The Catalan Audiovisual Media Corporation (CCMA) is a public broadcasting company that serves the Catalonia region. It includes the Televisió de Catalunya channels and the Catalunya Ràdio chain of stations. CCMA also holds a minority stake in the Catalan News Agency (ACN).
Media assets
Television: TV3 (HD), 33/Super3, 3/24, Esport3, TV3CAT
Radio: Catalunya Ràdio, Catalunya Música, Catalunya Informació, iCat fm
News agency: Catalan News Agency (ACN)
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
CCMA was established as a public enterprise subordinated to the Generalitat de Catalunya through Law No. 11 of 2007.
The main governing bodies at CCMA are the Governing Council and the corporation’s President. The Governing Council comprises seven members appointed by the Parliament of Catalonia following the issuance of a suitability report by the Audiovisual Council of Catalonia (CAC), the region’s broadcast regulator. The Parliament elects the President of the Governing Council from among its seven members.
There is also a Parliamentary Control Committee fully dedicated to the CCMA, which has control over the CCMA and its subsidiaries.
Source of funding and budget
The CCMA is primarily funded by the Catalonia government (Generalitat de Catalunya). Some of its subsidiaries also raise funds through commercial activities.
In 2022, the CCMA received a state subsidy from the Catalonian government of over €248m, representing over three-quarters of the station’s budget. Advertising is the second-largest source of funding for the CCMA. The funding is approved periodically based on a program contract between the CCMA and the Generalitat.
In 2022, the CCMA generated approximately €47.5m from ad sales, a 2% decline compared to the previous year. In 2023, the CCMA had a total budget of €383m, some €308m of which was accounted for by subsidies from various state bodies.
Editorial independence
CCMA’s framework statute includes editorial independence as one of the values and principles guiding the broadcaster’s work.
The CCMA has established mechanisms to evaluate and monitor the broadcaster’s editorial independence. One of these mechanisms is the Audience Advocate, responsible for safeguarding the rights of viewers, listeners, and users of Televisió de Catalunya, Catalunya Ràdio, and the CCMA’s websites and portals. The advocate receives public inquiries, suggestions, and complaints regarding the accuracy, thoroughness, diversity, and fairness of CCMA’s content. The station’s management then addresses and manages these matters.
CCMA also has a Content and Programming Advisory Board that assists the CCMA Governing Council and the President in evaluating the broadcaster’s programming strategies and services. It comprises 16 members, all elected by the region’s Parliament.
Authorities and politicians have repeatedly attacked CCMA, claiming that the Catalonian government controls its editorial coverage. However, academic analyses have found no evidence of such control in the past, indicating a satisfactory level of editorial independence at CCMA.
However, the most recent research conducted for this report found that censorship has increased at CCMA, with the government solidifying its control over the broadcaster’s editorial agenda. In 2021, TV3’s reporter Santiago Torres accused the CCMA of political control. He became the first case in Spain of a journalist who invoked the so-called “conscience clause,” a provision in the Spanish media system that allows journalists to leave the media company to preserve their professionalism and independence. Independent observers frequently criticize the CCMA for its biased stance and misuse of public funds.
For the reasons explained above, we downgraded CCMA to the “State-Controlled” category in our State Media Matrix in 2024.
August 2024