Corporacio Catalana de Mitjans Audiovisuals (CCMA)

The Corporació Catalana de Mitjans Audiovisuals (CCMA), operating under the 3Cat identity, is Catalonia’s public broadcasting corporation. Its predecessor was established under a 1983 law; Law 11/2007 gave the corporation its present name and legal framework. It operates television, radio and digital services and reports a 30 per cent holding in the Catalan News Agency (ACN). Rosa Romà i Monfà is President of its Governing Council.

Media assets

Television: TV3, 3CatInfo, Esport3, SX3 and 33, and the international service TV3CAT. SX3 and 33 share a terrestrial channel at different times of day. The television news channel took the 3CatInfo name in September 2025, replacing 3/24. HD transmission does not make TV3 HD an additional editorial service.

Radio: Catalunya Ràdio, Catalunya Música, iCat and the continuous-news station 3CatInfo, formerly Catalunya Informació.

Digital: the 3Cat platform and 3CatInfo’s website and app, alongside other programme and service sites.

News agency interest: a 30 per cent stake in ACN, which should be described as an investment rather than a CCMA-operated news service.

Ownership and governance

CCMA is a public-law entity formally attached to the Generalitat de Catalunya. Law 11/2007 expressly provides for functional autonomy from that administration. Its operating companies are publicly owned through the corporation.

The seven-member Governing Council is elected by the Catalan Parliament by a two-thirds majority, on proposals from at least three parliamentary groups. The Audiovisual Council of Catalonia (CAC) assesses candidates’ suitability before their parliamentary examination. Parliament elects the President from among the seven, also by a two-thirds majority. Council members serve six-year terms, are subject to incompatibility rules, and must act independently and without instructions.

CCMA lists Rosa Romà as President, Àngels Ponsa as Vice-President and Lluís Garriga as member-secretary; Carme Figueras, Lluís Noguera, Gemma Ribas and Josep Riera complete the Council. Its executive coordinating body is the Management Committee (Comitè de Direcció), chaired by Romà. Sigfrid Gras directs television and Jordi Borda directs radio. The published references to Rosa Cullell, Jaume Peral and Saül Gordillo as current executives are removed. CCMA’s current structure does not list a separate director-general.

The law requires a public selection procedure for directors of the media services. An audit published in 2025 found shortcomings in the criteria and transparency of the 2022 television and radio director selection process. That is a material governance finding; the audit did not assess whether political authorities directed news coverage.

Source of funding and budget

CCMA receives most of its funding from the Generalitat and also earns commercial income. Its 2024 to 2027 programme contract provides for the following contributions through the Department of the Presidency. These amounts are contract commitments, not CCMA’s total budgets or its audited receipts in each year.

The Sindicatura de Comptes’ Report 2/2025 audited procurement and personnel expenditure for 2021 and 2022. Among its findings were deficiencies in procurement, management recruitment and the recording of public transfers.

Editorial independence

CCMA’s published style book sets editorial and professional standards. Its professional statute provides for journalists’ rights, including the conscience clause, and establishes professional committees. The Audience Advocate, currently Laura Baladas, receives audience concerns; a 16-member Content and Programming Advisory Council advises on content and programming. Parliament’s control committee and the CAC provide external scrutiny. These safeguards should be assessed in practice as well as described in law.

There is a documented editorial dispute. In a resolution dated 17 February 2022, the journalism ethics commission concluded that TV3’s news management had breached its professional code in its treatment of reporter Santiago Torres, who alleged ideological pressure after being moved from documentary work. CCMA disputed his account.

In March 2025, TV3’s works council said that government-aligned coverage and political pressure remained present at 3Cat, while also saying that the most egregious situations had become less frequent.

Recent CAC findings are available. In its report covering January to June 2026, the regulator found that the PP received the largest share of party speaking time in TV3’s daily news, at 10.9 per cent; it also ranked first on Catalunya Ràdio. Across TV3’s measured news, representatives of governments collectively received 57.1 per cent of political speaking time, compared with 42.9 per cent for parties. The CAC reported that ERC led the count of party interviews on TV3.

The CAC has also raised specific content concerns with CCMA. In 2025 it asked TV3 to reflect on its selection of authors interviewed around Sant Jordi, noting the proportion with professional links to CCMA; it said the practice identified was not a breach of the rules. This illustrates active scrutiny.

AI and digital policy

3Cat publishes a responsible-use AI policy, approved by its Governing Council on 8 April 2026. It requires human editorial judgment and review before AI-created or modified content is published, calls for synthetic content to be clearly marked, assigns responsibility for published material and provides for an internal responsible-AI commission. The policy states that it becomes applicable six months after approval, on 8 October 2026.

Classification rationale

CCMA remains classified State-Controlled (SC), following its 2024 downgrade.

It is principally funded by the Generalitat de Catalunya, while the Catalan Parliament elects its Governing Council and President. Statutory independence requirements and external oversight by the Audiovisual Council of Catalonia provide safeguards.

The editorial assessment rests on documented interference as well as these institutional arrangements. The FAPE ethics commission found that TV3 news management had sidelined a journalist for ideological reasons. TV3’s works council reported in 2025 that government-aligned coverage and political pressure persisted, although it described the most egregious episodes as less frequent. This evidence supports retaining SC while distinguishing the earlier adjudicated case from the works council’s more recent assessment.

September 2026