Founded in 1926, Yle is Finland’s public service media company. It operates five television channels (Yle TV1, Yle TV2, Yle Fem, Yle Teema, and Yle Elävä Arkisto), as well as six nationwide radio channels.
Media assets
Television: Yle TV1, Yle TV2, Yle Teema, Yle Fem, Yle Elava Arkisto
Radio: Radio 1, YleX, Yle Radio Suomi, Yle Puhe, Yle X3M, Yle Vega, Yle Sámi Radio
State Media Matrix Typology: Independent State-Managed/Owned
Ownership and governance
Yle is a limited liability company majority owned by the state, as defined in the act governing the Finnish public corporation.
Yle’s highest governing body is its Administrative Council, consisting of 21 members elected by Parliament.
Source of funding and budget
Since 2013, Yle has been funded by a public broadcasting tax. This tax is paid by individuals and corporations. Individuals with a total earned income and capital income of €14,000 a year pay 2.5% of that income. Those with an income of less than €14,000 are exempt from paying the tax. The maximum tax per person is €163.
Organizations with at least €50,000 in annual income are obliged to pay the Yle tax as follows: €140 plus 0.35% for the portion exceeding the income limit, which means that a company would pay a maximum of €3,000 in tax. Companies with less than €50,000 in annual income are exempted.
Before 2013, Yle had been funded for most of its existence through a license fee imposed on all radio and television set owners in the country. Yle is not allowed to air commercials.
In 2021, Yle reported a total operating income of €502.6m, with over 98% generated through the broadcasting tax, as per the company’s annual report. In 2022, the broadcaster’s operating income increased to €514.1m, with 98.5% of the revenue coming from the appropriation based on the Yle tax. In 2023, Yle had total revenue of €529.6m, the Yle tax covering 98.8% of that.
Editorial independence
There are no government-imposed rules on Yle’s editorial strategy. On the contrary, the broadcaster is known for its complete editorial freedom, high-quality programming, and news coverage. This was verified through a series of ad hoc content analyses carried out for this project in May 2021, March 2023, and May 2024.
The Finnish Constitution guarantees freedom of expression. Finland has a sophisticated system for protecting media freedom. Around 25 acts on communications and mass media are in effect in Finland, many of which promote various citizen rights. However, no explicit domestic statute establishing Yle’s editorial independence has been identified.
Finland has several mechanisms in place to supervise how public authorities and officials comply with the law, such as the Parliamentary Ombudsman and the Chancellor of Justice of the government. There are also self-regulatory authorities in the media industry, like the Council for Mass Media. However, there is currently no independent mechanism specifically designated to evaluate or oversee Yle’s editorial independence.
August 2024