Lao National TV – State Media Monitor

Lao National Television (LNTV) is the principal state-run broadcaster in Laos, operating two national television channels alongside a constellation of regional outlets. Established in 1983, the station began with a modest three-hour daily broadcast and has since expanded its reach to cover the entirety of Laos as well as parts of neighbouring Thailand. Despite its growth in scale, the broadcaster continues to grapple with chronic underfunding and limited technical capacity. Since 2018, the Chinese government has stepped in as a key benefactor, providing equipment upgrades and technical assistance, which LNTV would have otherwise been unable to afford.

Media assets

Television: National- LNTV1, LNTV3; Regional- LNTV Attapeu, LNTV Bokeo, LNTV Borikhamsai, LNTV Champassak, LNTV Houaphan, LNTV Khammouane, LNTV Luangnamtha, LNTV Luangprabang, LNTV Oudomxai, LNTV Phongsali, LNTV Saiyabouli, LNTV Saravane, LNTV Savannakhet, LNTV Sekong, LNTV Xiengkhouang

State Media Matrix Typology

State-Controlled (SC)

Ownership and governance

LNTV is a government-owned and operated broadcaster that was under the direct authority of the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism.

On 18 June 2025, the Lao government officially transferred oversight of five key national media outlets—including LNTV—to the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party Central Committee’s Propaganda and Training Board, moving them from the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism into direct party control.

The Propaganda and Training Board of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party Central Committee directs the Party’s ideological messaging and political education. Created in its current form in 1964, the Board is tasked with disseminating party policies, overseeing media and educational content, and ensuring strict alignment with the Party’s official line.

This shift is intended to centralize editorial and ideological control and reflects a broader administrative restructuring: the ministry was renamed the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, removing direct supervision from media entities.

Governance of LNTV is now under more direct Party authority. This cements the broadcaster’s transformation into a tool for party messaging, rather than state‑service media.

The station’s leadership is politically appointed, with key managerial roles typically filled by individuals closely aligned with the ruling Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP). According to internal sources at LNTV interviewed for this report in May 2024, editorial and administrative decision-making is strongly influenced—if not dictated—by party directives. A large share of the newsroom staff are themselves members or affiliates of the LPRP, further entrenching political control over output.

Simmany Keokaen serves as the General Director of LNTV. Keokaen is a senior Laotian media official with a long-standing career in state broadcasting and information services. Prior to becoming LNTV’s General Director, he held various posts within the country’s state media sector and was actively involved in Lao–Vietnamese media cooperation. His tenure has been marked by continuity with the Party’s ideological agenda, with a particular emphasis on strengthening bilateral propaganda collaborations and reinforcing party-aligned messaging.

Source of funding and budget

LNTV does not publish financial statements or operational reports, reflecting the broader opacity of Laos’s media sector. According to local media experts and journalists interviewed in December 2023, LNTV remains entirely state-funded.

However, Chinese financial support has played an increasingly pivotal role over the past decade, with grants and in-kind donations forming a substantial part of the broadcaster’s capital improvements. One LNTV insider estimated in 2018 that Chinese funding had reached up to 40% of the station’s total expenditure in select years—a figure that, according to new anecdotal evidence from early 2025, may have remained consistent or even increased amid closer bilateral ties between Vientiane and Beijing.

Editorial independence

LNTV operates within one of the most tightly controlled media environments in Southeast Asia. Editorial autonomy is virtually nonexistent, with all broadcast content subject to prior oversight by the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism. Senior editors and producers are required to consult regularly with ministry officials to align programming with government narratives and development goals. Critical or dissenting voices are systematically excluded from coverage, and journalists who deviate from the official line risk disciplinary action or criminal prosecution under broad national security or defamation laws.

The Lao Constitution explicitly states that the media must serve the objectives of “national protection and development,” a phrase often invoked to justify pervasive censorship. No statutory safeguards exist to protect journalistic independence, and no independent regulatory authority is tasked with overseeing the broadcaster’s adherence to editorial ethics or impartiality.

July 2025