Ràdio i Televisió d’Andorra (RTVA)

Ràdio i Televisió d’Andorra, S.A. is Andorra’s public broadcaster, based in Andorra la Vella and wholly state-owned. Created under the law adopted on 13 April 2000 to succeed the Organisme de Ràdio i Televisió d’Andorra, it operates television, radio and digital services. Imma Jiménez has been Director-General since January 2023.

Media assets

Television: Andorra Televisió — ATV

Radio: Ràdio Nacional d’Andorra — RNA — and Andorra Música

Digital: rtva.ad, live streams, on-demand programmes and the RTVA mobile application. RTVA’s legal notice identifies the television channel, both radio stations and the website as its services.

Ràdio Nacional began broadcasting at the turn of 31 December 1990 to 1 January 1991. Andorra Televisió began regular daily broadcasts on 4 December 1995. These service-launch dates precede the establishment of the present company.

Digital distribution expanded during the review period. RTVA launched its redesigned rtva.ad platform on 9 June 2025, followed by a free Android and iOS application on 9 September 2026. The app provides news and programme access, notifications and casting through Chromecast and AirPlay. RTVA is a member of the European Broadcasting Union.

Ownership and governance

The government exercises the functions of the shareholders’ general meeting. Article 12 of the 2000 broadcasting law makes the Director-General the company’s sole administrator, responsible for corporate administration and broadcast programming.

The government appoints the Director-General directly. Under Article 12(d), amended by Law 20/2012 of 18 October, the mandate lasts for a parliamentary term, with the incumbent continuing until confirmed or replaced.

The government may dismiss the Director-General through a reasoned decision on specified grounds, including financial mismanagement, manifest incompetence, conviction for an intentional offence or incompatibility of office.

Imma Jiménez was appointed on 10 January 2023, succeeding Xavier Mujal. RTVA’s reporting continues to identify her as Director-General in 2026.

Source of funding and budget

RTVA is financed predominantly through government transfers, supplemented by advertising and other income.

Budget allocations and actual revenue must be distinguished. The Tribunal de Comptes’ report on RTVA’s 2024 accounts identifies the historical figures previously presented as revenue as initial revenue budgets. It confirms that the 2017 and 2018 initial budgets were identical, although their outturns differed.

In 2024, government current transfers amounted to EUR 4.658 million, with capital transfers of EUR 0.315 million. Together, these represented approximately 89.8 per cent of the adjusted revenue outturn.

The approved budget increased in both subsequent years. The 2025 budget law authorised EUR 5,758,433.03, while Law 1/2026 of 22 January authorised EUR 6,226,461.97.

Government transfers therefore provide approximately 92.5 per cent of planned financing in 2026. The budget includes EUR 4.185 million for personnel, up 7.6 per cent from the 2025 provision, and EUR 409,369 for investment.

The explanatory material accompanying the 2026 proposal envisaged salary adjustments based on an external pay review, intended to improve staff retention and subject to negotiation with the works committee.

Editorial independence

Statutory programming standards exist. Article 2 of the broadcasting law requires objectivity, accuracy, impartiality, freedom of expression and information, and respect for political, cultural and social pluralism. Article 15 also permits the government to require the transmission of official communications of public interest, with their origin identified.

Oversight exists, but the audiovisual council was abolished. Law 20/2012 removed the Consell Andorrà de l’Audiovisual, an advisory and consultative body with a role in correction disputes. It preserved parliamentary scrutiny and provided for correction disputes to proceed directly to the civil courts following the Director-General’s decision.

Article 10 assigns scrutiny of RTVA’s compliance with its programming principles to a permanent legislative committee of the Consell General. The Tribunal de Comptes separately audits its finances. These mechanisms should be distinguished from an independent audiovisual regulator.

Evidence concerning editorial practice remains critical to the classification. SMM records journalist interviews from April 2024 reporting significant government influence over RTVA’s editorial agenda.

AI and digital policy

No publicly accessible RTVA-specific editorial policy governing generative AI, verification or audience disclosure was identified in the materials reviewed for this update. This does not establish whether internal rules or production practices exist.

Classification rationale

RTVA remains classified State-Controlled (SC).

It is wholly state-owned, with the government exercising shareholder authority and directly appointing the Director-General as sole administrator. Its funding comes predominantly from government transfers.

The editorial-control assessment rests on reported practice as well as institutional arrangements. SMM’s existing interview evidence and RSF’s current assessment identify government influence over editorial output. Statutory programming standards, parliamentary scrutiny, judicial remedies and financial auditing provide safeguards and accountability, but the evidence reviewed does not establish effective editorial independence.

September 2026