The Barcelona-based public TV station Betevé is on the verge of bankruptcy.
Quoting its managers, El Pais reports that it will happen unless the workforce agrees to measures such as cuts in wages.
It adds that Betevé celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2020. Although the year was marked by the pandemic, it also saw Betevé receive a string of awards for its news coverage of protests that followed the arrests of leaders of the independence movement in 2019. It offered over 50 hours of live reports and was followed by over half a million viewers, eclipsing that offered by the station TV3.
Wages currently account for €13 million, or 74%, of Betevé’s budget, whereas only 9% of the budget is allocated to programming.
Betevé is distributed terrestrially to a potential audience of 3 million. It can also be viewed via HbbTV, IPTV, Movistar+ and live and on demand on its website.