 September 2015. It currently broadcasts on RAI Mux B.
From 4 January 2017, the channel began broadcasting in high definition on the Tivùsat satellite platform.
On 10 April 2017, Rai Scuola renewed its logo, graphics and colours, going from lilac to orange.
From 20 October 2021, the standard definition version on digital terrestrial switches to MPEG-4 encoding while remaining visible only on HD devices.
On 14 December 2021, following a frequency reorganization, the SD version was removed from satellite, leaving only the HD version available. Consequently, the channel became available free-to-air.
On 17 January 2022, following a reorganization of certain channels, it moved to channel 26 on Tivùsat.
On 8 March 2022, following a reorganization of digital terrestrial frequencies and channels, Rai Scuola moved to channel 57, previously occupied by Rai Sport + HD. From March 16, 2023, it is also available on channel 146, replacing Rai Sport HD, which remains available only on channel 58.
On 28 August 2024, the channel broadcasts its programming exclusively in high definition via the new DVB-T2 digital terrestrial standard, alongside Rai Storia and Rai Radio 2 Visual.
On 16 February 2026, the channel broadcasts on digital terrestrial television using HEVC encoding.
On 3 July 2026, during the presentation of the television schedules for the 2026/2027 season, Rai announced the closure of Rai Scuola effective from 30 September to 1 October 2026. The channel was replaced by "Italiana," a new television channel focused on showcasing national culture, heritage, and productions.
Logos and identities
See also RAI Rai Storia Rai Nettuno Sat 1
References
External links