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
TV2 Denmark is a state-owned media group that operates with commercial funding. Its main governing body is a board of nine members, six of whom are appointed by the Minister of Culture, and three are chosen by TV2’s staff.
The Board of Directors is responsible for the overall management of the station.
Source of funding and budget
TV2 is a commercially funded television company that relies on advertising and subscriptions for revenue.
In 2021, the company had a turnover of DKK 3.6bn (US$ 547m), with 46% of the revenue coming from advertising sales and 51% from subscription sales. In 2022, TV2’s total turnover increased to DKK 3.8bn (US$ 519m), with DKK 2bn generated through subscriptions and DKK 1.7bn from advertising sales, according to a company financial report. In 2023, TV2 had a total income of DKK 3.79bn (US$ 551m).
The regional channels that are part of TV2 receive a portion of their funding from the revenues generated by the license fee. All households in Denmark paid this fee to fund public service media, but a tax collected by the state replaced it as of 2024.
Editorial independence
In Denmark, the Constitution has firmly prohibited any form of censorship since 1849. The government does not impose rules on TV2’s editorial coverage. Ad hoc content analysis conducted for this project in May 2021, March 2023, and May 2024 found no bias towards the government in TV2’s coverage.
The Broadcast Law in Denmark ensures the editorial independence of TV2. It states that freedom of information and expression should be a primary concern in the broadcaster’s program production.
TV2 has policies regarding ethics, whistleblowers’ rights, diversity, and communication but lacks independent oversight of editorial production.
August 2024