The PMA Briefing

Financial uncertainties, shutdowns & cooperation

30 June 2026

Public broadcasters in both Chile and Slovenia face hard funding decisions, with TVN saddled with millions of dollars of debt, and RTV struggling to get the funding its owed. Plus, RTM strikes a new deal with Astro, and East Africa’s largest independent public interest media group is shutdown by Uganda’s military.

Slovenia: Major shortfall in RTV budget

RTV is warning of job cuts and liquidity measures, with two public funding allocations yet to be disbursed. The Ministry of Culture refused to pay out the funds earmarked for music production, while RTV has still not heard from the Office for Ethnic Affairs, which is supposed to provide funding for the production of ethnic programmes. This situation leaves the public broadcaster with a shortfall of nearly €14 million (US$16 million) in its budget, on which the RTV’s management had relied in its financial strategy.

The root of the problem lies in the amendment to the Broadcasting Act last December. For these funds to be distributed, the Ministry of Culture insisted that an additional contract must be signed, even though the law already sets out the terms of payment. In the spring, RTV’s board had stated that additional contracts with State institutions were not necessary.

The president of the RTV board, Natalija Gorščak, said they were taking measures to protect the broadcaster’s viability, despite not receiving the required funds. This includes However, it remains a concern among the public broadcaster’s workers, who want assurance from management that their salaries will be paid in the next few months.

RTV has been under serious pressure since the new government, led by right-wing populist leader Janez Janša came into power. The government also intends to abolish the licence fee which makes up 80 percent of the public broadcaster’s budget.

Truck from "Radio Televizija Slovenija" parked in front of University of Ljubljana. Credit: Adrian Tusar / Shutterstock.com

Chile: Commission launched to find funding solution for indebted TVN

The new government has established a commission to explore a sustainable financial model for Chile’s TVN, with the broadcaster beset with debt and ongoing financial losses. According to BioBioChile, the organisation faces a 56 billion pesos (US$60 million) debt, and lost 3.8 billion pesos (US$4 million) already in the first quarter of 2026.

TVN relies heavily on commercial funding, which has seen the broadcaster run into the financial challenges it faces today. The discussion over finding an alternative model is not a new one, with many calls to address the situation over the past five years.

Finding a solution – which the previous Gabriel Boric government failed to do despite repeated warnings – is the mission of the commission. Made up of political representatives and board members, the group will explore alternative financing methods. There are strong indicators already that part of the solution will see the government take on some responsibility, and move to a hybrid funding model for TVN. Nine buildings are listed for sale, as a way of raising revenue to pay off its debts, but only two have been sold so far.

There was some relief that the administration of the far-right José Antonio Kast, elected last year, was looking to address the challenges facing TVN, rather than selling it, as had been feared. However, the new chair of the board of TVN, appointed by Kast, Patricio Dussaillant previously had admitted if a solution could not be found by the end of the year, the channel might have to go off air.

A camera boom is in focus with three men gathered around talking together.

Santiago, Chile, September 19, 2023. A TVN television team prepare for the live broadcast of a Military Parade. Credit: Klopping / Shutterstock.com

Malaysia: RTM announces expanded cooperation agreement with Astro

RTM’s channels will remain on Astro services, just several weeks after it was reported it would be exiting the platform. In a press release, Astro – a pay TV and IPTV satellite operator – and the national public broadcaster, also announced “strengthened collaboration” between them.

In mid-May, it was reported that RTM would be leaving Astro, which according to its own statistics, reaches two thirds of all Malaysian TV households. Since 1996, RTM’s first and second channels had been available on Astro, as well as the Okey station – serving east Malaysia. However, with the current agreement due to expire at the end of June, it was understood that the two parties had failed to agree on a way forward.

As such, the news that RTM and Astro have now signed a new agreement comes as a huge relief for both the public service broadcaster and the private company, with Astro’s stock briefly rising following the announcement. The deal will see expanded RTM services on Astro’s platforms, with RTM News, the sports channel, Sukan+ and RTM’s radio network also available.

One aspect of the partnership is to strengthen Malaysia’s domestic media and production industry. The press release said the “strategic partnership” between the two parties would “accelerate the development of local content, empower the country’s creative talents and contribute to the growth of a more sustainable, competitive and relevant media industry.” It also acknowledged that with advances in technology and a fragmented media market, “collaboration between industry players is essential to ensure access to quality content continues to be strengthened at an affordable cost and does not burden the people.”

RTM's headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. Credit: Harry Lock

Uganda: Military targets Nation Media Group in overnight med ia crackdown

The Chief of Defence Forces, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has launched a shutdown order against the leading public interest news outlet Nation Media Group (NMG). The order pushed NTV Uganda and Spark TV off-air in the early hours of Sunday morning. NMG is the largest independent media group in East and Central Africa, with offices also in Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania. Muhoozi, who is also the son of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, deployed armed soldiers to the NMG Uganda facilities in Kampala, in what NMG has described as a “military siege”.

The security operation followed a collection of social media posts from Muhoozi, in which he declared that NMG and its subsidiaries – including the Daily Monitor, The East African and Spark TV – would be shut down and only able to resume operations under his direct supervision. Most notably, one of Muhoozi’s posts asserted that “I DO NOT believe in a free press” for Uganda. His remarks mirror previous attempts to silence NMG Uganda, whose operations were targeted by state authorities in 2007, and again in 2013.

The crackdown and Muhoozi’s comments have prompted concern among media freedom organisations, including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Speaking to the CPJ, NMG Uganda Managing Director Susan Nsibirwa said the raid reflects what she described as the country’s increasingly authoritarian direction. However, ICT minister Justine Lumumba Kasule said it was part of a “security-led inquiry”. An NMG representative added that the organisation had no indication of how long the shutdown would remain in effect. NMG recently changed ownership for the first time in 6 decades and is now owned by Tanzanian entrepreneur, Rostam Aziz.