Nepal Television (NTV) is the most popular television channel in Nepal. It had a monopoly in television broadcasting until 2003 when the first privately owned television channels were allowed to operate in the country.
Media assets
Television: NTV, NTV Plus, NTV News, NTV Kohalpur, NTV Itahari
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
NTV is a fully government-owned company run by the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology. In May 2023, it was reported that the Nepalese government plans to merge Nepal Television and Radio Nepal to establish a unified public service broadcaster within the next two fiscal years.
Source of funding and budget
NTV is majority funded by the government. State subsidies account for the largest part of the station’s budget. The government also spends money from a state advertising fund to finance the broadcaster, according to data from local experts and journalists.
Editorial independence
In spite of efforts and initiatives by NGOs and politicians to transform NTV into a truly independent public service broadcaster, the station is still editorially controlled by the government, being perceived as a government mouthpiece.
No domestic statute and no independent assessment or oversight mechanism to validate NTV’s editorial independence have been identified.
September 2023