Teledifusão de Macau (TDM) is the state broadcast company in Macau. The chain provides content in both Chinese and Portuguese, as well as programs in English and Bahasa Indonesia. TDM retransmits eight television channels from mainland China, all Beijing-controlled channels, and six local television stations. TDM also runs Radio Macau.
Media assets
Television: TDM Ou Mun, Canal Macau, TDM Sport, TDM Information, TDM Entertainment, TDM Macau World
Radio: Radio Macau
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
TDM is a 100% Macau SAR government-owned corporation. The TDM council of administration members are appointed by the Chief Executive, the head of government of Macau.
Source of funding and budget
The largest part of TDM’s budget comes from the local government, the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People’s Republic of China. In 2020, TDM received state subsidies worth a total of MOP 365m (US$ 45.6m). The station also generated some income of MOP 90.6m (US$ 11.3m). In 2022, TDM received state subsidies of more than MOP 314m (US$ 38.9m), according to a company report. That was slightly less than the amount received in 2021.
Editorial independence
TDM used to enjoy a fair degree of editorial freedom, but in recent years, it has been faced with increasing censorship from Beijing (via the local government). In spring 2021, TDM’s executive committee introduced a set of editorial rules that order reporters not to criticize the authorities. Following the introduction of these new editorial rules, journalists at the station began to resign. In the past few months, the station’s journalists reported that censorship has become routine at the station.
There is no domestic statute or independent assessment mechanism to validate TDM’s editorial independence.
October 2023