Ríkisútvarpið (, ; abbr. RÚV ) is

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

's national public-service broadcasting organization. Founded in 1930, it operates from studios in the country's capital,

Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...

, as well as regional centres around the country. RÚV operates an

online news An online newspaper (or electronic news or electronic news publication) is the online version of a newspaper, either as a stand-alone publication or as the online version of a printed periodical. Going online created more opportunities for newspa ...

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 Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

stations:

Rás 1 Rás 1 (; ''Channel 1'') is an Icelandic radio station belonging to and operated by Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV), Iceland's national public service broadcaster. Broadcast throughout Iceland on FM (92.4 and 93.5 MHz in Reykjavík), via DTV rad ...

and

Rás 2 Rás 2 (''Channel 2'') is an Icelandic radio station belonging to the National Icelandic Broadcasting Service, RÚV. Launched on 1 December 1983, it is currently the highest-rated radio station in Iceland, with a schedule composed chiefly of news ...

; and one full-time television channel of the same name, RÚV. A supplementary, part-time TV channel,

RÚV 2 Ríkisútvarpið (, ; abbr. RÚV ) is Iceland's national public broadcasting, public-service broadcasting organization. Founded in 1930, it operates from studios in the country's capital, Reykjavík, as well as regional centres around the count ...

is also broadcast for special events. It also distributes online-only channels and 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 Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a Product (business), product or Service (economics), service. Advertising aims to present a product or service in terms of utility, advantages, and qualities of int ...

. All of RÚV's content is

free-to-air Free-to-air (FTA) services are television (TV) and radio services broadcast in unencrypted form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring a subscri ...

and open in Iceland.

History

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 The European Broadcasting Union (EBU; , UER) is an alliance of Public broadcasting, public service media organisations in countries within the European Broadcasting Area (EBA) or who are member states of the Council of Europe, members of the ...

since 1956.

Radio

Beginnings, longwave, medium-wave and shortwave broadcasts

Icelandic radio broadcasting began on

longwave In radio, longwave (also spelled long wave or long-wave and commonly abbreviated LW) is the part of the radio spectrum with wavelengths longer than what was originally called the medium-wave (MW) broadcasting band. The term is historic, dati ...

in 1930 at Vatnsendhæð, as Útvarp Reykjavík, near Reykjavík, this station would later be called

. In 1991, the original Longwave transmitter tower at Vatnsendahæð collapsed during a storm. Subsequently, the Hellissandur longwave transmitter was taken into use in 1999, making it

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's extent varies depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the Western half of the ancient Mediterranean ...

's tallest

radio mast Radio masts and towers are typically tall structures designed to support antenna (radio), antennas for telecommunications and broadcasting, including television. There are two main types: guyed and self-supporting structures. They are among the ...

during its time of operation. At the same time, longwave broadcasts became a mix of

and

content. Longwave transmissions were intended to fill gaps in the FM coverage, serve the Icelandic fishing fleet and serve as an back up during

emergencies An emergency is an urgent, unexpected, and usually dangerous situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property, or environment and requires immediate action. Most emergencies require urgent intervention to prevent a worsening ...

. In 2023-2024, RÚV discontinued longwave services due its inadequacy as a backup service as most vehicles and radios do not support longwave broadcasts anymore. In 2023, the

Eiðar longwave transmitter The Eiðar longwave transmitter was a facility previously used by RÚV (the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service) for longwave radio broadcasting on 207 kHz with a power of 100 kW. The transmitter was situated at Eiðar near Egilsst ...

was demolished, followed by the Hellissandur longwave transmitter ceasing broadcasts in September 2024 while the mast remained in place, marking the end of longwave broadcasts in Iceland.

Shortwave Shortwave radio is radio transmission using radio frequencies in the shortwave bands (SW). There is no official definition of the band range, but it always includes all of the high frequency band (HF), which extends from 3 to 30 MHz (app ...

broadcasts were used for long distance transmission, mostly for

seafarers A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. While the term ''sailor'' ...

and Icelanders abroad. They were used intermittently for important broadcasts. Shortwave broadcasts ceased on 1 July 2007, after the introduction of satellite broadcasts.

FM broadcasting

FM broadcasting FM broadcasting is a method of radio broadcasting that uses frequency modulation (FM) of the radio broadcast carrier wave. Invented in 1933 by American engineer Edwin Armstrong, wide-band FM is used worldwide to transmit high fidelity, high-f ...

began in 1959 at its main Vatnsendi site, later expanding nationwide. Stereo transmissions began in 1980. In 1983 RÚV's second radio station was launched,

. The original station was then renamed

. In 2023, as a result of longwave transmissions retiring, RÚV committed to expanding the FM network. In 2004, RÚV launched a non-talk, automated classical and jazz radio station called Rondó, based on the word

rondo The rondo or rondeau is a musical form that contains a principal theme (music), theme (sometimes called the "refrain") which alternates with one or more contrasting themes (generally called "episodes", but also referred to as "digressions" or "c ...

. In 2020, Rondó was discontinued on FM (due to the closure of Vatnsendi site) but continued on DVB and on the internet.

Television

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. Since 1986, the year in which its

monopoly A monopoly (from Greek language, Greek and ) is a market in which one person or company is the only supplier of a particular good or service. A monopoly is characterized by a lack of economic Competition (economics), competition to produce ...

as the only permitted domestic broadcaster ended, RÚV has faced competition from a number of private broadcasting companies, most notably the

365 365 may refer to: * 365 (number), an integer * a common year, consisting of 365 calendar days * AD 365, a year of the Julian calendar * 365 BC, a year of the 4th century BC Media outlets * 365 (media corporation), Icelandic TV company * 365 ...

corporation. RÚV's

teletext Teletext, or broadcast teletext, is a standard for displaying text and rudimentary graphics on suitably equipped television sets. Teletext sends data in the broadcast signal, hidden in the invisible vertical blanking interval area at the to ...

service, ''Textavarpið'', was inaugurated on the 25th anniversary of Icelandic television in 1991. As of 2023 it is still operating. In May 2007, RÚV began direct satellite TV broadcasts over

DVB-S Digital Video Broadcasting – Satellite (DVB-S) is the original DVB standard for satellite television and dates from 1995, in its first release, while development lasted from 1993 to 1997. The first commercial applications were by Canal+ in ...

, supplemented by

and

over satellite

DTV radio Digital-television radio, DTV radio, or DTR describes the audio channels that are provided with a digital television service. These channels are delivered by cable television, direct-broadcast satellite or digital terrestrial television. In terms o ...

, in order to service fishing fleets around Iceland and remote areas where the terrestrial network does not reach. Telenor ASA ran the service until it ceased by mid-2025. The service was encrypted and was only available on request.

High definition High definition or HD may refer to: Visual technologies *Blu-ray Disc, the universal optical High Definition disc format *HD Photo, former name for the JPEG XR image file format *HDV, format for recording high-definition video onto magnetic tap ...

digital television broadcasts in

1080i In high-definition television (HDTV) and video display technology, 1080i is a video display format with 1080 lines of vertical resolution and Interlaced video, interlaced scanning method. This format was once a standard in HDTV. It was particular ...

began in 2013, over a new digital terrestrial

DVB-T2 DVB-T2 is an abbreviation for "Digital Video Broadcasting – Second Generation Terrestrial"; it is the extension of the television standard DVB-T, issued by the consortium DVB, devised for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial telev ...

network. 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. However, most users access RÚV content by managed

IPTV Internet Protocol television (IPTV), also called TV over broadband, is the service delivery of television over Internet Protocol (IP) networks. Usually sold and run by a Telephone company, telecom provider, it consists of broadcast live telev ...

services or over-the-top services. In 2021, television transmissions for the Reykjavík area were moved from Vatnsendi to Úlfarsfell, ending 70 years of broadcasting from the location. File:Reykjavik Gebouw van de IJslandse staatsradio met op het dak zendmasten, Bestanddeelnr 190-0308.jpg, RÚV's original 1930 headquarters until 1959. File:Ruv logo.png, RÚV logo used until 2011

Programming

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 ''Desperate Housewives'' is an American mystery comedy-drama television series created by Marc Cherry, and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. It aired for eight seasons on ABC from October 3, 2004, until May 13, 2012, for a tota ...

''. 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

radio network includes 35 minutes of regional

opt-out The term opt-out refers to several methods by which individuals can avoid receiving unsolicited product or service information. This option is usually associated with direct marketing campaigns such as e-mail marketing or direct mail. A list of th ...

s for local news coverage. ''

Gettu betur ''Gettu betur'' () is an Icelandic team quiz show, broadcast on public television channel RÚV. Each team consists of three students from one of Iceland's high schools or colleges. Two teams play against each other in each episode. Two preliminary ...

'' 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 The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...

, 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 The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...

and the

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...

, although it lost the right to broadcast the 2006 World Cup, having been outbid by commercial broadcaster

in 2002. It did, however, show the 2010 World Cup tournament.

Services

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 Icelandic Sign Language () is the sign language of the deaf community in Iceland. It is based on Danish Sign Language; until 1910, deaf Icelandic people were sent to school in Denmark, but the languages have diverged since then. It is officially ...

for the deaf and hard of hearing. In addition, the

radio channel broadcasts detailed weather reports for the benefit of Icelandic seafarers and others.

Television channels

* RÚV Television (also known as ''Sjónvarpið'') – main channel with generalist programming *

– part-time "special events" channel * KrakkaRÚV – an online service aimed at children and young people, launched in 2015 Those who watch television on the internet outside

can only watch selected programs on RÚV and RÚV 2 channels due to broadcasting rights.

Radio stations

(Channel 1) – News, weather, current affairs, culture *

(Channel 2) – Pop and rock music * Rondó – Non-stop

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

(DVB-T2 and web only)

Distribution

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.

Radio

RÚV's radio stations,

and

, 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 radio stations are also broadcast via terrestrial

, as well as through

internet radio Internet radio, also known as online radio, web radio, net radio, streaming radio, e-radio and IP radio, is a digital audio service transmitted via the Internet. Broadcasting on the Internet is usually referred to as webcasting since it is not ...

. There are no plans to implement

DAB radio Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) is a digital radio standard for broadcasting digital audio radio services in many countries around the world, defined, supported, marketed and promoted by the WorldDAB organisation. The standard is dominan ...

in Iceland.

Television

The television network,

RÚV Ríkisútvarpið (, ; abbr. RÚV ) is Iceland's national public broadcasting, public-service broadcasting organization. Founded in 1930, it operates from studios in the country's capital, Reykjavík, as well as regional centres around the count ...

and RÚV 2, is broadcast terrestrially in 1080i HD on a

network operated by Sýn by contract until 2028. The broadcasts are

and reach 99.9% of the population. According to a 2022 survey, only 1% of the population uses terrestrial broadcasts to watch RÚV. 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

systems on

Síminn Síminn hf. (, ; also known as Iceland Telecom Ltd.), previously named Landssíminn (, ), is an Icelandic telecommunications company. It offers communication services for both private and corporate clients, including mobile ( 4G/ 5G), landline, i ...

and

Vodafone Vodafone Group Public Limited Company () is a British Multinational company, multinational telecommunications company. Its registered office and global headquarters are in Newbury, Berkshire, England. It predominantly operates Service (economic ...

. RÚV also offers all of its content on their website, as well as through OTT services. RÚV also offers an app for

Apple TV Apple TV is a digital media player and a microconsole developed and marketed by Apple. It is a small piece of networking hardware that sends received media data such as video and audio to a TV or external display. Its media services include ...

iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...

Android TV Android TV is an operating system that runs on smart TVs and related entertainment devices including soundbars, set-top boxes, and digital media players. Developed by Google, it is a closed-source Android distribution. Android TV features a u ...

and Android. Webcasts are open and free when accessed from Iceland, however some programming is not available internationally due to licensing issues. It is possible to login using an Icelandic digital ID to have full access to broadcasts internationally.

References

External links

*
About RÚV: official webpage in English

Live Radio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruv 1930 establishments in Iceland Companies based in Reykjavík European Broadcasting Union members Mass media companies established in 1930 Mass media companies of Iceland Publicly funded broadcasters

History

Radio

Beginnings, longwave, medium-wave and shortwave broadcasts

FM broadcasting

Television

Programming

Services

Television channels

Radio stations

Distribution

Radio

Television

See also

References

External links