Italian TV in the UK at a glance
- RaiPlay from abroad
- Rai News24 live, plus on-demand titles Rai holds the online rights for
- RaiPlay account
- Not needed for live channels; a free account is needed for full on-demand programmes
- Mediaset
- Mediaset International, described as the service for Italians living abroad, in the Mediaset Infinity app
- TV Licence
- Needed in the UK to watch any channel live, including Italian channels
- Time difference
- Italy is 1 hour ahead of the UK all year
App listings checked on the UK App Store on 6 October 2026. A listing doesn’t guarantee that every programme is available in the UK.
Legal ways to watch Italian TV in the UK
RaiPlay
RaiPlay is the streaming service of RAI, Italy’s public broadcaster, and it’s listed free on the UK App Store for iPhone, iPad and Apple TV. In Italy it streams all of Rai’s channels live. From abroad, its listing is specific: you can watch the live Rai News24 channel and the on-demand catalogue of works for which Rai holds the online distribution rights. Other live channels and many programmes are limited to Italy.
Live channels play without registration; a free Rai account is needed for full on-demand programmes.
Mediaset Infinity and Mediaset International
Mediaset Infinity, from RTI, is Mediaset’s streaming app and is also on the UK App Store. In Italy it carries live channels such as Canale 5, Italia 1 and Rete 4, with a restart feature. Its listing describes Mediaset International as the service designed for Italians living abroad, and the UK listing shows paid in-app options such as the Infinity+ subscription and themed film channels. Check what each option includes from the UK before you subscribe.
| App | Publisher | What to expect in the UK |
|---|---|---|
| RaiPlay | RAI | Rai News24 live; on-demand titles Rai holds the online rights for |
| Mediaset Infinity | RTI (Mediaset) | Mediaset International for Italians abroad; paid add-ons in the app |
Why Italian subscriptions show less in the UK
Italian broadcasters license most films, series and sport for Italy. Inside the EU, the Portability Regulation lets subscribers use home services while temporarily in another EU country. According to the UK government, it stopped applying to UK–EEA travel on 1 January 2021, and it never covered people living abroad. RaiPlay’s own listing reflects that: from abroad, only the rights-cleared part is available. Sellers promising “every Italian channel” in the UK for a small fee are usually unlicensed; see is IPTV legal?.
You still need a UK TV Licence
According to TV Licensing, you need a UK licence to watch or record live TV on any channel, including channels from outside the UK, on any device. That includes watching Rai News24 live. On-demand viewing on services other than BBC iPlayer doesn’t need one. See IPTV and the TV Licence.
Setting up Italian channels in an IPTV player
- Guide times. Italy is one hour ahead of the UK all year. If a guide is exactly one hour out, set a time shift in the player; our EPG offset calculator explains which way. If the guide is empty, see EPG not loading.
- Accents. Letters such as à, è, é and ù should display correctly. If they appear as symbols, the playlist or guide file is in the wrong encoding; see editing an M3U playlist.
- Audio and subtitles. Films often carry an Italian dub and the original soundtrack; switch tracks in the player’s audio menu. See subtitles and audio tracks.
Before you pay for Italian channels
- Start with RaiPlay, which is free, and check what Mediaset International offers you.
- Check who you’re paying, with a business name, terms and a refund policy.
- Be wary of packages with every Italian channel, including premium sport, for a few pounds a month.
Living in Italy? See IPTV in Italy. More language guides: French TV in the UK, Portuguese TV in the UK and all languages.