Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK)
Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) is Norway’s public service broadcaster, operating three national television channels and 14 national radio channels.
Media assets
Television: NRK1, NRK2, NRK3 / NRK Super
Radio: NRK P1, NRK P2, NRK P3, NRK Alltid Nyheter, NRK Båtvær, NRK Folkemusikk, NRK P1+, NRK P13, NRK Jazz, NRK Klassisk, NRK mP3, NRK Sápmi, NRK Sport, NRK Stortinget, NRK Super
State Media Matrix Typology
Independent State-Managed (ISM)
Ownership and governance
NRK is wholly state-owned and falls under the authority of the Ministry of Culture and Equality, which serves as its general meeting. The supervisory mechanism is more than mere window‑dressing: while the Ministry convenes the annual general meeting (held every June), ultimate strategic oversight is entrusted to a nine-member Board. Six of these directors, including the Chair and Vice-Chair, are appointed during that general meeting, while the remaining three are elected by NRK’s staff. The Board, in turn, appoints the Director‑General, who serves simultaneously as the Editor‑in‑Chief.
Since April 29, 2022, Vibeke Fürst Haugen has served as Director‑General of NRK, a role that combines the responsibilities of CEO and Editor‑in‑Chief. Educated at the University of Oslo, the Norwegian School of Economics, and Harvard, she began her career at NRK in 1994 and rose steadily through its ranks. In 2023, she was also appointed to the board of the Association of Norwegian Editors.
Source of funding and budget
Since 2020, NRK’s financing shifted from a household license fee to a structure embedded in the tax system, effectively a domestic income-related tax, securing roughly 97% of its revenue. Annual contributions per individual adjust according to income, ensuring equitable burden sharing.
According to the company’s annual report, in 2021, NRK’s annual budget was approximately NOK 6bn (US$717 m), mostly funded by the broadcast tax. In 2022, NRK’s total budget increased to NOK 6.2bn (US$634 m), with nearly 97% of the funding coming from tax-based revenue. In 2023, NRK had a budget of NOK 6.4bn (US$ 606m), the fee fund contributing NOK 6.2bn.
A new four-year funding framework has been introduced, ensuring that NRK’s allocations are adjusted for inflation and wage growth between 2024 and 2026, underpinning planned expenditure of NOK 7.2 billion in that period.
Strategic planning is supported by the broader national financial outlook. In 2025, Norwegian sovereign wealth fund expenditures are projected at NOK 542 billion, a significant uplift from earlier projections, indicating a more generous fiscal environment.
Editorial independence
Editorial autonomy remains a keystone of NRK’s operation. Norway’s Constitution, alongside the Broadcasting Act, enshrines media freedom and protects NRK from political meddling.
Oversight is multifaceted. The Broadcasting Council consists of 14 members, eight appointed by parliament and six by the government. The council meets seven times a year and is mandated to provide opinions on issues related to NRK’s programs. It also accepts and reviews program complaints from the audience. In addition, the council addresses issues raised by its members or by NRK’s Director General. However, due to the composition of the council, this assessment mechanism cannot be considered independent.
Complaints about programs aired by NRK can also be addressed by the Press Council, a self-regulatory body that evaluates individual cases of possible ethical rule breaches. However, the Press Council doesn’t have the power to impose sanctions on the media.
August 2025