CANNES, 13 April 2000 – At an MIP-TV Press Conference today, Italian distributor RAI Trade launched Club Channels – two sports channels, Roma and Inter, each focused 24 hours a day on one of Italy’s top soccer teams from the Serie A Football League.

The channels are the result of a partnership between the clubs – targeting their audience directly, by controlling editorial content themselves – and RAI Trade, with its TV production and distribution know-how.

Top international Serie A stars were in attendance for the presentation at the RAI Trade booth R04.25.

The Club Channels will show viewers world-wide news on the teams, along with interviews, training sessions, pre- and post-match analysis, archive footage, club history, and profiles of champions past and present – a wealth of entertainment for football fans.

The programming highlights include:
– 3 hours a day per channel, with multiple re-runs.
– 1000 hours of original programming per year.
– Production crews following each of the teams, full-time.
– Historic archive footage revealed.
– A programming grid adaptable to individual broadcasters.

Production will be carried out on-site at the clubs, in fully self-sufficient studios, fitted with state-of-the art technology, editing, broadcasting and satellite links. RAI Trade provides the production know-how, and will market the channels world-wide.

Leading Italian broadcaster Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI) launched RAI Trade at the end of 1997. Headquartered in Rome with a subsidiary office in Milan, the company is engaged in the sales, marketing and distribution of all RAI products, including pay-TV bouquets, merchandise and multimedia packages.

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