What is Yle's public service?

Information, education or entertainment, whatever is of interest, is a public service. Yle, which will soon be celebrating its 100th anniversary, is a media company owned by Finns. Yle has had the same task for those 100 years: to inform, educate and entertain.

Yle and other European broadcasters are responsible for strengthening democracy and culture and promoting equality and inclusion. The public service supports people to act in their own lives and society.

Broadcasting also safeguards the pluralism of communications in different ways. Yle is the only media company in Finland with a comprehensive network of editors throughout Finland. We show the whole picture of our country and ensure that even sparsely populated areas have diverse media offerings.

Public service broadcasting is a global idea with a strong standing, especially in Europe: This includes the BBC in the UK, SVT in Sweden, NRK in Norway and DR in Denmark, just to name a few. Yle was established in the early 20th century as part of an equal European rule of law.

What would Finland and its last 100 years be without Yle?

It all started with radio, which brought Finns together to listen to radio broadcasts. Then came television, which brought news from us and the world to each and every home. In the 2000s, online media services, with Yle Areena leading the way, provided a wide-open portal into Finnish cultural content and topical information.

The uniqueness of public service broadcasting is also defined in European Union treaties. As stated in the Amsterdam Protocol: “...the system of public broadcasting in the Member States is directly related to the democratic, social and cultural needs of each society and to the need to preserve media pluralism...”.

In the future, we will need a domestic, high-quality media service that is accessible to all. And because Yle is owned by Finns, the decision is made by Finns, now and in the future.

In Yle's annual surveys, Finns consider Yle to be important for society and for themselves.

Yle is seen as an essential part of Finnishness and our culture. For nearly a century, Yle has been strongly involved in the moments of everyday life, celebrations, joy and sorrow in Finland. We have shared experiences: in moments of sporting triumph, upon hearing tragic news or when experiencing an emotional drama.

Responsible, trustworthy media are also vital to democracy and an effective antidote to phenomena such as misinformation and disinformation, which undermine trust in society.

The better we in Finland understand each other and the world, the stronger Finnish society and culture will continue to be.

On one hand, we have Yle Areena on our phone, on another we have a Yle radio channel or podcast playing on a laptop, and on a third, and most importantly, is our TV in the living room.

Yle should be available to all Finns on equal terms. This means that we serve different media users appropriately. Yle cannot reach everyone in the same way, nor with the same content. For some, an Yle programme might seem frightfully strange, while for others it is exactly what they want from Yle.

Yle offers media content to different people and needs, whether the audience is large or small. Small audiences, language minorities and special language groups are not properly served by other media. However, Yle cannot only be a media provider devoted to special groups or a complement to commercial channels.

The publicly funded rich content and cultural experiences produced by Yle are widely available to citizens for a long period of time. Technology enables this accessibility, and Yle has been a pioneer in developing services such as the Living Archive and Yle Areena in Finland.

• Read more about Yle’s strategy

Yle's task is clearly defined in the Act on Yleisradio Oy.

The task is diverse and has extensive areas of responsibility: from journalism to sport, drama and culture. Yle's task is also defined openly. This allows Yle to develop its services as media use changes. Yle can also respond quickly to different societal needs, whether it is a question of launching a news service in Russian or a COVID-19 campaign for immigrants.

Cooperation and partnerships are also an essential part of Yle's role and task. Yle is a major employer in the Finnish creative sector and an important partner for production companies. Yle funds Finnish films and is particularly important to the existence and profile of documentaries and short films. In addition, Yle promotes the international sale of drama series, films and documentaries as well as the internationalisation of the sector.

Yle is also responsible for television and radio operations in emergency conditions in cooperation with the authorities. This safeguards communication in the event of sudden upheaval or emergency situations, where citizens need to be able to act resourcefully.

• Read more about the Act on Yle

Finnish Parliament decides on Yle's task and funding. Yle's task and funding are defined in the Act on Yleisradio Oy, which has been approved by Finnish Parliament. The Parliament is represented by an administrative council, which consists of 21 members of Parliament. This is the highest decision-making body of Yle.

In Finland, regular, thorough parliamentary deliberation is held on Yle's funding and task, as there should be. Thus far, Parliament has unanimously decided on Yle's task and funding.

All Yle content and offerings are funded by the Yle tax. Yle does not receive funding from other sources, such as advertising or subscription fees, as commercial media companies do. This keeps Yle free of commercial obligations. Yle does not seek to earn any profit, but rather provide the best possible media service for Finns in a rapidly changing and internationalising media sector.

• Read more about Yle’s finances