L’Établissement public de télévision (EPTV), formerly Établissement national de télévision (ENTV) is the company in charge of running the public television service in Algeria. It operates nine nationwide television channels, some specializing in various topics/issues (religion, education, history). It also runs a chain of regional television channels. EPTV is a minority shareholder in EuronewsNBC, the company that runs the news channels Euronews and Africanews. In October 2021, EPTV launched an all-news channel.
Media assets
National: TV1, Canal Algerie2, TV3, TV4, TV5, TV6, TV7, TV8; TV9
Regional: TV1 Alger, TV1 Oran, TV1 Constantine, TV1 Ouargla, TV1 Bechar
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
EPTV was established by executive decree no. 91-100 of 1991 as a public establishment “with an industrial and commercial character.” EPTV replaced the former public broadcaster ENTV.
The highest governing structure at EPTV is its Administration Council, which has 10 members (including the Director General), five of whom are representatives of government bodies (various ministries). The others are appointed by other state-owned companies (APS) or nominated by journalism organizations. The council is presided over by the Director General, who is appointed through a decree adopted by the Ministry of Communication, to which the broadcaster is subordinated.
The ministry appointed Nadir Boukabes as the new director general of EPTV in December 2022. The ministry did not explain why Chabane Lounakel, the former EPTV director, was fired. Yet, local media alleged that he allowed public television to report on an international football match won by Morocco, which led to his sacking. In Algeria, reporting positively on Morocco is forbidden by the government.
Source of funding and budget
EPTV is financed through a combination of state funding, revenue from the license fee paid by households, and advertising sales. EPTV has not published financial data recently. According to local experts familiar with the EPTV budget, the state allocation accounts for more than 70% of EPTV’s total budget. In 2021, EPTV received from the Ministry of Communication a subsidy of DZD 6.1bn (US$ 45m).
For 2022, the government allocated a similar amount (roughly DZD 6 bn) from the state budget and an additional cash injection of DZD 550m from the Ministry of Communication budget. Additionally, Algerian households are charged a license fee for public television via the electricity bill.
Editorial independence
The government tightly controls the editorial coverage at EPTV. Censorship is common at EPTV, according to local experts interviewed for this report in May 2024. However, in recent years, the station’s journalists have more often than before raised their voices against the pressure under which they work. Yet, that hasn’t freed the broadcaster from the editorial control by the government. The latest incident where the station director was fired without explanation because he allowed a report not liked by the government is proof that the station is totally under government control.
The decree that established EPTV includes several provisions governing the broadcaster’s programming. Yet, no domestic statute has been identified that establishes EPTV’s editorial independence.
No independent assessment or oversight mechanism that would validate EPTV’s editorial independence has been identified.
July 2024