Since September 12, 2016, the Italian national broadcaster RAI has replaced the television channel Rai.tv with the multimedia website known as RaiPlay. If you want to watch on-demand content on RaiPlay, you will need to login or register for free first.
Access was initially necessary solely for the application itself; however, beginning on August 21, 2017, it has also been required while using the browser.
The most recent content and live streaming are posted on the profiles that RaiPlay maintains on the most popular social media networks, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The website can also be accessed on mobile devices such as smartphones using a specialized app that can be downloaded from the Microsoft Store, Google Play, or the App Store. Rai Pubblicità is in charge of managing the commercials.
What is RaiPlay
Rai.tv was rebranded as RaiPlay on September 12, 2016, and while the update brought updated visuals and functionality, it did not bring back the live streaming or radio content. Since December of 2016, users of Smart TVs have been able to access RaiPlay.
Since the first of June in 2017, with the broadcasting of the second season of Non uccidere, all episodes of new seasons belonging to Rai series or purchased from other broadcasters have been made available online via the platform known as RaiPlay Anteprima.
A significant upgrade was introduced on the 30th of October, 2019, which made the app appear more comparable to those of other providers such as Netflix or Amazon Prime Video. The first original show produced by the service, titled Viva RaiPlay!, was made available for streaming on November 5 of the same year. This program was also broadcast on Rai 1 up until November 8th of this year. On November 13th, it was made available only through RaiPlay.
RaiPlay is a free video streaming platform that may be accessed via your computer, tablet, smartphone, or smart TV as long as it is connected to the internet.
With RaiPlay, you are able to watch live broadcasts of any of the 14 Rai TV stations as well as "clip" and "extra" content on demand, even if you haven't registered for the service.
You can have access to a massive on-demand catalog of programs, TV series, fiction, films, documentaries, concerts, cartoons, and much more if you register for RaiPlay. This catalog includes a wide variety of media types.
You will then have the ability to evaluate a diverse range of shows that have been broadcast on television by Rai networks throughout the past week by using the TV Guide.
What can you watch on RaiPlay
When logged in with your RaiPlay credentials, the homepage may display breaking news or unique content, as well as collections of programs that have been categorized into categories that can be personalized.
You can access the following parts through the sidebar, which can be opened by clicking on the button designated for that purpose:
- Guida TV (TV guide) / Replay, with the list of channels and programs in chronological order that integrate the Replay function, allowing one to re-watch a program that has already been broadcast; Guida TV
- Dirette (Live TVs), an online platform that allows people to watch live broadcasts of Rai's television channels;
- Programmi, also known as Shows, contains a list of programs that are arranged in alphabetical order and are separated into parts
- Ultimi visti (Last shown), I miei preferiti (My favorites), and Guarda dopo (Watch later), which are accessible once a user has registered or logged in.
Direct Without Recording gives you live access to 14 Rai TV channels: Rai1, Rai2, Rai3, Rai4, Rai5, RaiNews24, RaiSport, RaiSport + HD, RaiMovie, RaiPremium, RaiYoyo, RaiGulp, RaiStoria, RaiScuola.
To watch live TV, choose TV Channels > Direct from the menu and then the channel you want to watch.
At the moment, only people who are connected from Italy can watch live TV. The only exception is the RaiNews24 channel, which can be watched anywhere.
Catalog on Demand
By signing up, you can get access to the RaiPlay archive. You can choose the titles you want to watch right from the homepage or by using the search lens.
TV Guide
By signing up, you can use the TV Guide section to see a wide range of titles that have been shown in the last 7 days and for which Rai has the rights to use the web.
Go back to the TV Guide and find the Network, the reference day and time, and the content you want to watch.
We want to remind you that the "replay" service is not yet available for the RaiScuola, RaiNews24, and RaiSport channels. This means that the shows on these networks can only be watched on RaiPlay at the same time they are shown on TV and cannot be watched again in the days after.
How long do the titles on RaiPlay last?
The content on RaiPlay depends on who has the right to use it on the internet. These rights are divided as follows:
Vod Rights: titles that can be found in the "Catalog" section. In this situation, the titles stay in the RaiPlay catalog for a long time.
Replay rights: Titles can be shown again for a maximum of 7–14 days after they are shown on TV.
Simulcast Rights: Titles that can only be watched on RaiPlay at the same time as they are shown on TV and can't be watched again in the next few days.
Because of this, not all shows that have been on in the last 7 days or in the past can be put on RaiPlay.
What can I watch when I'm not online?
Only a small number of RaiPlay's titles, like fiction, programs, documentaries, series, etc., can be downloaded to your device with the download function, so you can use it even when you're not online.
The content you've downloaded will be in the "Download" section. You can get there by clicking "More" and then "Download" at the bottom right of the screen, or by going to "Other" and then "My list."
We want to remind you that you can only see the "Download" button in the app for tablets and smartphones.
Content that has been downloaded and how long it will last.
Based on the different lengths of the web rights, the content you download on your device will be available offline for the same amount of time that it will be on RaiPlay.
We want to remind you that the content on RaiPlay is only available if Rai owns the digital rights for the on-demand distribution of that title. When content is about to run out, the program sheet will tell you how many days you have left to use it online or offline.
If the content you downloaded is no longer available on RaiPlay, it will say "Expired" in the "Download" section, and you won't be able to play it.
In the "Download" section, there are three ways to get rid of content on your device for good:
Move the picture of the video you downloaded to the left and tap the "Delete" icon.
You can also click "Manage" at the top right of the "Download" section, choose the title you want to delete, and tap "Delete Selected/All."
Click on the name of the video you downloaded, then click on the three vertical dots to the right of the video and choose "Delete download."
Some titles can be downloaded again every 30 days and can be played back for 48 hours. This means that once you've downloaded the content and pressed the "Play" button, you'll have 48 hours to finish watching it. After 48 hours, the content will stop working and ask you to download it again. By tapping on the content that has expired, you can choose whether to renew it ("Renew") or delete it for good ("Delete").
How to download and keep your videos forever without expiration time
There is a way to keep your favorite RaiPlay videos forever without expiation time. MyStream RaiPlay downloader totally meets your need. After downloading your favorite videos from RaiPlay to your computer, you can save them to any device. Therefore, you can watch the video wherever you want.
Download RaiPlay videos with MyStream RaiPlay downloader in 3 steps
Step 1: Download MyStream RaiPlay downloader and go to the home page.
Step 2: Paste the video’s URL into the in-built engine at the top of the home page.
Step 3: Choose the M3U8 option and then click download.
Conclusion
In this article, you will learn what is RaiPlay, what can you watch and download from RaiPlay, how long will these videos last as well as how to download and keep your videos forever without expiration time.
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