The channel was launched in 2003 as RaiSat Cinema World and re-badged in 2006 as RaiSat Cinema. On 30 June 2009, RaiSat Cinema was removed of Sky and was launched in the new free-to-view satellite platform Tivùsat. On 18 May 2010 it was renamed Rai Movie. It broadcasts mostly Italian films, interviews, backstages and documentaries.
In April 2019, RAI announced that this channel, along with Rai Premium, will shut down to make place for a new channel called Rai 6, with a female target. This sparked controversy and an online petition that quickly reached 120,000 signatures. However, the scheduled date for the shutdown is unknown to this day.