Yle – the Finnish Broadcasting Company is Finland's national public service media company. Yle operates under the Act on Yleisradio Oy.
We produce content and services for audiences in equal conditions regardless of their residence status, wealth, age or gender.
Yle In A Nutshell
- Founded in 1926
- Owned by Finland, the Finnish people *)
- The legality of Yleisradio's operations is supervised by The Ministry of Transport and Communications of Finland
- Merja Ylä-Anttila is the Chief Executive Officer
- Funding: EUR 576,0 million in 2023
- Permanent employees: 2,967 in 2023
- Slogan: For all of us, for each of us
- Yle’s purpose: We increase our understanding of each other and the world, and strengthen Finnish society and culture. Read more about our strategy.
- Four television channels: Yle TV1, Yle TV2, Yle Fem and Yle Teema and three channel slots: Yle TV1, Yle TV2 and Yle Teema & Fem
- Five nationwide radio channels: Yle Radio 1, Yle Radio Suomi, YleX, Yle Vega, Yle X3M, Yle Mondo (in Helsinki region) and three radio services: Ylen Klassinen, Yle Sámi Radio
- Versatile online offering: Yle Areena – Yle Arenan, yle.fi, svenska.yle.fi, Yle ID, Uutisvahti – Nyhetskollen
- 31 regional news offices in Finland: 25 Finnish speaking, 8 Swedish speaking and two Sami regional offices, correspondents and assistants around the world.
- Content in twelve languages in Finnish, Swedish and three Sámi languages, sign language in Finnish and Finnish-Swedish, Romani, Karelian, English, Russian and Ukraine. Yle also makes programs in plain Finnish and plain Swedish.
- Funded by a special Yle tax from January 2013
- Registered office in Helsinki
*) The company is 99.9 per cent state-owned.
Yle’s purpose is to increase our understanding of each other and the world, and strengthen Finnish society and culture
As a national public service Yle is politically and financially independent. Freedom of speech is part of our values.
- Yle’s role is to affirm democracy and culture as well as inform, entertain and educate.
- Yle supports democracy.
- Yle produces value for society and for the Finnish people.
- Yle is an important journalistic operator in the whole country.
- Yle tax is collected specifically to fund Yle.
The public considers Yle to be a reliable source of news and current affairs. The company plays a major role in producing and presenting programmes dealing with national arts, educational programmes and children's programmes. Yle's services to the public also cover special and minority groups.
Yle’s online on-demand media service Yle Areena is the most popular and valued media service of its kind in Finland, as well as a global pioneer.
Yle’s Duties
The company shall be responsible for the provision of versatile and comprehensive television and radio programming with the related additional and extra services for all citizens under equal conditions. These and other content services related to public service may be provided in public communications networks nationally and regionally.
The public service programming shall in particular:
- support democracy and everyone’s opportunity to participate by providing a wide variety of information, opinions and debates as well as opportunities to interact;
- produce, create, develop and maintain Finnish culture, art and inspiring entertainment;
- take educational and equality aspects into consideration in the programmes, provide an opportunity to learn and study, give focus on programming for children and young people, and offer devotional programmes;
- treat in its broadcasting Finnish-speaking and Swedish-speaking citizens on equal grounds and produce services in the Sami, Romany, and sign language and, where applicable, also in the languages of other language groups in the country;
- support the preservation of Finnish cultural heritage, support tolerance, equal treatment, equality, and cultural diversity and provide programming for minority and special groups;
- promote cultural interaction and maintain production intended for international distribution; and
- broadcast official announcements that are further specified by decree, and prepare for broadcasting in exceptional circumstances.
Act on Yleisradio Oy, Section 7, Public Service (Updated on 28th of June 2017).
