Исландия мемлекеттік радио және телеарнасы

Icelandic public broadcaster
the public broadcasting company

Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV) (pronounced or ) is Iceland's national public service broadcasting organization. Founded in 1930, it operates from studios in the country's capital, Reykjavík, as well as regional centres around the country. RÚV operates an online news service, which is the fourth most visited website in Iceland. In 2016, 88% of Icelanders consumed RÚV content every week. The service broadcasts an assortment of general programming to a wide national audience via two broadcast radio stations: Rás 1 and Rás 2; and one full time television channel of the same name, RÚV. A supplementary, part time TV channel, RÚV 2, transmits live coverage of major cultural and sporting events, as required, as well as some Icelandic programmes with English subtitles. RÚV also distributes online only channels content for children and the elderly. RÚV is funded by a flat earmarked government tax collected from every income tax payer, as well as from on air advertising. All of RÚV's content is free to air and open in Iceland.

The Icelandic National Broadcasting Service commenced operations in 1930 with the launch of Icelandic state radio, Útvarp Reykjavík (Radio Reykjavík). RÚV has been a full active member of the European Broadcasting Union since 1956. In 2023, RÚV announced the retirement of its longwave transmissions by 2024.

RÚV began radio broadcasting on longwave in 1930 at Vatnsendhæð, near Reykjavík. In 1938, the transmitted power was increased 100kW. In 1991, the original 1930 longwave transmitter tower at Vatnsendi collapsed. RÚV has announced the retirement of its longwave transmissions by 2024, citing its inadequacy as a backup service as most vehicles and radios do not support longwave broadcasts anymore. In 2023, the Eiðar longwave transmitter was demolished, ceasing 207kHz transmissions. Smaller medium wave repeaters were previously operated for areas which were poorly served by the longwave service. In 2004, RÚV launched a non talk, automated classical and jazz radio station called Rondó, based on the word rondo. In 2020, Rondó was discontinued on FM (due to the closure of Vatnsendi site) but continued on DVB and on the internet.

RÚV commenced television transmissions in 1966, and colour transmissions began in 1977. In 1981, the first live satellite programmes were broadcast, from the then newly inaugurated satellite ground station Skyggnir. Satellite broadcasting started in May 2007 by RÚV from Intelsat 10 02 satellite with a frequency of 11182 V 3100 7/8. This was later moved to the Thor 5 satellite. Digital television began broadcasting in 2013. Television was broadcast in analogue until the digital switchover in 2015, when the last analogue transmitter at Vatnsendi was switched off. The analogue transmissions used a network of 180 analogue transmitters. In 2021, television transmissions for the Reykjavík area were moved from Vatnsendi to Úlfarsfell, ending 70 years of broadcasting from the location.

RÚV is obliged by the terms of its charter to "promote the Icelandic language, Icelandic history, and Iceland's cultural heritage" and "honour basic democratic rules, human rights, and the freedom of speech and opinion". It carries a substantial amount of arts, media, and current affairs programming, in addition to which it also supplies general entertainment in the form of feature films and such internationally popular television drama series as Lost and Desperate Housewives. RÚV's lineup also includes sports coverage, documentaries, domestically produced entertainment shows, and children's programming. The RÚV newsroom, providing news for both television and radio, is amongst the most time honoured and respected in Iceland. On weekdays, the Rás 2 radio network includes 35 minutes of regional opt outs for local news coverage. Gettu betur is a popular annual quiz tournament pitting teams from senior secondary schools around Iceland against each other in five rounds which are broadcast on radio and TV. Popular viewing also includes the Eurovision Song Contest, to which RÚV has sent participants on Iceland's behalf since 1986. In sports, RÚV traditionally carries live coverage of such major events as the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup, although it lost the right to broadcast the 2006 World Cup, having been outbid by commercial broadcaster 365 in 2002. It did, however, show the 2010 World Cup tournament.

RÚV broadcasts two linear television channels and three radio stations, each with a certain target market. In accordance with its duty as a public broadcasting service, Sjónvarpið, the television network, broadcasts a news bulletin in Icelandic Sign Language for the deaf and hard of hearing. In addition, the Rás 1 radio channel broadcasts detailed weather reports for the benefit of Icelandic seafarers and others.

As of 2023, most of the population accesses RÚV through the internet. FM radio broadcasts remain popular however, 30% of Icelanders listen to Rás 1 and 61% listen to Rás 2 in a given week. This can be attributed to Iceland's high car ownership.

RÚV's radio stations, Rás 1 and Rás 2, are broadcast on FM through a network of 230 FM transmitters. RÚV intends to strengthen its FM network over the coming years in light of their plan to closing their longwave services in 2024.

The television network, RÚV and RÚV 2, is broadcast terrestrially in 1080i HD on a DVB T2 network operated by Vodafone Iceland by contract until 2028. The broadcasts are free to air and reach 99.9% of the population. According to a 2022 survey, only 1% of the population uses terrestrial broadcasts to watch RÚV. The main TV channel RÚV and radio stations Rás 1 and Rás 2, are also broadcast on satellite on Thor 5, mostly to cater to the Icelandic fishing fleet. They are also contracted to run until 2028. Due to the prevalence of fiber internet connections in Iceland, the most popular way to view broadcasts is through the internet. RÚV is available through managed IPTV systems on Síminn and Vodafone. RÚV also offers all of its content on their website, as well as through OTT services. RÚV also offers an app for Apple TV, iOS, Android TV and Android. +Share of distribution channelsDistribution methodMarket shareTerrestrial broadcasts (DVB)1%IPTV set top box (Síminn/Vodafone)64%OTT services (e. g. Apple TV app)27%Website7%Other1%