Italian TV Channels in the US: Rai Italia, Mediaset, Serie A

Short answer: from the US, the licensed way to watch Italian TV live is Rai Italia and Mediaset Italia, the two international channels Italy's big broadcasters make for viewers abroad, bought through an authorised distributor. They aren't Rai 1 or Canale 5: they carry the shows, news and some sport those networks own worldwide rights to, re-scheduled for American time zones. Serie A is a separate purchase, and an easy one: every match is on Paramount+. The "IPTV Italia" sellers with Sky Calcio and DAZN for a few euros aren't licensed, and Italy now fines the people who buy them.

The licensed options side by side

Il Globo TV's prices, as shown on its US pages in October 2026: $21.95 a month or $199.95 for the first year ($239.95 a year after that) for one user, and $31.90 a month or $299.90 for the first year for two simultaneous streams. Other distributors price differently, so compare before committing.

Rai Italia, and how it differs from Rai 1

People who grew up with Rai 1 are sometimes disappointed by Rai Italia, so it's worth setting expectations.

Rai Italia is Rai's channel for Italians and Italian speakers abroad. It's built from programmes Rai owns outright: news from TG1, TG2 and TG3, talk and variety shows, Rai's own drama (fiction), documentaries, religious programming and some sport where rights allow. There are separate feeds for different parts of the world, scheduled so prime-time shows land in your evening rather than at 2pm.

What it doesn't show: the American films and series Rai 1 airs in Italy, and most live football, because Rai only bought those rights for Italy. Rai's own big events, such as the Sanremo festival, are the kind of programming that tends to make it onto the international channel.

Mediaset Italia works the same way for Mediaset's Canale 5, Italia 1 and Rete 4: its own entertainment, reality shows and news, adapted for viewers abroad. Having both gives you most of Italy's homegrown TV.

Where to buy Rai Italia and Mediaset Italia

You don't buy Rai Italia from Rai. Rai sells it to distributors, and they sell it to you. There are two kinds.

Pay-TV and streaming partners. Rai's own North American information, posted by the Italian consulate in San Francisco in 2018, said Rai Italia, Rai World Premium and Rai News24 were available through 18 satellite, cable and streaming providers in North America. That was the year Dish dropped the channels and DIRECTV and Fubo were added. Partners have changed since, so the current list on Rai Italia's US "Get Rai" page is the one to trust. Mediaset Italia has been carried by providers including Verizon Fios.

Internet distributors. Services such as Il Globo TV, which describes itself as the largest Italian TV provider outside Italy, sell Rai Italia and Mediaset Italia together in their own app, with no cable subscription needed. That's the simplest route for cord-cutters.

Before paying anyone, check three things:

• The distributor appears on Rai Italia's official partner list, or the broadcaster otherwise confirms it.
• The app runs on the device you own: Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Google TV or a smart TV.
• How many streams you get at once. Il Globo's one-user plan is one stream; a second TV needs the two-user plan.

A licensed distributor will name the exact channels and take normal card payments. Anyone offering Rai 1, Rai 2, Canale 5 and Sky Italia "live from Italy" isn't one.

RaiPlay and Mediaset Infinity from abroad

RaiPlay, Rai's free streaming app, is excellent in Italy. From the US it's frustrating: the live channels and a large share of the catalogue are restricted to viewers in Italy, because of the same rights issues. Some Rai productions do play abroad, and it's worth a look for those, but don't plan around it.

Mediaset Infinity has similar limits outside Italy.

Rai and Mediaset also post clips, news segments and some full programmes on their official YouTube channels. It's a nice extra, not a replacement for the international channels.

Using a VPN to appear Italian breaks RaiPlay's terms, and Italian services increasingly detect it. If you're in the US, the international channels are the version you're licensed to watch.

Serie A and Italian football

Football is the easy part, which surprises people. In the US, Paramount+ carries all 380 Serie A matches, with selected games on CBS, which you can get free with an antenna. Paramount+ starts at about $8 a month and also carries the Champions League, so it covers Inter, Milan, Juventus and Napoli in Europe as well.

A few details:

• Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa are sold separately from the league and may sit elsewhere; check before each tournament.
• If you follow a Serie B club, look up that league's current US rights holder separately; it isn't part of the Serie A deal.

Our Serie A guide has the full country-by-country picture, and our soccer streaming overview covers the other leagues.

The time-difference problem

Italy is six hours ahead of New York and nine ahead of Los Angeles. That shapes what to buy.

That's why Rai Italia's regional scheduling and catch-up matter more than a live feed of Rai 1 would. A seven-day catch-up window, like Il Globo's, means a working family can watch the evening news after dinner rather than mid-afternoon. (The gap shrinks to five hours for a week or two in spring and autumn, when Europe and the US change clocks on different dates.)

Why "IPTV Italia" sellers are a bad bet

The search results for this keyword are dominated by affiliate listicles ranking "IPTV Italia" sellers, with 24-hour trials, three-, six- and twelve-month plans, and promises of Sky Calcio, DAZN and every Rai and Mediaset channel. None of those sellers are licensed. Sky Italia and DAZN don't sell their channels for resale, least of all to anonymous playlists.

Italy also enforces harder than anywhere else in Europe. Its Piracy Shield system lets rights holders have streams blocked within 30 minutes, often mid-match, and Italian law now allows fines for viewers of pirated streams in Italy, not just sellers. A US viewer isn't subject to Italian fines, but you are buying from a market that's being dismantled in real time. Our pieces on IPTV fines by country and spotting a scam go further.

Compare the honest cost: about $22 a month for Rai Italia and Mediaset Italia together, plus about $8 for every Serie A match. That's under $30 a month for a setup that won't vanish in March.

Quick answers

How can I watch Italian TV channels in the USA? Subscribe to Rai Italia and Mediaset Italia, Rai's and Mediaset's international channels, through an authorised pay-TV or internet distributor. Add Paramount+ for Serie A.

Is Rai Italia the same as Rai 1? No. Rai Italia is Rai's international channel, made from programmes Rai owns worldwide rights to, scheduled for overseas time zones. It doesn't carry imported films and series or most football.

How much does Rai Italia cost in the US? It depends on the distributor. Il Globo TV, which includes Rai Italia and Mediaset Italia, charges $21.95 a month or $199.95 for the first year for one user as of October 2026.

Can I watch RaiPlay in the US? Partly. Live channels and much of the catalogue are restricted to Italy, though some Rai productions play abroad.

Where can I watch Serie A in the US? Paramount+ carries all 380 Serie A matches, with selected games on CBS.

Does Fubo or DIRECTV have Rai Italia? Both were added as Rai Italia partners in 2018. Partners change, so check Rai Italia's current US partner list.

Are IPTV Italia subscriptions with Sky Calcio legal? No. Sellers offering Sky Italia, DAZN and every Italian channel for a few euros aren't licensed, and Italy blocks such streams within 30 minutes under Piracy Shield.

Rai Italia and Mediaset Italia distributors, their prices and Serie A's US rights can change between seasons. Check Rai Italia's partner list and the distributor's own pricing page before paying. Checked October 2026.