Real Time (Discovery Real Time until 31 August 2010) is an Italian television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery EMEA.
 | |
| Country | Italy[1] |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Sub-Saharan Africa (in English) |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | Italian English (African version only) |
| Picture format | 1080i HDTV |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Warner Bros. Discovery EMEA |
| Sister channels | (Warner Bros. Discovery Italy) Nove DMAX Food Network Frisbee Giallo HGTV K2 Motor Trend Warner TV (Warner Bros. Discovery Africa) Discovery Channel Animal Planet TLC Eurosport 1 Eurosport 2 Discovery Family Investigation Discovery Travel Channel Food Network |
| History | |
| Launched | 1 October 2005 |
| Closed | 1 December 2020; (+1 channel) |
| Former names | Discovery Real Time (2005–2010) |
| Links | |
| Website | realtimetv.it |
| Availability | |
| Terrestrial | |
| Digital | Channel 31 (HD) |
| GOtv (Sub-Saharan Africa) | Channel 12 (African version) |
| DStv (Sub-Saharan Africa) | Channel 155 (African version) |
| Zuku TV (Kenya) | Channel 102 (African version) |
| Streaming media | |
| Discovery+ | Real Time HD (Italian version) |
The channel launched on 1 October 2005, becoming the sixth Discovery network to launch in Italy. It showed lifestyle programmes targeting a female upper-class audience of 25- to 44-year-olds. It features both foreign programmes and Italian programmes produced for the channel.[2][3]
On 7 April 2009 the channel adopted a new logo and a new look. This look had previously been adopted by Discovery Real Time France.[4]
After becoming the most viewed non-fiction entertainment channel on the Sky Italia platform, on 1 September 2010, it changed its name to "Real Time", and became available both on digital terrestrial and via free-to-air satellite, also joining the Tivùsat platform.
On 8 November 2010 the +1 version of the channel began, and from 1 February 2012 it also broadcasts in high definition.
On 13 March 2019 the SD version on the satellite definitively closed.
From 9 April Real Time, together with the other free channels of the group, became available also in HD streaming on the Dplay platform.
From 1 March 2019, on Tivùsat, the "HD" and "+1" versions replace the SD version, therefore they become visible to LCN 31 and 131 respectively.
On 1 December 2020 Real Time +1 was discontinued.
The channel broadcasts both foreign programmes and a few original Italian productions. Most acquired programmes were originally produced for the American TLC or the British Channel 4.
In 2018, An English version which took its content from TLC alongside other Discovery brands with the same styling as the Italian version was also made available in South Africa from 3 September through MultiChoice's DStv and a year later across Africa. The channel is also available to StarTimes and Canal+ Afrique within the region.[5] Real Time is now on Zuku TV channel 102 replacing Fine Living on channel 710 in January 2021.