ccrtv

The Catalan Executive raised the alarm on Monday: the Spanish Ministry of Industry is planning to take away 1 of the 2 multiplexes run by the Catalan Public Television Broadcaster (TVC), which means reducing its number of TV channels. By halving the spectrum available for TVC – which is traditionally the leader for TV audiences in Catalonia – the Spanish Government will oblige the broadcaster to reduce its number of channels. This will decrease its audience and therefore its influence, which might also bring a reduction of advertising income and a consequent weakening of the public service. The Catalan Government sees "an undoubted" political motivation in this decision, aiming to decrease the influence of Catalan-speaking media by rendering TVC "residual".

The Catalan public television and radio broadcaster continues to lead the audience share in Catalonia. Regarding newspapers, ‘La Vanguardia’ tops the ranking in Catalonia, followed by ‘El Periódico’. The number of consumers choosing newspapers in Catalan has grown by 29% in the last year, thanks to the recently created ‘Ara’ and the new edition of ‘La Vanguardia’ in Catalan. This totals 48% of its readers.

In a meeting at the Parliament of Catalonia, the Catalan Government has announced that it will reduce its budget contribution to the Catalan public television and radio broadcaster (CCRTV) by 13.3%. As a consequence, the entire CCRTV budget will drop and two of the six digital TV channels will be closed. However, the Government’s Spokesperson, Francesc Homs, in charge of public media, said no staff would be laid off.