Taiwan Broadcasting System (TBS)

Taiwan Broadcasting System (TBS), founded in 2006, is Taiwan’s principal public broadcasting group. It operates two of the country’s most prominent television networks—CTS (Chinese Television System), which runs five channels, and PTS (Public Television Service), which runs three—alongside Hakka TV, a channel dedicated to programming in the Hakka language, one of the Chinese language groups spoken in Taiwan. In the last quarter of 2021, TBS launched TaiwanPlus, an English-language streaming service offering on-demand news, documentaries, and cultural programming aimed at an international audience.

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Media assets

Television: Chinese Television System (CTS): CTS Main Channel, CTS Education and Culture, CTS Recreation, CTS News and Info, CTS Variety; PTS: PTS Main Channel, PTS Taigi, PTS HD, PTS XS, Taiwan Plus; Hakka TV

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State Media Matrix Typology

Independent State Funded and State Managed (ISFM)

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Ownership and governance

TBS was created as part of Taiwan’s media reform initiative in 2006, which merged CTS and PTS into a unified public broadcasting group. This consolidation was enabled by the Statute Regarding the Disposition of Government Shareholdings in the Terrestrial Television Industry, a law enacted in 2006 that provided the legal framework for transferring CTS shares to the newly formed TBS. The statute also mandated that the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) divest its media holdings, a move that reshaped the country’s media landscape.

TBS is publicly owned, with its entities managed by the PTS Foundation, the non-profit body that formerly operated PTS alone. Today, the PTS Foundation oversees PTS, CTS (whose shares were transferred to the foundation in 2006), and Hakka TV (integrated into TBS in 2007). The foundation operates under the Public Television Act of 2009.

The governance structure of the PTS Foundation comprises a Board of Directors and Supervisors with 18 members, appointed by the Legislative Yuan and confirmed by the Examination Yuan, Taiwan’s independent civil service commission. Members of the Executive Yuan are appointed by the president and confirmed by parliament. The Chairman of the Executive Yuan concurrently serves as Chairman of the Board for all TBS entities.

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Source of funding and budget

In 2023, the PTS Foundation reported total income of TWD 3.42 billion (US$ 110.6 million), with government donations and subsidies amounting to TWD 2.7 billion (US$ 87.2 million). The remainder was generated from commercial revenues, according to the company’s self-reported data. In 2024, the Foundation operated with total income of TWD 3.52 billion (US$ 111.8 million), as stated in its annual report. Government funding accounted for 78% of the total, with the balance coming from advertising, sponsorships, programme sales, and other commercial sources. The launch of PTS XS (Children’s Channel) in August 2024 drove an increase in content production expenditure, particularly in children’s programming and digital services.

In early 2025, Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan approved central government budget cuts affecting public media. Lawmakers initially proposed a complete (100%) budget elimination for PTS amid allegations of mismanagement and bias. After widespread public outcry, the final approved cut was scaled back to 1%, with an additional 25% of its budget frozen, instead of full elimination. TaiwanPlus was hit harder: its budget was cut by 20% and an additional 30% was frozen, effectively halving its operational funding. Critics warned that these reductions could undermine Taiwan’s international media presence and cultural diplomacy, while supporters argued for stricter fiscal discipline. CTS is the only TBS entity that does not receive direct funding from the state budget allocated to TBS.

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Editorial independence

Although TBS outlets occasionally encounter political pressure, they generally maintain a reputation for editorial independence. Media professionals in Taiwan, interviewed in May 2023, June 2024 and March 2025, expressed strong confidence in the quality and integrity of public broadcaster programming.

The Public Television Act enshrines principles designed to safeguard editorial independence. To uphold these standards, TBS operates a structured public feedback system through which viewers can submit complaints about programming.

The process is as follows: the relevant TBS department responds to the initial complaint; if unsatisfied, the viewer can request a formal investigation by the Board of Directors; the Board is required to review the case, issue a decision, and make it public; the decision is communicated to the program producer, station manager, and the complainant.

While TBS lacks an independent external body to audit editorial independence, it compensates with a robust framework for public participation. This allows the Board of Directors to monitor weaknesses in editorial output and respond to audience concerns in a transparent manner.

In 2025, the budgetary disputes, especially over TaiwanPlus, highlighted the structural vulnerability of public broadcasters to political funding leverage. Observers cautioned that sustained fiscal pressure could indirectly shape editorial decisions, even without overt censorship.

August 2025