Radio and Television Slovakia (RTVS) is Slovakia’s national public broadcasting operator. The company was established in 2011 following the merger of Slovak Television and Slovak Radio. RTVS operates three television channels, nine radio stations, and three regional radio channels, serving as a major media platform nationwide.
Media assets
Television: :1, :2, :Sport, :24
Radio: SRo1: Rádio Slovensko, SRo2: Rádio Regina, SRo3: Rádio Devín, SRo4: Rádio FM, SRo5: Rádio Patria, SRo6: Radio Slovakia International, SRo7: Rádio Pyramida, SRo8: Rádio Litera, SRo9: Rádio Junior
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
RTVS is regulated by the RTVS Law (Number 532 of 2010, subsequently revised). According to this law, RTVS is a legally recognized entity headquartered in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. Its primary responsibility is to manage the public broadcasting service throughout the country.
The RTVS Board, the highest governing body at RTVS, consists of nine members appointed and dismissed by the National Council, Slovakia’s unicameral parliament. The appointments are made through an absolute majority, following the appropriate parliamentary committee nominations. The Director General of RTVS is also appointed by the National Council, based on nominations from the relevant parliamentary committee. This process involves a public hearing where candidates present their project proposals. The hearing is broadcast live on the National Council’s website.
In February 2024, the government announced plans to split the RTVS into two distinct entities: a radio and a television broadcaster. Journalists have criticized these plans, arguing that the split would make it easier for politicians to divide political control over the public service media system.
In June 2024, the Slovak Parliament sanctioned plans to overhaul RTVS, Slovakia’s public broadcasting organization, and alter its leadership structure. This decision sparked public outrage and drew severe criticism from media freedom advocates. Lubos Machaj, the head of RTVS, labeled it a “black day” for Slovakian media. The broadcaster will undergo a name change to Slovak Television and Radio (STVR), and its director will be supplanted by a nine-member council appointed by the Minister of Culture and the Parliament. During the voting process for this law, the opposition MP exited the Parliament building.
Source of funding and budget
RTVS was funded through a combination of license fees (paid by all households in the country), state subsidies, and advertising. In 2021, the state subsidy accounted for some 34% of the total budget of €137.2m, according to the company’s annual report. The following year, RTVS had a total budget of €141.5m, according to a yearly report published by the RTVS. License fees accounted for roughly 53% of that.
The license fee secured RTVS’ financial independence to a certain degree. The government did not entirely control it as the fee was collected directly from individual households.
In June 2023, the Slovak Parliament approved amendments to the RTVS Law, changing the RTVS funding model from a license fee-based model to a state budget-based model. Hence, the broadcaster receives a government budget allocation worth 0.17% of the GDP as of 2023. As of July 2023, the license fee was canceled. Independent experts and journalists criticized the change to this funding model as it made the broadcaster more dependent on the government.
Government officials in Slovakia argued that the change in RTVS’ funding model was intended to make the broadcaster more financially stable and reduce the government’s influence over the station. Nevertheless, right after the approval of the new funding model, RTVS’s allocation was cut to 0.12% of GDP, with the broadcaster receiving €131m from the government in 2024, a cut of €55m compared to the original funding model.
These developments have led to the reclassification of RTVS from the Captured Public/State-Owned (CaPu) category to the State-Controlled (SC) category, considered the least independent in our State Media Matrix taxonomy.
Editorial independence
RTVS was lauded for its high-quality coverage and editorial independence for many years. However, over the past four years, following the appointment of a new director – a decision that drew criticism from independent journalists due to its highly politicized nature – the broadcaster has gradually come under increased control by authorities. Controversial programs, particularly those centered on investigative journalism, have been discontinued, and the pressure on journalists has significantly escalated, resulting in many leaving their positions. No recent evidence suggests that the censorship issues plaguing RTVS have been resolved.
The assault on the station’s independence escalated in 2024 when newly enacted legal provisions to restructure the station were approved, placing RTVS under government control (see Ownership and governance above).
The RTVS Law mandates that the broadcaster operates as an independent institution. The broadcaster’s statute, most recently updated in 2016, reiterates the provisions of the RTVS Law without offering any additional guarantees for the broadcaster’s editorial independence.
The RTVS has an Ethics Commission responsible for addressing ethical issues during the broadcaster’s activities. While the commission operates independently, it is subordinate to and serves under the RTVS General Director.
August 2024