Television of the Republic of Indonesia (TVRI)
Established in 1962, Televisi Republik Indonesia (TVRI) is Indonesia’s national public broadcaster and the country’s first television station. For nearly three decades, TVRI held an exclusive monopoly over the television landscape, until the liberalization of the broadcasting sector in 1989 paved the way for commercial broadcasters to enter the market. Today, TVRI operates an expansive network that reaches audiences across the entire archipelago, with three national channels and over 30 regional stations, making it one of the most widely accessible broadcasters in Indonesia.
Media assets
Television: National- TVRI Nasional, Kanal 2, Kanal 3, Sport; Regional- TVRI Aceh, TVRI Sumatera Utara, TVRI Sumatera Barat, TVRI Riau Kepri, TVRI Jambi, TVRI Bengkulu, TVRI Sumatera Selatan, TVRI Bangka Belitung, TVRI Lampung, TVRI Jakarta, TVRI Jawa Barat, TVRI Jawa Tengah, TVRI Yogyakarta, TVRI Jawa Timur, TVRI Bali, TVRI NTB, TVRI NTT, TVRI Kalimantan Barat, TVRI Kalimantan Tengah, TVRI Kalimantan Timur, TVRI Kalimantan Selatan, TVRI Sulawesi Utara, TVRI Gorontalo, TVRI Sulawesi Tengah, TVRI Sulawesi Barat, TVRI Sulawesi Tenggara, TVRI Sulawesi Selatan, TVRI Maluku, TVRI Papua Barat, TVRI Papua; International- TVRI World
State Media Matrix Typology
Independent State-Funded and State-Managed/Owned Media (ISFM)
Ownership and governance
TVRI originally functioned as a state-owned enterprise. However, in 2005, following the enactment of Government Regulation No. 13/2005 on Public Broadcasting Institutions—building on Law No. 32/2002—TVRI was officially reconstituted as a public broadcasting institution (Lembaga Penyiaran Publik, LPP). This transformation was finalized over a three-year transitional period.
The governance structure of TVRI comprises two key bodies: a Supervisory Board of five members, appointed by the People’s Representative Council (DPR) and approved by the President of Indonesia; and a Board of Directors, also consisting of five members, nominated by the Supervisory Board and likewise subject to presidential approval.
This dual structure is designed to ensure both operational oversight and institutional accountability, though its implementation in practice has drawn criticism for failing to safeguard TVRI from political interference.
Iman Brotoseno remains Director Utama (CEO) of TVRI, having been appointed initially in May 2020 and reaffirmed for the 2023–2028 term. Brotoseno is a seasoned media professional, filmmaker, and digital communication strategist. Before joining TVRI, he worked extensively in television production and advertising, and gained recognition as one of Indonesia’s early digital influencers and bloggers. He is known for promoting innovation in broadcasting and embracing digital platforms.
Agus Sudibyo continues to serve as Chair of the Supervisory Board (2023–2028). Agus Sudibyo is a respected media scholar, policy advisor, and journalist. He has been an active voice in promoting press freedom, public interest media, and democratic communication policy in Indonesia. With a background in philosophy and communication studies, he is known for combining academic insight with media governance experience.
In March 2025, Komisi I of the DPR received a proposal from the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs to merge TVRI, RRI, and ANTARA into a unified public broadcasting company, creating a multi‑platform institution to boost innovation, national cohesion, and creative output.
Source of funding and budget
Under the provisions of Law No. 32/2002, TVRI’s funding sources are intended to include a television licence fee, allocations from the state budget, public contributions, and advertising revenue.
However, the licence fee mechanism has never been implemented, and public contributions remain negligible. As a result, the broadcaster is heavily reliant on state budget allocations, which has raised persistent concerns regarding its financial and editorial independence.
In 2020, TVRI received IDR 1.1 trillion (approx. US$ 75 million). In 2022, this increased to IDR 1.6 trillion (approx. US$ 107.5 million). For 2024, the allocated ceiling was IDR 1.573 trillion (approx. US$ 102.6 million). The proposed ceiling for 2025 stands at IDR 1.422 trillion (approx. US$ 92.8 million), according to company data and public budget records.
Despite the government’s intent to introduce mixed-source funding and reduce dependency on the national budget, no meaningful progress has been made in implementing an independent financing model.
Facing fiscal constraints, the institution announced a halt in contracting new contributors and freelancers as of early 2025, as part of cost‑cutting measures. Although central staff layoffs are not planned, some regional offices have seen temporary workforce reductions
Editorial independence
Although TVRI’s transformation into a public broadcasting institution was designed to ensure editorial autonomy and deliver on its public service mandate, institutional safeguards have remained weak. Interviews conducted with local journalists and media observers in March 2024 revealed that, while TVRI occasionally strove for greater editorial balance, the absence of legal provisions explicitly guaranteeing its independence continued to leave the broadcaster susceptible to political pressure—particularly during election cycles or amid the rollout of sensitive policy initiatives.
However, in recent years, TVRI’s editorial independence has shown marked improvement, largely attributable to a progressive and capable leadership team that has brought about a significant shift in the broadcaster’s editorial posture.
Under the stewardship of Iman Brotoseno, TVRI has broadened its regional news coverage, significantly increased political debate programming, and invested heavily in digital innovation. The broadcaster played a prominent role in countering disinformation during the 2024 general elections, a hallmark of credible public service media. No public allegations or incidents of direct government interference or editorial coercion have been reported in recent years. The broadcaster’s decision to air hundreds of local and national debates in 2024 further underscores a strategic move away from government echo-chamber programming toward more inclusive public discourse.
Despite these advances, TVRI still lacks key accountability and transparency mechanisms, such as a formal audience council, an independent ombudsman, or third-party editorial audits—all of which are commonly used by public broadcasters to safeguard editorial independence and reinforce public trust. That said, there has been no verifiable evidence of direct state editorial control over TVRI’s content during this period.
As a result, in 2025 we reclassified TVRI from the State-Controlled (SC) category to the Independent State-Funded and State-Managed/Owned Media (ISFM) category. This decision is supported not only by these observable improvements but also by a series of anonymized interviews with TVRI journalists conducted in March 2025, which corroborated the broadcaster’s increasing operational and editorial autonomy.
July 2025