Extra time to try to bring about a merger between Rai Way and Ei Towers
Another fortnight of negotiations between Rai on one side and F2i and Mfe on the other in an attempt to reach an agreement
Another fortnight. The negotiations to reach a possible agreement and bring together Italia’s two leading television tower operators – Rai Way and Ei Towers – are heading into extra time.
The battle over the TV towers has been saved at the eleventh hour, but the finish line remains a long way off. Just as it seemed that the prevailing scenario would be one of a failed agreement and the end of the memorandum, Rai, F2i and Mfe reached a last-minute agreement, shortly before the midnight deadline yesterday, to grant themselves a further fifteen days to continue negotiations on the merger between Rai Way and Ei Towers.
The approach taken is to renew the memorandum of understanding dated 19 December 2024, as previously extended on 26 September 2025 and subsequently on 31 March 2026. ‘The agreement,’ reads a statement, ‘provides for the extension until 30 June 2026 of the terms set out in the Memorandum, in order to allow for the completion of the planned activities and to continue discussions between the Parties.’
This is not a breakthrough. Nor is it a sign of success. Rather, it appears, at least for the moment, to be a negotiating truce that prevents, at least for now, one of the most significant dossiers in the Italian media infrastructure sector from being shelved.
The situation remains highly fluid, and no one is currently able to predict the final outcome of the negotiations. The postponement highlights two seemingly contradictory factors: on the one hand, the parties’ desire not to break off dialogue; on the other, the persistence of significant differences that have not yet been resolved.
