Italy's La Scala opera house launches live streaming service for concerts

Italy's famed La Scala opera house has launched an online streaming service for its live performances. AP Photo

Italy's La Scala has launched a streaming service allowing viewers to watch its operas, concerts and ballets online, in an effort to widen its global audience.

The first concert will be broadcast live on La Scala TV on Saturday, with three Mozart symphonies conducted by Daniel Barenboim, the renowned Milan opera house announced.

Ticket prices range between €2.9 and €11.9 ($3.1-$12.7), and subscribers can choose between seven live opera performances, nine concerts and three ballets.

The service targets a "global audience who cannot be physically in the theatre but want to follow the shows," La Scala said, adding that it hoped to attract young people and students, as well as older opera fans.

The offer also includes pre-recorded shows, documentaries, and "special content" that the theatre did not specify.

La Scala is a big name in Italian musical culture and the opening night of its annual season in December is a traditional appointment for the country's high society and political elite.

The online service debuted on Tuesday with Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi's opera The Sicilian Vespers, conducted by director Fabio Lusi.

The project is part of a broader effort to modernise the theatre ahead of the 2026 Olympics that will take place in Milan, La Scala said.