Media assets

Television: ERT1, ERT2, ERT3, ERT Sports HD, ERT World

Radio: First Programme (Πρώτο Πρόγραμμα), Second Programme (Δεύτερο Πρόγραμμα), Third Programme, ERA Sport, Kosmos 93.6, Voice of Greece (ERA 5), 102 FM, 95.8 FM

State Media Matrix Typology

Captured Public/State-Managed (CaPu)

Ownership and governance

ERT is a state-owned enterprise under direct government oversight. Its broadcasting activities are formally regulated by the National Broadcasting Council (ESR), a statutory media regulator composed of seven members appointed by the Greek Parliament.

Following a series of legislative amendments to ERT’s statute, the broadcaster was placed under the supervision of the Prime Minister’s office, rather than the Ministry of Digital Policy, consolidating executive control over its operations. The highest governing body within ERT is its seven-member board: five members are appointed by Parliament upon nomination by the government, while two are elected by the station’s staff.

In recent years, governance changes have raised concerns among observers about political influence, especially as key appointments, including the CEO, have been made directly by the government. As of 2024, Ilias Meshos serves as ERT’s Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Giannis Drosos, who had led the broadcaster during earlier phases of restructuring.

Source of funding and budget

ERT is primarily funded by the license fee, a levy collected via electricity bills, amounting to €3 per household per month. This fee is mandatory for all households in Greece that own a television set, making it the backbone of the broadcaster’s financial stability.

While government grants contribute to ERT’s revenue, they represent only a small portion of the organization’s overall budget. In 2020, ERT’s budget stood at €193.3 million, of which €187 million derived from license fee income. By 2022, the total budget had grown to €200 million, according to both company reports and local press.

Editorial independence

Although no legal provision formally requires ERT to provide preferential coverage to the government, the broadcaster has long been criticized for lacking editorial independence. Independent experts interviewed for this project in May 2022, August 2023, and June 2024 characterized ERT as functioning largely as a government mouthpiece. Journalists within the organisation have repeatedly alleged that management receives direct instructions from political authorities to alter or censor news coverage.

These accusations persisted throughout 2024 and into 2025, with media watchdogs and unions noting that editorial decisions at ERT often reflect government narratives rather than pluralistic viewpoints. The channel’s formal mission statement affirms its independence from the state, state bodies, private companies, and political parties. In theory, this independence is safeguarded by agreements of principles periodically signed between ERT and the Greek government. In practice, however, there is no independent oversight mechanism to monitor or validate compliance with these principles, leaving ERT’s autonomy vulnerable to political influence.

August 2025

Media assets

News agency: ANA-MPA

State Media Matrix Typology

State Controlled (SC)

Ownership and governance

ANA-MPA was established by presidential decree as a public entity company. The agency is overseen by a nine-member board of directors that formally includes representatives from the Journalists’ Union of Athens Daily Newspapers (ESIEA), the Macedonia-Thrace Union of Journalists (ESIEMTH), the Athens Union of Daily Newspaper Owners, as well as delegates from universities such as the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, which rotate with the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Panteion University every three years. The workforce is also represented by one elected member.

Since 2019, ANA-MPA has been placed directly under the Prime Minister’s Office, which holds decisive power over appointments to leadership positions. This shift has reinforced concerns that the agency is subject to strong political oversight.

Source of funding and budget

ANA-MPA’s revenues are derived from a combination of state subsidies and advertising income, although state funding remains the predominant source. The agency’s budgets over recent years were as follows: 2023: €10.4 million; 2019: €9.2 million; 2020: €10.3 million; 2021: €9.1 million; 2022: €10.3 million.

Editorial independence

Officially, there are no government-imposed rules obliging ANA-MPA to prioritize state narratives. A content analysis conducted for this project by Media and Journalism Research Center in May 2022 showed coverage to be relatively diverse and balanced. Nevertheless, independent observers and watchdog organisations have repeatedly pointed out that the agency’s leadership appointments are politically driven.

A 2024 report by the International Press Institute (IPI) stressed that ANA-MPA’s centralized role in disseminating information makes it a powerful instrument of influence for any government in power. The report concluded that successive administrations have treated the agency as a tool of control through politicised appointments, leading to its reclassification in 2024 as State-Controlled Media (SC) in our project.

August 2025