Canale 5

In 1974 in Milano 2, a satellite city built by Silvio Berlusconi, Giacomo Properzj and Alceo Moretti, the private cable television station Telemilanocavo was founded, whose transmissions began on 24 September. The channel broadcast via cable thanks to the sentence of the Constitutional Court in July, which liberalizes this type of television broadcasting. Approximately 5,000 households are connected to the cable system, which corresponded to 20,000 viewers.

Then, following the liberalization of terrestrial local broadcasting, many other television stations were born and competition, causing a drop in revenues, led the owners to sell the television in 1976 for the symbolic price of one lira to a company of the Berlusconi group, based in a basement of an apartment building near the Palazzo dei Cigni, also condoning the unpaid rent.[1]

With the transition from cable to terreatrial, Telemilanocavo moved its studios to the Palazzo dei Cigni and became Telemilano 58, from the name of the UHF channel frequency used and taken over by the local broadcaster TVI Television International of Milan, with a system in Hotel Michelangelo. At the same time technical investments were made with the alliance of an entrepreneur specialized in the production of equipment for the reception of television signals, Adriano Galliani, who assumed an important role in the production of the broadcaster's television equipment. Success came in the 1979-1980 season with several broadcasts conducted, among others, by Mike Bongiorno, Claudio Lippi, Claudio Cecchetto and I Gatti di Vicolo Miracoli.

On February 23, 1979, the trademark "Canale 5" was registered in Milan. A few months later, on 12 November, the trademark "Canale 5 Music Srl" was also registered in the same city. The name was chosen by Berlusconi with Adriano Galliani "for a matter of euphony" but also because a local name like that of Telemilano was starting to feel tight for a broadcaster that aspired to become a major national television network. In this period Berlusconi buys several local private broadcasters scattered throughout Italy: the idea of the "pizzone" (the shipment of pre-recorded videotapes from one broadcaster to another) emerges after Berlusconi bought Tele Torino International from FIAT.

On January 10, 1980 Silvio Berlusconi and Mike Bongiorno held a press conference in the Telemilano studios. With a view to create a national network, Berlusconi agrees with about 50 private broadcasters (even those not owned by him) scattered throughout Italy, to broadcast the same programs at the same time on all stations. The experiment officially begins with the game show I sogni nel casetto (Dreams in the Drawer), hosted by Mike Bongiorno and produced by Reteitalia. The game show, together with other Reteitalia productions, will have largely positive audience results, also thanks to the "pizzone" technique, thanks to which Reteitalia's productions were broadcast nationwide.

Thus began, in this period, the broadcasts of Canale 5 as a network at extra-regional level throughout the north. In the center-south, the network was called Canale 10 and had the same programming, logo and ownership as Canale 5.[2] In Lombardy, programming covered the whole day, while in the other regions it could be broadcast starting in the late morning or only in the evening thanks to the interconnection with the local broadcasters associated with the circuit.

On 11 November 1980, the Canale 5 logo definitively replaced that of Canale 10 also in the center-south; is the official start date of transmissions of the national network of Canale 5.[3] The opening and closing theme of the programs begins with the song Rondò veneziano by Gian Piero Reverberi chosen by Berlusconi under the advice of Freddy Naggiar of Baby Records.

The first sporting event of great interest broadcast was the Mundialito (from 30 December 1980 to 10 January 1981), a football tournament held in Uruguay to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first edition of the World Cup. Reteitalia secured the European television rights but then sold them to Rai and in exchange was able to broadcast the matches of the tournament, except those of the national team and the final, live in Lombardy and delayed in the other Italian regions. The matches reach an audience of eight million viewers.

In 1981 Canale 5 obtained legal recognition as a unitary circuit that broadcast over the following stations:

1. Telemilano 58 (Lombardia);
2. Tele Emilia-Romagna (Emilia-Romagna);
3. Tele Torino International (Piemonte);
4. Video Adige (Trentino-Alto Adige);
5. Video Veneto (Veneto);
6. A&G Television (Liguria);
7. Tele Toscana 1 and Teleamiata (Toscana);
8. Videoumbria (Umbria);
9. Roma TV (Lazio);
10. Sole TV (Abruzzo);
11. Ischia TV (Campania);
12. Puglia TV (Puglia);
13. Tele Calabria 1 (Calabria);
14. TVR and Tele Monte Lauro (Sicilia);
15. Sardegna TV (Sardegna).

The companies related to these stations were then absorbed by the Canale 5 SpA company in 1990.

In 1981, the first variety show produced on its own by Fininvest was created, the show Hello Goggi hosted by Loretta Goggi. Although Mike Bongiorno had already hosted some successful programs on Canale 5, Loretta Goggi is the first Rai personality to leave public TV to work on Canale 5, as well as the first woman. However, the program did not get the ratings it expected, due to the network's inexperience in the production and creation of variety shows and the lack of live coverage, then reserved for Rai and local broadcasters.

With Buongiorno Italia presented by Marco Columbro and Antonella Vianini, the broadcasts were also extended to the morning and around 8pm, even if Canale 5 did not have a newscast due to the lack of live coverage, an information program called Canale 5 News - Speciale was broadcast.

Furthermore, in 1981 Canale 5 bought the rights to broadcast the American soap opera Dallas, which in the following years was the protagonist of a true "audience war" against Dynasty of Mondadori's competitor Rete 4.

In the early 1980s Canale 5 also broadcast container programs such as Pomeriggio con Five and Okay, dedicated to American and European cartoons and Japanese anime.

Between 1980 and 1981, however, advertising revenues went from 13 to 75 billion lire. There were 6,000 hours of cinema in the network's film warehouse.

Between September and December 1981, the average daily audience was 1,400,000, equal to 10% of the total, while in 1983 the percentage rose to 13%. The advertising turnover is 110 billion, equal to 20% of the total. From 1982, after Loretta Goggi and Mike Bongiorno, many other Italian television personalities from Rai signed a contract with Fininvest such as Corrado, who led to the debut of the morning quiz Il pranzo è servito, which inaugurated the noon time slot, and the Sandra Mondaini and Raimondo Vianello couple, who presented the variety show Attenti a noi due. In 1982 the Speciale Canale 5 - News segment changed its name to Canale 5 News and began to be broadcast in the late evening slot. In 1983, the evening television audience amounted to over 8 million, equal to almost 30% of the total; in 1984, according to the ISTEL survey, they exceeded 9 million, equal to 33%.

Among the successes of the period are the television series Dallas and The Thorn Birds, both with 15 million viewers, and the afternoon schedule was filled with American series and soap operas while the morning schedule with quizzes and game shows such as Encore, hosted by Mike Bongiorno.

In 1982 Fininvest bought Italia 1 from Edilio Rusconi and made it its second network. Later, in 1984, it also took over Rete 4 from Mondadori; following this, some programs first seen on Rete 4 moved to Canale 5, such as the Maurizio Costanzo Show, which would be broadcast for over twenty years, and also Nonsolomoda.

In October 1984, the National Independent Radio Association filed a complaint against Fininvest which in fact violated the law on the radio and television monopoly; subsequently, the group's three networks were shut down in the Lazio, Abruzzo and Piedmont regions, but the Craxi I Government intervened, issuing a decree-law later known as the Berlusconi Decree (which legalized national broadcasting over the air, including by private radio and television broadcasters), repealed the Rai monopoly law. A few days before the blackout, Canale 5 begins to offer a schedule based on information, with new programs conducted by Arrigo Levi, Guglielmo Zucconi, Giorgio Bocca and Peter Nichols: due to the blackout, the debut of all these broadcasts took place in December.

In 1985 programmes such as Buona Domenica and Forum made their debut, which would become the longest-running program on the Mediaset networks.

In 1987, Canale 5 achieved an historic record: the prime-time premiere of the film The Lady in Red on January 14, was followed by almost 13 million viewers, reaching over 48% share. Also in 1987 Caffelatte was born, a container of cartoons, which would then move to Italia 1 the following year.

Following the Mammì law of 1990, Canale 5 (together with Italia 1 and Rete 4) obtained the authorization to broadcast live nationally; the direction was assigned in 1991 to Giorgio Gori. The first live broadcasts on the network are Cos'è cos'è, conducted by Jocelyn Hattab, Non è la Rai, directed by Gianni Boncompagni and Buona Domenica which in this period finally manages to beat Domenica in, broadcast on Rai 1 in the same slot. However, the programming is similar to the previous decade, with morning and early evening quizzes such as Tutti x uno and La Ruota della Fortuna, which becomes the most watched program in that time slot for the entire first half of the nineties. Furthermore, Striscia la Notizia came from Italia 1, which enjoyed enormous success and is still broadcast in the prime access slot of the network. The program will then act as a "driving force" for TG5, which had its first edition on January 13, 1992, under the direction of Enrico Mentana.

Some programs born on Italia 1 are promoted on Canale 5, such as Paperissima - Errori in TV and Scherzi a parte.

There was no shortage of programs for children and teenagers, such as Bim Bum Bam, broadcast from 1991 to 1997 (previously on air and then returned to Italia 1), every afternoon, within which American cartoons, Japanese anime and live-action TV series were broadcast for children; in the 1993/94 season A tutto Disney was also aired, replacing Bim Bum Bam (for this season airing only from Monday to Friday) on Saturday afternoons and offering classic Disney cartoons interspersed with segments and games with Irene Ferri and Riccardo Rossi. However, the program is little appreciated and was canceled and replaced by the fortunate Bim Bum Bam which will also return to air on Saturdays.

In April 1996, Fininvest 's television activities were brought together under the Mediaset brand.[4]

During this period the Canale 5 schedule was based on self-produced TV series and programs such as Ore 12, Stranamore, Beato tra le donne and Tira & Molla .

In 2000 reality shows arrive in Italy with Grande Fratello which will obtain excellent results reaching 16 million viewers for the final of the program, and which during the season sees numerous controversies. Other programs destined for a long life also make their debut, C'è posta per te with Maria De Filippi and Chi vuol essere millionario?, with Gerry Scotti. Striscia la Notizia, thanks to its success and the consequent greater demand for advertisements, extends its duration. Other hits of the period are Stranamore and La Corrida.

Otherwise, the programming is still similar to the previous decade, containing self-produced TV series such as Carabinieri and District of Police as well as programs such as Ciao Darwin and Zelig .

On 22 May 2001, in conjunction with the Notte dei Telegatti, Canale 5 renewed its graphic layout, presenting a stylized version of the logo. This new logo appears for the first time after the end of the episode of Striscia la Notizia and at the same time as the usual announcement of Fiorella Pierobon's prime time. On the same day, The Sopranos premiered.

In November 2004 Enrico Mentana leaves the direction of TG5 to Carlo Rossella and then to Clemente Mimun on 3 July 2007.

During this period, all the network's programs are reconfirmed, both on weekdays and on holidays, with no change in hosting. The only significant change is the move from Italia 1 of the late evening broadcast Chiambretti Night, hosted by Piero Chiambretti and promoted to the flagship network Mediaset due to the satisfactory ratings data, which flanks Matrix and, during the broadcasting period of the reality show, Mai dire Big Brother.

On 19 September 2012, Canale 5 proposed the first Champions League match in HD on 506 of terrestrial television channel on Mediaset HD, which temporarily replaced the high definition version of Italia 1.

On 5 December 2012, Canale 5 HD was activated on mux La3 visible throughout Italy with the exception of northwestern Tuscany, where the Monte Serra transmitting center has switched off the multiplex for interference.

On 16 April 2018, the logo and graphic design were renewed ahead of the 2018 World Cup broadcast on the Mediaset networks. The same rebrand also applies to TG5.

The channel secured the 2021-2024 rights cycle for the Coppa Italia, starting from the round of 16.

It is the channel's interactive television service on DTT. It provides access to current news, weather forecasts, programming guides and games coded in Mhp.

In 2006, during the summer an app was launched that the users to watch Mediaset's archive television series such as Odiens, La sai l'ultima? and Il pranzo è servito.

• Average Monthly Day on Target Individuals 4+