Télévision Tunisienne (known officially as Établissement de la télévision tunisienne, or ETT) is the public television broadcaster in Tunisia. It runs two television stations, Al Watanya 1 and Al Watanya 2.
Media assets
Television: Al Wataniya 1, Al Wataniya 2
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
ETT was created in 2006 by the president of Tunisia at the time, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, through the break-up into two separate entities of the radio and television broadcaster Établissement de la radiodiffusion-télévision tunisienne. ETT is a public institution 100% owned by the Tunisian state. The company is subordinated to the Presidency of the Government, which appoints the broadcaster’s executive board. As a way to prevent control by the government of the editorial policy at ETT, the broadcast regulatory authority, the High Independent Authority for Audiovisual Communication (HAICA) must give its green light for the appointment of the station’s CEO.
Source of funding and budget
State subsidies are ETT’s main source of funding. The station is allowed to sell advertising, and revenues from ad sales account for about 20% of the broadcaster’s total budget. The state also charges households a fee (license fee) to finance public media, but the revenue raised from these fees only covers a small portion of ETT’s budget. In fact, the Tunisian government retains a large part of the revenues raised through license fees to use for its own expenses.
Editorial independence
Traditionally, state media in Tunisia was known to be a tool of state propaganda. The government controlled the broadcaster mostly through the appointment of its executive body. However, since the relatively independent broadcast authority (HAICA) was mandated to approve the appointment of the ETT’s CEO, attempts to promote politically aligned people at the ETT’s helm have been criticized.
Nevertheless, after President Kais Saied introduced “exceptional measures” after he gained political power (which some political experts referred to as a “coup”), ETT came under the strict editorial control of the government. The station is not allowed, for example, to invite representatives of political parties to any of its shows, information that we corroborated with local experts and journalists we interviewed for this report in May 2024. A report issued in October 2021 by HAICA, the media regulator in Tunisia, found that the first channel of ETT, Al-Wataniya 1, has devoted more than 93% of its screen time to Saied’s supporters.
In 2019, a contract focused on the ETT’s performance that was signed between the Tunisian government and the broadcaster is believed to have bolstered the editorial independence of the station. Among other things, the contract states that the removal of the President Director General at ETT can be done only based on an evaluation report drafted by HAICA. According to experts from HAICA, the contract is an important instrument as it preserves the editorial independence of the station, insulating ETT from all sorts of pressures and censorship attempts. Yet, as part of President Saied’s exceptional measures, this instrument has lost its power. One of the measures taken by Saied was to dismiss the CEO of Tunisian Television, Mohamed El-Asaad Dahesh, only three days after Saied took over all political power in Tunisia in 2021.
In 2019, a contract signed between the Tunisian government and the broadcaster reportedly bolstered the station’s editorial independence. Among other things, the contract stated that the removal of the President Director General at ETT can be done only based on an evaluation report drafted by HAICA. According to experts from HAICA, the contract is a vital instrument for preserving the broadcaster’s editorial independence, insulating ETT from all sorts of pressures and censorship attempts.
Yet, as part of President Saied’s exceptional measures, this instrument has lost its power. One of the measures taken by Saied was to dismiss Tunisian Television’s CEO, Mohamed El-Asaad Dahesh, only three days after Saied took over all political power in Tunisia in 2021.
In August 2023, in an unprecedented move, President Saied summoned the CEO of Tunisian Television, Awatef Daly, for a dressing down. President Saied complained about the station’s editorial coverage and harshly criticized it.
According to the performance contract between the ETT and the government, signed in 2019, the HAICA is not only in charge of ensuring the editorial independence of the ETT, but also of monitoring how the broadcaster is performing its editorial duties. Yet, following the introduction of “exceptional measures” by President Saied, HAICA has stopped playing that role.
July 2024