The most popular shows in Italy are based on foreign format programs, like quiz, reality, talent and talk shows, as the millionaire, the Big Brother, Italians got talent, X factor, Celebrity Survivor . Shows that every evening take the largest amount of the Italian TV share. The talent shows are based on the research of some new artist, often in the music area; the reality shows are based on isolating people in houses or on a desert island and see what happens among them, usually through contests and duels; in the talk shows a talkman introduces and calibrates the discussion between two or more people or groups of people, often on gossip themes.

Other popular shows are the documentary programs, that take our minds all over the world with  fabulous images of some exotic places in the other side of the globe, or to a past period with the description of our history; there are the denounce programs, that show all kinds of problems in which Italy is sinking; there are, like everywhere, our national Soap Operas, talking about really imaginative example of life.

In our cinemas we have three kind of movies: Italian films, often based on love stories or comedies, American movies, based on action, violence, love, or fantastic themes, and the essay films, coming from all over the world, whose themes are the real life (love, friendship, family etc.), the complaint of life conditions, etc.

We listen to every kind of music, because everyone has its own preferences: we listen to pop, dance, hip hop and rock, metal, rap, etc.

Most of the songs we listen to are made by singer and groups famous all over the world, Americans, English and European performers, but we also listen to our rich Italian musical heritage, based on several singers and wonderful songs. The best groups and singers in Italy compete at the Italian most famous music festival, at San Remo, where new wonderful songs are presented to the public, that choose the best one.

Our actual greatest performers in the music area are Eros Ramazzotti, Vasco Rossi, Zucchero, Luciano Ligabue, while in the film area we have directors as Gabriele Salvatores, Giuseppe Tornator, Dario Argento, Franco Zeffirelli and we have actors like Monica Bellucci, Roberto Benigni, Maria Grazia Cucinotta, Raoul Bova.

In Italy there aren’t legal limits to what could be seen on TV, but there is a severe regulation of the timetable to preserve the children from bad examples, violent or horror films, so our broadcast set some hours of the day exclusively for programs, cartoons or movies for the youngest public, and decided to put advertisement before showing particular shows or films unsuitable to children.

 With the Italian constitution , emanated on June 2^nd 1946, our country obtained all the freedom related to a democratic nation, like press freedom, talking and thinking freedom, reunion freedom, etc. 

Of course many Political men and parties control some magazines, newspapers or television channels, but no one, neither the state could ever denied your freedom to express your opinion, unless you don’t defame someone without evidences. So there are media under political control and there are the same (and even more) amount of independent newspapers. 

 Written by 

Beatrice Mauri

Diego Bianco