Established in 1988, TV2 is the largest commercially-funded television station in Denmark.
Media assets
Television: TV 2, TV 2 Play, TV 2 News, TV 2 Charlie, TV 2 Sport, TV 2 Sport X, TV 2 Echo, TV 2 FRI
State Media Matrix Typology: Independent State-Managed (ISM)
Ownership and governance
Although it is commercially funded, the media group TV2 Danmark is a state-owned company whose main governing body is a board of nine members, six of whom are appointed by the Minister of Culture, and three by the TV2’s staff.
The Board of Directors is responsible for the overall management of the station.
Source of funding and budget
TV2 is commercially funded, drawing on revenues from advertising and subscriptions. In 2021, the company had a turnover of DKK 3.6bn (US$ 547m), 46% of which was generated through advertising sales and some 51% through sales of subscriptions, according to TV2’s latest annual report. In 2022, TV2 had a total turnover of DKK 3.8bn (US$ 519m), some DKK 2bn being generated through subscriptions and ad sales being responsible for some DKK 1.7bn of the revenue, according to a company financial report.
The regional channels that are part of TV2 receive part of their funding from revenues generated by the license fee.
Editorial independence
In Denmark, any form of censorship has been firmly prohibited by the Constitution since 1849. There are no rules imposed by the government on TV2’s editorial coverage.
The Broadcast Law in Denmark ensures the editorial independence of TV2, stating that freedom of information and of expression should be a primary concern in the broadcaster’s program production.
TV2 has several policies covering ethics, whistleblowers’ rights, diversity and communication, but no mechanism to independently assess or oversee the editorial production at the station.
August 2023