Myanmar Radio and Television (MRTV)
Myanmar Radio and Television (MRTV) is the state-run broadcasting entity under the direct control of Myanmar’s Ministry of Information. With its roots tracing back to 1936, when radio broadcasting was first introduced in the country, MRTV stands as Myanmar’s oldest broadcasting service. Television transmission was inaugurated in 1980, marking the expansion of the state’s media presence. Today, MRTV operates an array of national and regional radio and television channels, including NRC (National Races Channel), which broadcasts in 11 ethnic languages to serve Myanmar’s diverse communities.
MRTV also maintains an international service, Myanmar International Television (MITV), and is affiliated with MRTV-4, a channel operated in partnership with the private Forever Group. Another significant outlet, Channel 7, formerly owned by the Forever Group, is now under the purview of the Ministry of Information. These ventures reflect the government’s strategy of co-opting private broadcasting infrastructure while maintaining rigid editorial control.
Media assets
Television: National- MRTV, MRTV Hluttaw, MRTV NRC, MRTV Farmer, MRTV Sport, MITV, Education Channel, MRTV-4, Channel 7; International- Myanmar International Television
Radio: Myanmar Radio
State Media Matrix Typology
Ownership and governance
MRTV has been for years wholly owned and operated by the Ministry of Information, functioning de facto as a department within the government apparatus. Although the Broadcasting Law, enacted by the Union Parliament, envisages a pluralistic media ecosystem with space for public service, commercial, and community broadcasters, the envisioned transformation of MRTV into a genuine public broadcaster has stalled entirely. The legal framework theoretically provides the foundation for autonomy, but in practice, MRTV continues to operate as a mouthpiece of the ruling authorities.
This institutional stagnation has worsened following the February 2021 military coup. In the aftermath, MRTV has been repurposed even more aggressively to disseminate state propaganda and suppress dissenting narratives. The junta has used the broadcaster to delegitimize opposition voices, promote military achievements, and justify repressive measures under the guise of national unity and stability.
MRTV’s governance structure consists of a Director General (DG), two Deputy Director Generals, and seven Directors, all of whom sit on the internal Board of Directors. The DG, who also chairs the board, is appointed by the Ministry of Information’s Permanent Secretary, underscoring the broadcaster’s institutional subservience to state authority.
Source of funding and budget
There is no official disclosure of MRTV’s annual budget. According to local media professionals and researchers interviewed in May 2024 and February 2025, the broadcaster continues to rely almost exclusively on state funding. Although MRTV has explored limited commercial advertising as a supplementary revenue stream, such efforts have produced negligible returns and remain tightly regulated. MRTV’s lack of financial transparency is in stark contrast to international standards for public service media.
Editorial independence
Despite public claims of reform and professionalization, MRTV lacks any meaningful editorial autonomy. Its news agenda and programming decisions are directed by Ministry of Information officials, with little to no separation between state interests and journalistic output. As of 2025, MRTV’s content is widely seen by independent observers as indistinguishable from official state communications.
In an apparent effort to project institutional legitimacy, MRTV has adopted a set of internal editorial documents. These include the Broadcasting Guidelines, MPedia – Knowledge Book for MRTV News Reporting, and the Fundamental Code of Broadcasting Ethics and Code of Conduct. While these documents set out basic principles for staff conduct and content regulation, they largely reiterate overlapping instructions and lack enforcement mechanisms. There is no national statute enshrining MRTV’s editorial independence, nor any external oversight body to monitor compliance with ethical standards.
In recent years, propaganda has intensified. MRTV has been increasingly used to promulgate official positions on matters such as the internal security crackdown and the junta’s legitimacy. Independent outlets report heightened use of MRTV to counter dissent narratives and to support military press briefings.
July 2025