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Television · Bolivia

Bolivia TV

State television, which states it was created as ENTBOL by Decreto Supremo 08571 of 20 November 1968, began regular transmissions on 30 August 1969, and became Bolivia TV under Decreto Supremo 0078 of 15 April 2009.
✓ Last reviewed: September 2026
StatusEmpresa Estatal de Televisión; the channel states it is an Empresa Pública Nacional Estratégica under the Ministerio de la Presidencia
Creating instrumentDecreto Supremo Nº 08571 of 20 November 1968, per the channel's own history page
First regular transmissions30 August 1969, per the channel's own history page
Current constitutionDecreto Supremo Nº 0078 of 15 April 2009, per the channel's own history page
ChannelsVivo 7.1 and Vivo 7.2, streamed from the channel's own site

What is Bolivia TV?

Bolivia TV is Bolivia's state television service, publishing as “Empresa Estatal de Televisión Bolivia TV” and streaming two channels, 7.1 and 7.2, from its own site.[1] Its history page states that Decreto Supremo Nº 0078 of 15 April 2009 constituted it an “Empresa Pública Nacional Estratégica – EPNE” under the tuición of the Ministerio de la Presidencia, with the object of reflecting the national reality “de una manera concreta y veraz”, and that what it broadcasts is treated as official information of the Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia. Those are the channel's own statements about itself.[2]

On the state media sector generally, the Media and Journalism Research Center's State Media Monitor, in an entry dated July 2026 on the Agencia Boliviana de Información, places that agency and two other outlets — Radio Illimani – Red Patria Nueva and the newspaper Ahora El Pueblo — inside the government's communications apparatus and classifies the agency as State-Controlled.[3] That entry does not cover Bolivia TV, and no State Media Monitor classification of Bolivia TV could be retrieved for this page.

What does Bolivia TV cover?

The channel's front page organises its output as Economía, Seguridad, Sociedad, Política, Gobierno, Internacional, Deporte and Cultura, and carries live streams of both channels.[1] Its Deporte section carries national-team and multi-sport news; among the items on the page retrieved for this entry was a report that Bolivia had entered 237 athletes for the 2026 South American Games in Santa Fe.[1]

Its programming and history pages are published separately on the same site.[2][1] No published schedule of sports rights held by the channel could be retrieved for this page; the football rights that could be documented are held elsewhere. Opinión reported on 11 March 2025 that the Federación Boliviana de Fútbol had contracted Entel TV and Cotas for the División Profesional over four years, with Fútbol Canal managing content,[4] and Los Tiempos reported on 6 February 2026 that Tigo Sports held the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches across a channel and an app.[5] Both arrangements are anchored to those dates.

How large is Bolivia TV's audience?

No audited audience measurement for Bolivia TV could be retrieved. The channel publishes no ratings figure on its own site, and no Bolivian television audience currency could be found for this page.[1]

Reporters Without Borders' 2026 Bolivia country page does not give a figure for Bolivia TV either. It states that “the Bolivian government controls many newspapers”, that “Canal Sur is the most popular TV channel”, and that “media linked to the government enjoy privileges but independent media are exposed to strong economic pressure, especially the threat of withdrawal of state advertising, which can have drastic consequences and lead to their closure”. Those are RSF's words, as at its 2026 index, in which Bolivia placed 91st of 180 with a score of 54.25.[6]

Since when has Bolivia TV existed?

The channel's own history page gives four dates and three names. It states that Decreto Supremo Nº 08571 of 20 November 1968 created the Empresa Nacional de Televisión Boliviana, ENTBOL, as an “entidad autárquica de derecho público y personería jurídica propia”; that regular transmissions began on 30 August 1969; and that Decreto Supremo Nº 29602 of 11 June 2008 established the Empresa Nacional de Televisión Boliviana as an “Empresa Pública Nacional Estratégica”; and that the service became Bolivia TV, Empresa Estatal de Televisión, under Decreto Supremo Nº 0078 of 15 April 2009.[2] All are the channel's own account.

A separate instrument confirms that the enterprise existed before transmissions began. Decreto Supremo Nº 8603 of 7 January 1969 approves the initial budget of the Empresa Nacional de Televisión Boliviana for the 1968 financial year; it neither creates nor regulates the body, but it is a dated state instrument naming it seven months before the first regular broadcast.[7] Created, first broadcasting and reconstituted are three different dates here, and the channel keeps them apart.

Why does Bolivia TV matter in Bolivia's sport?

It is the state's own outlet, and its own instruments say what it is: a public strategic enterprise under the Ministerio de la Presidencia whose output is treated as official information of the state.[2] Sport carried there is carried on that footing, which is why this entry describes it in its own instrument's terms rather than in any other.

Its sport section is a national-level source for multi-sport reporting outside football, including the Bolivian entry to the 2026 South American Games.[1] On the wider market, RSF's 2026 statements about state advertising and about government-linked media are quoted above in RSF's own words.[6] See Bolivia and the South American Games.

References

  1. Bolivia TV — front page: “Empresa Estatal de Televisión Bolivia TV”, live streams 7.1 and 7.2, sections including Deporte, and the item on 237 Bolivian athletes for the 2026 South American Games. Accessed 2026-09-23.
  2. Bolivia TV — Historia: Decreto Supremo Nº 08571 of 20 November 1968 creating ENTBOL; regular transmissions from 30 August 1969; Decreto Supremo Nº 29602 of 11 June 2008; Decreto Supremo Nº 0078 of 15 April 2009. Accessed 2026-09-23.
  3. State Media Monitor (Media and Journalism Research Center) — Agencia Boliviana de Información (July 2026): State-Controlled classification; Radio Illimani – Red Patria Nueva and Ahora El Pueblo named alongside. Accessed 2026-09-23.
  4. Opinión (Cochabamba) — FBF proyecta ingresos de $us 120 millones en 4 años por la venta de derechos de TV de la DivPro (11 March 2025): Entel TV and Cotas contracted, Fútbol Canal managing content. Accessed 2026-09-23.
  5. Los Tiempos — Tigo Sports asegura la transmisión total de la Copa FIFA 2026 (6 February 2026). Accessed 2026-09-23.
  6. Reporters Without Borders — Bolivia country page, 2026 World Press Freedom Index (rank 91 of 180, score 54.25): media landscape, political and economic context. Accessed 2026-09-23.
  7. Bolivia: Decreto Supremo Nº 8603, 7 de enero de 1969 (LexiVox) — approves the initial budget of the Empresa Nacional de Televisión Boliviana for the 1968 financial year. Accessed 2026-09-23.