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As the latest polls predict a tight race between former President and Republican candidate Donald Trump, and current Vice President and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, Americans in Italy have plenty of options to watch (and listen to) live coverage of the election results after polls close on Tuesday, November 5th.
Italian media
Rai
The Rai 1 channel, operated by state broadcaster Rai, will start election coverage at 11.40pm on Tuesday with a special edition of long-running talk show Porta a Porta (‘Door to Door’), hosted by Bruno Vespa.
The show will end at 6.30am on Wednesday and will be followed by a special edition of the Tg1 news programme, running until 9.50am.
You can catch both programmes on Rai’s streaming service RaiPlay if you do not have access to a television.
Mediaset
Mediaset’s Rete 4 (channel four) will cover the US election from 9.30pm on Tuesday to 6am on Wednesday, with reporter Bianca Berlinguer hosting a special of her show È sempre Cartabianca (‘It’s always carte blanche’).
La7
La7 (channel seven) will offer live coverage of the election via one of its traditional ‘TV marathons’ (maratone televisive) hosted by household name Enrico Mentana.
La Notte Americana (‘The American Night’) special will start at 11.50am and end at 9.40am on Wednesday morning.
SkyTg24
SkyTg 24 (channel 50 on Italian TV sets) will cover the American presidential election with America 2024, Harris vs Trump – a special non-stop live programme running from 11.00pm on Tuesday until 7.50pm on Wednesday.
The programme will also be available on the broadcaster’s YouTube Live channel.
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Italpress
Italian news agency Italpress will cover the vote with a non-stop live broadcast from 3am to 7.30am on Wednesday, November 6th.
The programme, which is sponsored by the American Chamber of Commerce in Italy, will be available on Italpress’s online multimedia channel.
Host Claudio Branchino will be reporting live from Milan, with Stefano Vaccara reporting from New York and other journalists reporting from Washington DC.
RaiRadio1
In addition to television and streaming services, RaiRadio1 – the main radio channel operated by state broadcaster Rai – will also cover the US election.
Radio host Stefano Mensurati will give listeners regular updates in his Speciale tra poco in edicola show, starting at 11.05pm on Tuesday and running until 2.00am on Wednesday.
Coverage will then continue with a special news programme, Speciale Gr1, running from 2.05am to 6.00 am.
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International media
Amazon Prime Video
If you’re looking for an English-language alternative, American e-commerce and streaming giant Amazon will cover the US election in its first-ever live news programme.
The programme will be hosted by former NBC anchorman Brian Williams and is scheduled to start at 11.00pm Italian time.
To watch the event, viewers must sign up to Prime Video.
BBC News website
BBC News has already begun live election coverage on its website. This is expected to continue until Wednesday morning, though official times have not been announced yet.
Viewers do not need to sign up for the service.
Sky News website
Another English-language option, Sky News Live will also provide live coverage of the US election results on Tuesday night. No sign-up is required from viewers.
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Election night events
Barring a few events held in big metropolitan areas, there’ll be little in the way of watch parties in Italy due to the time difference with the US.
Democrats Abroad will throw a pre-election party at Rosso restaurant in Rome on Tuesday evening. This will be followed by a virtual Election Night Pyjama Party.
In Turin, the OGR society will put on live election coverage, talks from experts and a quiz on US knowledge at the Sala Fucine.
Advance booking is required. Doors open at 9pm on Tuesday.