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European Broadcasting Union

Alliance of public service media entities


Alliance of public service media entities

FieldValue
nameEuropean Broadcasting Union
native_nameUnion européenne de radio-télévision
native_name_langfr
logoEBU 2026.svg
logo_size200px
logo_captionLogo since 2026
mapEBU Member Elliptic.svg
mcaptionCountries with one or more members are in dark blue. Associated members in light blue. Suspended members in yellow.
typeUnion of broadcasting organisations
membership
headquartersGeneva, Switzerland
predecessorInternational Broadcasting Union
formation
leader_titlePresident
leader_nameDelphine Ernotte
leader_title2Director-General
leader_name2Noel Curran
languageEnglish, French
website

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU; , UER) is an alliance of public service media organisations in countries within the European Broadcasting Area (EBA) or who are members of the Council of Europe. , it is made up of 123 member organisations from 56 countries, and 31 associate members from a further 20 countries. It was established in 1950, and has its administrative headquarters in Geneva.

The EBU owns and operates the Eurovision and Euroradio telecommunications networks on which major television and radio broadcasts are distributed live to its members. It also operates the daily Eurovision news exchange in which members share breaking news footage. In 2017, the EBU launched the Eurovision Social Newswire, an eyewitness and video verification service. Led by Head of Eurovision Social Newswire, Derek Bowler, the service provides members of the EBU with verified and cleared-for-use newsworthy eyewitness media emerging on social media.

In April 2025, the EBU, in partnership with its Members, launched Eurovision News Spotlight, a collaborative network for fact-checking and open-source intelligence (OSINT) to actively combat online falsehoods and misinformation across Europe.

The EBU, in co-operation with its members, produces programmes and organises events in which its members can participate, such as the Eurovision Song Contest, its best known production, or the Eurovision Debates between candidates for president of the European Commission for the 2014, 2019 and 2024 parliamentary elections. Noel Curran has been director-general since 2017.

General description

EBU members are public service media (PSM) broadcasters established by law but are non-partisan, independent, and run for the benefit of society as a whole.

EBU members come from as far north as Iceland and as far south as Algeria, from Portugal in the west to Azerbaijan in the east, and almost every nation from geographical Europe in between. Associate members from the United States include ABC, CBS, NBC, CPB, NPR, APM, and the only individual station, Chicago-based classical music radio WFMT.

Membership is for media organisations in countries within the European Broadcasting Area (EBA), as defined by the International Telecommunication Union, or who are members of the Council of Europe.

Members benefit from:

  • Access to content ranging from exclusive sports rights to exchanges for news, music, and children's programmes.
  • Representatives in Brussels, and in other international arenas, lobbying for PSM and ensuring the optimal legal and technical framework for broadcasters.
  • Opportunities for sharing, learning and collaborating through conferences, working groups, training, and dedicated advice and guidance.
  • A centre for learning and sharing new technology and innovation with a team of experts providing strategic advice and guidance.

The EBU's highest-profile production is the Eurovision Song Contest. The EBU also organises the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, the Eurovision Young Musicians competition, and other competitions which are modeled along similar lines.

Radio collaborations include Euroclassic Notturno—an overnight classical music stream, produced by BBC Radio 3 and broadcast in the United Kingdom as Through the Night—and special theme days, such as the annual Christmas music relays from around Europe. The EBU is a member of the International Music Council.

Most EBU broadcasters have group deals to carry major sporting events including the FIFA World Cup and the inaugural European Championships. Another annually recurring event which is broadcast across Europe through the EBU is the Vienna New Year's Concert.

Eurovision Media Services is the business arm of the EBU and provides media services for many media organisations and sports federations around the world.

Ident

Marc-Antoine Charpentier's Prelude to Te Deum is the hymn played before and after broadcasts organised under the Eurovision network, including the Eurovision Song Contest.

History

[[Vienna New Year's Concert

The EBU was a successor to the International Broadcasting Union (IBU) that was founded in 1925 and had its administrative headquarters in Geneva and technical office in Brussels. It fostered programming exchanges between members and mediated technical disputes between members that were mostly concerned with frequency and interference issues. It was in effect taken over by Nazi Germany during the Second World War, and thereafter the Allies viewed it as a compromised organisation that they could not trust.

In the spring of 1946, representatives of the Soviet radio committee proposed forming a new organisation; however, at the same time preparations were being made for an inter-governmental "European Broadcasting Conference" in Copenhagen in 1948 to draw up a new plan for frequency use in the European Broadcasting Area. It was considered necessary to have an organisation that could implement the "Copenhagen Wavelength Plan" but there was disagreement among broadcasters and particularly a fear expressed by the BBC that a new association might be dominated by the USSR and its proposal to give each of its constituent states one vote. France proposed that it would have four votes with the inclusion of its North African colonies. The United Kingdom felt it would have little influence with just one vote.

On 27 June 1946, the alternative International Broadcasting Organisation (IBO) was founded with 26 members and without British participation. The following day the IBU met in General Assembly and an attempt was made to dissolve it but failed; though 18 of its 28 members left to join the IBO. For a period of time in the late 1940s both the IBU and IBO vied for the role of organising frequencies but Britain decided not to be involved in either. The BBC attempted but failed to find suitable working arrangements with them. However, for practical purposes, the IBO rented the IBU technical centre in Brussels and employed its staff. The BBC then proposed a new solution based on the IBO changing its constitution so there will be only one member per International Telecommunication Union (ITU) country, thus ensuring a Western majority over the USSR and its satellite states. In August 1949 a meeting took place in Stresa, Italy, but it resulted in disagreement between delegates on how to resolve the problems. One proposal was for the European Broadcasting Area to be replaced by one that would exclude Eastern Europe, the Levant, and North Africa.

After Stresa, a consensus emerged among the Western Europeans to form a new organisation and the BBC proposed it be based in London. Meetings in Paris on 31 October and 1 November 1949 sealed the fate of the IBU and IBO, but it was decided not to allow any broadcaster from West Germany to be a founder of the new organisation. On 13 February 1950 the European Broadcasting Union had its first meeting with 23 members from the ITU defined European Broadcasting Area at the Imperial Hotel in Torquay, United Kingdom. The first president was Ian Jacob of the BBC who remained at the helm for ten years while its operation was largely dominated by the BBC due to its financial, technical, and staff input. The most important difference between the EBU and its predecessors was that EBU membership was for broadcasters and not governments. Early delegates said EBU meetings were cordial and professional and very different from the abrupt tone of its predecessors. Broadcasters from West Germany were admitted since 1951 and a working relationship forged with its Eastern counterpart, the International Radio and Television Organisation (OIRT), which existed in parallel with the EBU until its merger on 1 January 1993.

In 1967, the first concert in the International Concert Season of the European Broadcasting Union was broadcast from the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London.

Technical activities

The objective of the EBU's technical activities is simply to assist EBU Members (see below) in this period of unprecedented technological changes. This includes the provision of technical information to Members via conferences and workshops, as well as in written form (such as the EBU Technical Review, and the EBU tech-i magazine).

The EBU also encourages active collaboration between its Members on the basis that they can freely share their knowledge and experience, thus achieving considerably more than individual Members could achieve by themselves. Much of this collaboration is achieved through Project Groups which study specific technical issues of common interest: for example, EBU Members have long been preparing for the revision of the 1961 Stockholm Plan.

The EBU places great emphasis on the use of open standards. Widespread use of open standards (such as MPEG-2, DAB, DVB, etc.) ensures interoperability between products from different vendors, as well as facilitating the exchange of programme material between EBU Members and promoting "horizontal markets" for the benefit of all consumers.

EBU Members and the EBU Technical Department have long played an important role in the development of many systems used in radio and television broadcasting, such as:

  • The AES/EBU digital audio interface, formally known as AES3;
  • Serial and parallel interfaces for digital video (ITU-R Recommendations 601 and 656);
  • RDS – the radio data system used on FM broadcasting.
  • The EBU Loudness Recommendation R 128 and 'EBU Mode' meters (EBU Tech 3341)

The EBU has also actively encouraged the development and implementation of:

  • Digital radio (DAB) through Eureka Project 147 and the WorldDAB Forum.
  • DVB (Digital Video Broadcasting) through the DVB Project and DigiTAG.
  • Digital radio in the bands currently used for AM broadcasting through Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM).
  • Standardisation of PVR systems through the TV-Anytime Forum.
  • Development of other content distribution networks on the internet through P2PTV; EBU Project Group D/P2P, from November 2007 to April 2008, with a trial of selected member channels, thanks to Octoshape's distribution platform. The EBU is also part of the European P2P-Next project.

Controversies

Greek state broadcaster (2013)

On 11 June 2013, the Greek government shut down the state broadcaster Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) on short notice, citing government spending concerns related to the Euro area crisis. In response, the EBU set up a makeshift studio the same day near the former ERT offices in Athens in order to continue providing EBU members with the news-gathering and broadcast relay services which had formerly been provided by ERT. The EBU put out a statement expressing its "profound dismay" at the shutdown, urging the Greek Prime Minister "to use all his powers to immediately reverse this decision" and offered the "advice, assistance and expertise necessary for ERT to be preserved". Starting on 4 May 2014, the new state broadcaster New Hellenic Radio, Internet and Television (NERIT) began nationwide transmissions, taking over ERT's vacant active membership slot in the EBU. On 11 June 2015, two years after ERT's closure, NERIT was renamed as Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT), which reopened with a comprehensive program in all radio stations (with nineteen regional, two world-range and five pan-Hellenic range radio stations) and three TV channels ERT1, ERT2 and ERT3.

Belarusian and Russian state broadcasters (2021–22)

The Belarusian Television and Radio Company (BTRC) has been accused of repressing its own employees, having fired more than 100 people since a wave of anti-Lukashenko protests in 2020 following alleged election fraud. Many of them have also been jailed. Many voices have been raised against the participation of BTRC in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 representing Belarus, the argument being that the EBU would make a political statement if it did endorse BTRC by essentially and silently saying that democracy is unimportant and so are basic human rights such as freedom of speech.

On 28 May 2021, the EBU suspended the BTRC's membership as they had been "particularly alarmed by the broadcast of interviews apparently obtained under duress". BTRC was given two weeks to respond before the suspension came into effect, but did not do so publicly. The suspension of the broadcaster was made effective on 1 July 2021. Although initial reports mentioned that it would expire after three years, in April 2024 the EBU confirmed that the suspension had been made indefinite.

The three Russian members of the EBU, Channel One Russia, VGTRK, and Radio Dom Ostankino are all controlled by the Russian government. On 21 February 2022, the Russian government recognized the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, disputed territories that are internationally recognized as part of Ukraine. Ukraine's public broadcaster Suspilne called on the EBU to terminate the membership of Channel One Russia and VGTRK, and to consider preventing them from participating in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 representing Russia, citing the Russian government's use of both outlets to spread disinformation surrounding the Russo-Ukrainian war. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, several other public broadcasters joined UA:PBC in calling for Russia's exclusion from the 2022 Contest; Finland's Yle and Estonia's ERR stated that they would not send a representative if Russia was allowed to participate. After initially stating that both Russia and Ukraine would be allowed to compete, the EBU announced on 25 February 2022 that it would ban Russia from participating in the Contest.

The three Russian broadcasters announced, via a statement released by Russian state media, that they would withdraw from the EBU on 26 February, citing increased politicization of the organization. The EBU released a statement saying that it was aware of the reports, but that it had not received any formal confirmation. On 1 March, a further statement from the EBU announced that it had suspended its Russian members from its governance structures. On 26 May, the EBU made effective the suspension of its Russian members indefinitely.

In 2023, an extensive investigation by the EBU Investigative Journalism Network uncovered evidence of a Kremlin-sponsored initiative to take Ukrainian children from the war-torn country to Russia, a war crime under international law.

Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest

The Gaza war has led to calls for the EBU to exclude Israel and its broadcaster Kan from the Eurovision Song Contest, and demonstrations against its participation took place in and .

Members

Map of countries with EBU member broadcasters (as of May 2024)
Countries with active EBU member broadcasters coloured in order of accession since 1950

Current members

, the list of EBU members comprises the following 75 broadcasting companies from 56 countries.

CountryBroadcasting organisationAbbr.Year
AlbaniaAlbanian Radio-Television (Radio Televizioni Shqiptar)RTSH1999
AlgeriaPublic Establishment of Television (المؤسّسة العمومية للتلفزيون, Établissement public de télévision)EPTV1970
National Sound Broadcasting Company (المؤسسة العمومية للبث الإذاعي, Entreprise nationale de radiodiffusion sonore)ENRS
Algerian Broadcasting Company (البث الإذاعي والتلفزي الجزائري, Télédiffusion d'Algérie)TDA
AndorraRadio and Television of Andorra (Ràdio i Televisió d'Andorra)RTVA2002
ArmeniaPublic Television Company of Armenia (Հայաստանի Հանրային Հեռուստաընկերություն, Hayastani Hanrayin Herrustaynkerut'yun)ARMTV
ՀՀՀ2005
Public Radio of Armenia (Հայաստանի Հանրային Ռադիո, Hayastani Hanrayin Radio)ARMR
AustriaÖsterreichischer RundfunkORF1953
Azerbaijanİctimai Televiziya və Radio Yayımları Şirkəti:İCTI/İTV2007
BelgiumVlaamse Radio- en TelevisieomroeporganisatieVRT1950
Radio-Télévision Belge de la Communauté FrançaiseRTBF
Bosnia and HerzegovinaRadio and Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosanskohercegovačka radiotelevizija)BHRT1993
BulgariaBulgarian National Radio (Българско национално радио, Bǎlgarsko nacionalno radio)BNR
БНР1993
Bulgarian National Television (Българска национална телевизия, Balgarska natsionalna televizia)BNT
БНТ
CroatiaCroatian Radiotelevision (Hrvatska radiotelevizija)HRT1993
CyprusCyprus Broadcasting Corporation (Ραδιοφωνικό Ίδρυμα Κύπρου, Radiofonikó Ídryma Kýprou, Kıbrıs Radyo Yayın Kurumu)CyBC
ΡΊΚ
RKYK1969
Czech RepublicČeský rozhlasČRo1993
Česká televizeČT
DenmarkDanmarks RadioDR1950
TV2 DanmarkDK/TV21989
EgyptNational Media Authority (الهيئة الوطنية للإعلام)NTU1985
EstoniaEesti Rahvusringhääling:ERR1993
FinlandYleisradio (Rundradion)Yle1950
FranceGroupe de Radiodiffusion Française:GRF1950
ArteARTE2024
Georgia (country)Georgian Public Broadcaster (საქართველოს საზოგადოებრივი მაუწყებელი, sakartvelos sazogadoebrivi mauts'q'ebeli)GPB
სსმ2005
GermanyArbeitsgemeinschaft der öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten der Bundesrepublik Deutschland
(The Working Group of Public Broadcasters in the Federal Republic of Germany, ARD):ARD1952
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (Second German Television)ZDF1963
GreeceHellenic Broadcasting Corporation (Ελληνική Ραδιοφωνία Τηλεόραση, Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi)ERT1950–2013,
2015
HungaryMédiaszolgáltatás-támogató és Vagyonkezelő Alap (Media Support and Asset Management Fund):MTVA2014
IcelandRíkisútvarpiðRÚV1956
Republic of IrelandRaidió Teilifís ÉireannRTÉ1950
TG4TG42007
IsraelIsraeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (תַּאֲגִיד הַשִׁיְדּוּר הַיִשְׂרָאֵלִי, Taʾăḡid HaŠidûr HaYiśrāʾēli) (هَيْئَة اَلْبَثّ اَلْإِسْرَائِيلي, Hayʾat al-Baṯṯ al-Isrāʾīlī)KAN2017
ItalyRAI – Radiotelevisione ItalianaRAI1950
JordanJordan Radio and Television Corporation (مؤسسة الإذاعة والتلفزيون الأردني)JRTV1970
LatviaPublic Broadcasting of Latvia (Latvijas Sabiedriskie mediji):LSM1993
LebanonTélé Liban (تلفزيون لبنان)TL1950
LibyaLibya National Channel (قناة ليبيا الوطنية)LNC2011
LithuaniaLithuanian National Radio and Television (Lietuvos nacionalinis radijas ir televizija)LRT1993
LuxembourgRTL GroupRTL1950
Média de Service Public 100,7 (radio 100,7)MSP2022
MaltaPublic Broadcasting ServicesPBS1970
MoldovaCompania Națională "Teleradio-Moldova"TRM1993
MonacoMonaco Media DiffusionMMD1994
TVMonacoTVM2024
MontenegroRadio i televizija Crne Gore (Радио и телевизија Црне Горе)RTCG
РТЦГ2006
MoroccoSociété Nationale de Radiodiffusion et de Télévision (الشَرِكَة الوَطَنِيَّة لِلْإِذَاعَة وَالتَلْفَزَة, ⵜⴰⵎⵙⵙⵓⵔⵜ ⵜⴰⵏⴰⵎⵓⵔⵜ ⵏ ⵓⵏⵣⵡⴰⵢ ⴷ ⵜⵉⵍⵉⴼⵉⵣⵢⵓⵏ)SNRT1950
NetherlandsNederlandse Publieke Omroep (Dutch Public Broadcaster):NPO1950
North MacedoniaMakedonska radio-televizija (Македонска радио-телевизија)MRT
МРТ1993
NorwayNorsk RikskringkastingNRK1950
TV 2 Group (TV 2 Gruppen)NO/TV21993
PolandTelewizja PolskaTVP1993
Polskie RadioPR
PortugalRádio e Televisão de PortugalRTP1950
RomaniaSocietatea Română de RadiodifuziuneROR1993
Societatea Română de TeleviziuneRO/TVR
San MarinoSan Marino RTVSMRTV1995
SerbiaRadio-televizija Srbije (Радио-телевизија Србије)RTS
РТС2006
SlovakiaSlovak Television and Radio (Slovenská televízia a rozhlas)STVR2024
SloveniaRadiotelevizija SlovenijaRTVSLO1993
SpainRadiotelevisión EspañolaRTVE1955
SwedenSveriges Rundradiotjänst:SRT1950
SwitzerlandSwiss Broadcasting Corporation:SRG SSR1950
TunisiaÉtablissement de la Radio Tunisienne (مؤسسة الإذاعة التونسية)RTT2007
Établissement de la Télévision Tunisienne (مؤسسة التلفزة التونسية)
TurkeyTürkiye Radyo ve Televizyon KurumuTRT1950
UkraineNational Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine
(Національна суспільна телерадіокомпанія України,
Natsionalna Suspilna Teleradiokompaniya Ukrayiny)SU1993
United KingdomBritish Broadcasting CorporationBBC1950
United Kingdom Independent Broadcasting:UKIB1981
Vatican CityVatican Radio (Radio Vaticana, Statio Radiophonica Vaticana)VR1950

Suspended members

CountryBroadcasting organisationAbbr.YearSuspended
BelarusNational State TV and Radio Company of the Republic of BelarusBTRC19932021
RussiaChannel One RussiaC1R19962022
All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting CompanyRTR1993
Radio Dom Ostankino:RDO1996

Past members

CountryBroadcasting organisationAbbr.FromTo
BelgiumNational Institute of Radio Broadcasting (Institut national de radiodiffusion, INR; Nationaal Instituut voor de Radio-Omroep, NIR)INR-NIR19501960
CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovak Television (Československá televize)ČST19911992
Finland FinlandMTV3FI/MTV19932019
France FranceRadiodiffusion-Télévision FrançaiseRTF19501964
Office de Radiodiffusion Télévision FrançaiseORTF19641975
Télédiffusion de FranceTDF19751982
TF1TF119752018
Europe 1E119782022
Organisme Français de Radiodiffusion et de TélévisionOFRT19831992
Canal+C+19842018
Greece GreeceNew Hellenic Radio, Internet and Television (Νέα Ελληνική Ραδιοφωνία, Ίντερνετ και Τηλεόραση, Néa Ellinikí Radiofonía, Ínternet kai Tileórasi)NERIT20142015
Hungary HungaryDuna TVDuna20132015
Magyar RádióMR1993
Magyar TelevízióMTV
Israel IsraelIsrael Broadcasting Authority (רָשׁוּת השִּׁדּוּר, Rashút HaShidúr)IBA19572017
LibyaLibyan Jamahiriya Broadcasting Corporation (الجماهيرية اللّيبيّة)LJBC19742011
LuxembourgÉtablissement de Radiodiffusion Socioculturelle du Grand-Duché de LuxembourgERSL19962022
MaltaMaltese Broadcasting AuthorityMBA19702003
MonacoGroupement de Radiodiffuseurs Monégasques:GRMC19502021
Telemontecarlo (now La7)TMC19812001
NetherlandsDutch Radio Union (Nederlandse Radio Unie)NRU19471967
Nederlandse Televisie Stichting (Dutch Television Foundation)NTS1951
TROSTROS19642014
Russia1st channel Ostankino (Первый канал Останкино)C1O19941995
Serbia and MontenegroUdruženje javnih radija i televizija (Alliance of Public Radios and Televisions)UJRT20012006
Slovakia SlovakiaSlovenský rozhlasSRo19932011
Slovenská televíziaSTV
Radio and Television of Slovakia (Rozhlas a televízia Slovenska)RTVS20112024
Spain SpainAntena 3 RadioA3R19861993
Radio Popular SA COPECOPE19982019
Sociedad Española de RadiodifusiónSER19822020
Sweden SwedenTV4SE/TV420042019
Tunisia TunisiaÉtablissement de la radiodiffusion-télévision tunisienne (Tunisian Radio and Television Establishment)ERTT19902007
United Kingdom United KingdomIndependent Television AuthorityITA19591972
Independent Television Companies AssociationITCA19591981
Independent Broadcasting AuthorityIBA19721981
Commercial Radio Companies Association (now Radiocentre)CRCA19812006
YugoslaviaJugoslavenska radio-televizija / Jugoslovenska radio-televizija (Југославенска радио-телевизија / Југослoвенска радио-телевизија)JRT19501992

Associate members

Countries with associate EBU membership

Any group or organisation from an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) member country, which provides a radio or television service outside of the European Broadcasting Area, is permitted to submit applications to the EBU for Associate Membership.

It is also noted by the EBU that any broadcaster that is granted Associate Member status does not gain access into Eurovision eventsnotable exceptions being those from Australia, who have participated in the Eurovision Song Contest since and the Junior Eurovision Song Contest between and ; Canada, who participated in the Eurovision Young Dancers between 1987 and 1989; and Kazakhstan, who participated in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest between and all of which were individually invited.

The list of Associate Members of EBU comprised the following 30 broadcasting companies from 20 countries .

CountryBroadcasting organisationAbbr.Year
AustraliaAustralian Broadcasting CorporationABC1950
Special Broadcasting ServiceSBS1979
BangladeshBangladesh TelevisionBTV1974
BrazilTV Cultura (Fundação Padre Anchieta)FPA2012
CanadaCanadian Broadcasting Corporation (Société Radio-Canada)CBC1950
ChileCanal 13C131971
ChinaChina Media Group (中央广播电视总台)CMG2010
Shanghai Media Group (上海文化廣播影視集團有限公司)SMG2016
CubaCuban Institute of Radio and Television (Instituto Cubano de Radio y Televisión)ICRT1992
GeorgiaTeleimediTEME2004
Rustavi 2 (რუსთავი 2)RB2003
Hong KongRadio Television Hong Kong (香港電台)RTHK1983
IranIslamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (صدا و سيمای جمهوری اسلامی ايران)IRIB1968
JapanNippon Hōsō Kyōkai (日本放送協会)NHK1951
TBS Holdings (TBSホールディングス)TBS2000
KazakhstanKhabar Agency ("Хабар" Агенттігі, Агентство «Хабар»)KA2016
MalaysiaRadio Television of Malaysia (Radio Televisyen Malaysia, راديو تيليۏيشن مليسيا)RTM1970
MauritiusMauritius Broadcasting CorporationMBC1980
NepalAssociation of Community Radio Broadcasters NepalACORAB2023
New ZealandRadio New Zealand (Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa)RNZ1950
Television New Zealand (Te Reo Tātaki o Aotearoa)TVNZ1980
OmanPublic Authority for Radio and TV of OmanPART1976
South KoreaKorean Broadcasting System (한국방송공사)KBS1974
SyriaGeneral Organization of Radio and TV
(Organisation de la Radio-Télévision Arabe Syrienne, الهيئة العامة للإذاعة والتلفزيون – سورية)ORTAS1978
United StatesAmerican Broadcasting CompanyABC1959
American Public MediaAPM2004
Columbia Broadcasting SystemCBS1956
National Public RadioNPR1971
National Broadcasting CompanyNBC1953
WFMT Radio NetworkWFMT1980

Past associate members

The list of past associate members of EBU comprises the following 95 broadcasting companies from 55 countries and 1 autonomous territory.

CountryBroadcasting organisationAbbr.FromTo
ArgentinaCanal 7C719701999
El TreceC1319731999
AustraliaAustralian Fine Music NetworkAFMN20082010
FreeTV AustraliaFree19622024
BahamasBroadcasting Corporation of The BahamasBCB19751999
BarbadosCaribbean Broadcasting CorporationBB/CBC19712005
BeninRadiodiffusion du DahomeyRD19721975
BrazilAssociação Brasileira das Emissoras de Rádio e TelevisãoABERT19621980
Diários AssociadosDA19501980
Emissoras Unidas de Rádio e TelevisãoEURT19611969
TV GloboGLOBO19701999
Network of Independent Broadcasters (Rede de Emissoras Independentes)REI19741975
Rádio NacionalRN19741975
CanadaCTV Television NetworkCTV19691999
Agency for Tele-Education in CanadaATEC19751981
ChadChadian National Radio (Radiodiffusion Nationale Tchadienne)RNT19551974
ChileTelevisión Nacional de ChileTVN19701999
ColombiaInstituto Nacional de Radio y TelevisiónIRV19701999
CongoRadiodiffusion Télévision CongolaiseRTC19742009
Costa RicaTelesistema Nacional S.R.L.TSN19691971
EcuadorTeleamazonas4TA19751999
GabonRadiodiffusion-Télévision GabonaiseRTG19602009
GambiaGambia Radio & Television ServiceGRTS19622010
GhanaGhana Broadcasting CorporationGBC19531990
GreenlandKalaallit Nunaata Radioa (Greenlandic Broadcasting Corporation)KNR19782011
GuyanaGuyana Broadcasting ServiceGBS19772009
HaitiService des Télécommunications19501969
HondurasTelevisora de Honduras, S.A.TH19691971
Hong KongAsia Television (亞洲電視有限公司)ATV19572010
Television Broadcasts LimitedTVB19732012/2013
IndiaAll India RadioAIR19792021
IndonesiaRadio Republik IndonesiaRRI19731981
Televisi Republik IndonesiaTVRI19731981
IraqIraqi Broadcasting and Television EstablishmentIBTE
Ivory CoastRadiodiffusion Television IvoirienneRTI19612010
JamaicaJamaica Broadcasting CorporationJBC19701981
JapanMainichi Broadcasting System (株式会社毎日放送, Kabushiki-gaisha Mainichi Hōsō)MBS19702009
TV AsahiANB19602009
Fuji TelevisionFTN19692012/2013
National Association of Commercial Broadcasters in JapanNACB19842012/2013
Nippon Television Network Corporation (日本テレビ放送網株式会社, Nihon Terebi Hōsōmō kabushiki gaisha)NTV19532009
Tokyo FMTFM19862021
KenyaThe Voice of KenyaVK19642010
KuwaitKuwait Broadcasting and Television ServiceKBTS19702010
LiberiaLiberian Broadcasting CorporationLBC19641981
MadagascarRadiodiffusion-Télévision de MadagascarRTM19712010
MalawiMalawi Broadcasting CorporationMBC19642010
MauritaniaTelevision of MauritaniaMR/TVM20032013
MexicoTelesistema MexicanoTSM19601973
Televisión Independiente de México (Mexican Independent Television)TIM19691973
Tele-Cadena MexicanaTCM19691973
Televisa SA de CVTVA19732005
Corporación Mexicana de Radio y TelevisiónCMRT19731999
NepalNepal Television (नेपाल टेलिभिजन)NTVC19852010
NigerOffice de radiodiffusion et Télévision du NigerORTN19671981
NigeriaNigerian Broadcasting CorporationNBC19622010
PakistanRadio Pakistan (ریڈیو پاکستان)RP19501974
Pakistan Television Corporation (پاکستان ٹیلی وژن نیٹ ورک)PK/PTV19712010
PalestinePalestinian Broadcasting Corporation (هيئة الإذاعة والتلفزيون الفلسطينية)PBC20022014
Papua New GuineaNational Broadcasting CorporationNBC19772015
PeruTeledosT219691971
Compañía Peruana de RadiodifusiónAMÉRICA19691999
Panamericana TelevisiónPANTEL19691999
QatarQatar Television and Broadcasting ServiceQTBC19732009
Al Jazeera Children's Channel (قناة الجزيرة للأطفال)JCC20082013
Qatar Radio (إذاعة قطر)QR20092009
Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabian Broadcasting and Television ServiceSABTVS19622012
SenegalRadiodiffusion Télévision SénégalaiseRTS19732006
Sri LankaCeylon Broadcasting CorporationCBC19671973
Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (ශ්‍රී ලංකා ගුවන් විදුලි සංස්ථාව, Shrī Lankā Guvan Viduli Sansthāva) (இலங்கை ஒலிபரப்புக் கூட்டுத்தாபனம், Ilangkai Oliparappuk Kūṭṭuttāpaṉam)SLBC20072010
South AfricaSouth African Broadcasting CorporationSABC19512022
South KoreaMunhwa Broadcasting Corporation (주식회사문화방송)MBC19612009
SudanSudan Television ServiceSTS19762009
TanzaniaTanzania Broadcasting CorporationTBC19602010
United Arab EmiratesEmirates Media Inc.EMI2006
United Arab Emirates Radio And Television – DubaiUAERTVD2006
United StatesNational Association of Educational BroadcastersNAEB1981
Time Life TelevisionTIME1970
United States Information AgencyUSIA
National Educational TelevisionNET1970
Educational Broadcasting CorporationEBC1971
Corporation for Public BroadcastingCPB1972
Cable News NetworkCNN
International Broadcasting BureauIBB2007
Minnesota Public RadioMPR20042007
New York Public RadioNYPR20122016
WGBH Educational FoundationWGBH20142014
Upper VoltaRadiodiffusion-Télévision VoltaïqueRTV19631981
UruguaySociedad Televisora Larrañaga (Tele 12)C1219701976
VenezuelaTeleinversiones S.A.19691970
Corporación Venezolana de TelevisiónVV19731999
Radio Caracas TelevisiónRCTV19532010
Radio Caracas RadioRCR19602010
ZaireLa Voix du ZaïreVZ19761997
ZimbabweZimbabwe Broadcasting CorporationZBC19802010

Approved participant members

Any groups or organisations from a country with International Telecommunication Union (ITU) membership, which does not qualify for either the EBU's Active or Associate memberships, but still provide a broadcasting activity for the EBU, are granted a unique Approved Participants membership, which lasts approximately five years. An application for this status may be submitted to the EBU at any given time, providing an annual fee is paid.

The following eight EBU broadcast members had status as Approved Participants in November 2024.

CountryBroadcasting organisationAbbr.
FranceEuronewsEURONEWS
Institut national de l'audiovisuelINA
TV5MondeTV5
North MacedoniaJP Makedonska RadiodifuzijaJP MRD
SerbiaRadio Television of VojvodinaRTV
SpainCatalunya MúsicaCAT
CellnexCELLNEX

The following members previously had status as Approved Participants.

Country/regionBroadcasting organisationAbbr.
FranceInternational Radio and Television Union (Université radiophonique et télévisuelle internationale)URTI
HungaryAH
IsraelIsraeli Educational TelevisionIETV
MENAMBC Limited – Middle East Broadcasting CentreMBC
RussiaRussian Television and Radio Broadcasting NetworkRTRN
South AfricaSentechSNTC
SpainAbertis Telecom S.A.ABERTIS
RetevisiónRETE

Organised events

The EBU in co-operation with the respective host broadcaster organises competitions and events in which its members can participate if they wish to do so. These include:

Eurovision Song Contest

Main article: Eurovision Song Contest

3=2021 edition}}

The Eurovision Song Contest () is an annual international song competition between EBU members, that was first held in Lugano, Switzerland, on 24 May 1956. Seven countries participatedeach submitting two songs, for a total of 14. This was the only contest in which more than one song per country was performed: since 1957, all contests have allowed one entry per country. The was won by the host nation, Switzerland. The winner of the , which took place in Basel, Switzerland, is Austria.

Let the Peoples Sing

Main article: Let the Peoples Sing

Let the Peoples Sing is a biennial choir competition, the participants of which are chosen from radio recordings entered by EBU radio members. The final, encompassing three categories and around ten choirs, is offered as a live broadcast to all EBU members. The overall winner is awarded the Silver Rose Bowl. The first winner was Glasgow Phoenix Choir, conducted by their Chorus Master Peter Mooney, from Scotland in the 1961 competition that was held in London. The most recent winner is Copenhagen Girls Choir from Denmark, conducted by Anne-Terese Sales, in the 2024 competition that was held in London.

Jeux sans frontières

Main article: Jeux sans frontières

Jeux sans frontières () was a Europe-wide television game show. In its original conception, it was broadcast from 1965 to 1999 under the auspices of the EBU. The original series' run ended in 1982, but was revived in 1988 with a different composition of nations and was hosted by smaller broadcasters.

Eurovision Young Musicians

Main article: Eurovision Young Musicians

Eurovision Young Musicians is a competition for European musicians that are between the ages of 12 and 21 years old. It is organised by the EBU and is a member of EMCY. The first competition was held in Manchester, United Kingdom on 11 May 1982. The televised competition is held every other year, with some countries holding national finals. Since its inaugural edition in 1982, it has become one of the most important music competitions on an international level. The winner of the most recent contest, which took place in Bodø Municipality, Norway, is Austria.

Eurovision Young Dancers

Main article: Eurovision Young Dancers

Eurovision Young Dancers was a biennial dance showcase broadcast on television throughout Europe. The inaugural competition was held in Reggio Emilia, Italy on 16 June 1985. It uses a format similar to the Eurovision Song Contest. Every participating country has the opportunity to send a dance act to compete for the title of Eurovision Young Dancer. The competition is for solo dancers, and all contestants must be between the ages of 16 and 21, and not professionally engaged. The winner of the most recent contest, which took place in Prague, Czech Republic, is Poland.

Euroclassic Notturno

Main article: Euroclassic Notturno

Euroclassic Notturno is a six-hour sequence of classical music recordings, assembled by BBC Radio from material supplied by EBU members and streamed back to those broadcasters by satellite for use in their overnight classical-music schedules. The recordings used are taken not from commercial CDs, but from earlier (usually live) radio broadcasts.

Junior Eurovision Song Contest

Main article: Junior Eurovision Song Contest

The Junior Eurovision Song Contest () is an annual international song competition that was first held in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 15 November 2003. Sixteen countries participated in the , with each submitting one song. The inaugural contest was won by Croatia. The winner of the most recent contest, which took place in Madrid, Spain, is Georgia.

Eurovision Dance Contest

Main article: Eurovision Dance Contest

The Eurovision Dance Contest (not to be confused with Eurovision Young Dancers) was an international dancing competition that was held for the first time in London, United Kingdom, on 1 September 2007. The inaugural contest was won by Finland. The competition was repeated in 2008 when it was held in Glasgow, United Kingdom, but has not been held since. The winner of the most recent contest is Poland.

Magic Circus Show

Main article: Magic Circus Show

The Magic Circus Show was an entertainment show organised by the EBU, which took place in 2010, 2011 and 2012 in Geneva, Switzerland. Children aged between 7–14 representing eight countries within the EBU membership area performed a variety of circus acts at the Geneva Christmas Circus (). The main show was also accompanied by the Magic Circus Show Orchestra.

Eurovision Choir

Main article: Eurovision Choir

The inaugural Eurovision Choir, featuring non-professional choirs selected by EBU members, took place on 22 July 2017 in Riga, Latvia, hosted by the Latvian broadcaster Latvijas Televīzija (LTV). Nine countries took part in the first edition. Carmen Manet from Slovenia was the first winner and the winner of the most recent contest, which took place in Gothenburg, Sweden, was Vocal Line from Denmark.

European Sports Championships

Main article: European Championships (multi-sport event)

The European Sports Championships is a multi-sport event involving some of the leading sports in Europe. The European Governing Bodies for athletics, aquatics, cycling, rowing, golf, gymnastics and triathlon, coordinated their individual championships as part of the first edition in the summer of 2018, hosted by the cities of Berlin, Germany (already chosen as the host for the 2018 European Athletics Championships) and Glasgow, United Kingdom (already chosen as the host for the 2018 European Aquatics Championships, and which concurrently also hosted the events of the other sports).

Olympic Games

The EBU first covered the Olympic Games in 1956, and has historically acquired broadcasting rights on behalf of its members. The amount paid by the EBU steadily increased over time, paying US$22 million for broadcasting rights for Los Angeles 1984, US$240 million for Atlanta 1996, US$394 million for Athens 2004 and US$746million for Vancouver 2010 and London 2012.

In 2008, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to negotiate individually with broadcasters for rights to the 2014-2016 Olympic Games – as the EBU had not "offered enough money". The IOC subsequently signed individual deals with broadcasters in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Turkey and the UK, selling the remainder of the broadcasting rights to Sportfive for US$315 million. Despite an attempt by the EBU to purchase broadcasting rights for the 2018-2024 Olympic Games, the IOC awarded a contract to Discovery Communications in June 2015. The EBU criticised the decision, stating that it shows a "shift in the IOC’s positioning of the Olympic Games as a free-to-air event that reached all of the European television audience – to a pay event with minimum free-to-air obligations".

In January 2023, the IOC announced that a joint bid from the EBU and Warner Bros. Discovery had been awarded rights for all Olympic Games from the 2026 Winter Olympics to the 2032 Summer Olympics. The joint bid follows criticism of the 2015 deal to award European television rights to Discovery. Each EBU member will broadcast at least 200 hours of coverage of the Summer Olympics and at least 100 hours of the Winter Olympics, whereas Warner Bros. Discovery will have unlimited rights.

Notes

References

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