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Television · Bosnia and Herzegovina

Federalna televizija

The television of Radio-televizija Federacije Bosne i Hercegovine, the Federation's public service under its 2008 law, seated in Sarajevo; the Media Ownership Monitor 2023 gives FTV an 11% recalculated share.
✓ Last reviewed: September 2026
Statutory name“Radio-televizija Federacije Bosne i Hercegovine”, Art. 5 of the Zakon o javnom servisu radio-televizije Federacije BiH (Službene novine FBiH 48/08, per the Federation Parliament's register); seat in Sarajevo
System lawListed as RTFBiH, “Javni RTV servis Federacije Bosne i Hercegovine”, in Art. 3 of the Law on the Public Radio-Television System of BiH
Sport in the statute“Program RTVFBiH uključuje informacije, kulturu, obrazovanje, zabavu i sport”, Art. 38
Audience (MOM 2023)FTV 11%, recalculated on the top ten stations as the news market, peoplemeter data 1 March 2022 to 31 March 2023
AddressBulevar Meše Selimovića 12, 71000 Sarajevo, per the broadcaster's impressum

What is Federalna televizija?

Federalna televizija is the television of Radio-televizija Federacije Bosne i Hercegovine, the public broadcaster of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of the country's two entities. Its statute is the Zakon o javnom servisu radio-televizije Federacije Bosne i Hercegovine. Article 5 provides: “Naziv javnog preduzeća je: 'Radio-televizija Federacije Bosne i Hercegovine'”, and “Sjedište RTVFBiH je u Sarajevu.”[1]

The state-level Law on the Public Radio-Television System lists the same broadcaster, under the abbreviation RTFBiH, as “Javni RTV servis Federacije Bosne i Hercegovine”, one of three public services in that system.[2] The Federation law's own abbreviation is RTVFBiH.[1]

The broadcaster's impressum gives its legal name as “Radio-televizija Federacije Bosne i Hercegovine” and its address as Bulevar Meše Selimovića 12, 71000 Sarajevo. It describes the broadcaster as “Javni servis Federacije Bosne i Hercegovine”, and names Bakir Hadžiomerović as Generalni direktor; that is the position on 24 September 2026.[3] Its sport coverage sits on a path of its own domain, federalna.ba/category/sport.[4]

What does Federalna televizija cover?

The Federation law names sport in the programme remit. Article 38 provides: “Program RTVFBiH uključuje informacije, kulturu, obrazovanje, zabavu i sport.” Article 53 provides that “RTVFBiH će imati pristup javnim kulturnim, sportskim i drugim događajima” for reporting.[1] The state-level system law carries the same five-part programme formula for all three public services.[2]

On 23 September 2026 the sport page carried items on the national football team, headed “Zmajevi spremni za Varšavu, Poljska prvi izazov u Ligi nacija”, and on the postponement of the national Super Cup, “Odgođena utakmica Superkupa Bosne i Hercegovine”.[4] The same page reported a first medal for the country at a veterans' judo world championship, “SP u džudu za veterane: Prva medalja za Bosnu i Hercegovinu”. It also covered a cadet team's qualifier against Greece, “Bh. kadeti uspješni protiv Grčke na otvaranju kvalifikacija”, and the opening of the European Week of Sport in Čajniče.[4]

The same list carried international items on volleyball's European Championship and the UEFA president. It also carried a daily sport bulletin, “Sport - D2, 23.09.2026”, on the home page.[4][5] No list of Federalna's sports rights with terms and end dates was retrieved, and none is asserted here.

How large is Federalna televizija's audience?

Television audiences in Bosnia and Herzegovina are measured by peoplemeter. Audience Measurement d.o.o. describes a panel of 450 households and a universe of 3,366,277 individuals aged four and over in television households, and its site publishes no current channel shares.[6]

The Media Ownership Monitor Bosnia and Herzegovina 2023, run by BIRN Bosnia and Herzegovina, cites “Television Audience Measurement, Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.3.2022. - 31.3.2023”. It states: “The audience share of public broadcaster FTV amounts to 11%.” The same passage gives Nova BH 22 per cent, BN TV 13 per cent and OBN 12 per cent.[7]

Those shares are not shares of all viewing. The monitor states that they were “recalculated based on the fact that the top 10 television stations would represent 100% of the informative market”. The top ten together held 46.91 per cent of the overall television market.[7] The figures are the monitor's, for a period ending in March 2023, and they cover the channel as a whole, not its sport programming.

Since when has Federalna televizija existed?

The Federation law is filed in the Federation Government's archive of laws for 2008. Its final provision reads: “Ovaj Zakon stupa na snagu narednog dana od dana objavljivanja u 'Službenim novinama Federacije BiH'.” [1] The Parliament of the Federation's register of laws gives it as “'Službene novine FBiH' broj 48/08”, adopted by the Predstavnički dom on 22 July 2008.[9]

The broadcaster's impressum gives no founding date, and none is given here.[3] The state-level system law under which it is also described was published in “Službeni glasnik BiH”, broj 78/05.[2]

Why does Federalna televizija matter in Bosnia and Herzegovina's sport?

Federalna is one of three public services in the state's public radio-television system, and the only one of the three to which the Media Ownership Monitor 2023 assigns an audience share among the four owners it names.[2][7] Its sport page on the build date combined the national team, domestic cup competition, a cadet qualifier and veterans' judo.[4]

Reporters Without Borders, in its 2026 index, writes that “The environment for the media is better in Sarajevo, the capital, and in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina than in the Republika Srpska”. That is RSF's statement, and it continues with RSF's account of the other two public broadcasters.[8]

The site carries the line “© Federalna 2026. Sva prava zadržana” and presents the broadcaster as the Federation's public service.[5] Those are its own statements about itself.

References

  1. Vlada Federacije BiH — Zakon o javnom servisu radio-televizije Federacije Bosne i Hercegovine (laws of 2008; Arts 5 and 38 and final provision). Accessed 2026-09-24.
  2. Parlamentarna skupština BiH — Zakon o Javnom radiotelevizijskom sistemu Bosne i Hercegovine, neslužbeni prečišćeni tekst (Službeni glasnik BiH 78/05, 35/09, 32/10, 51/15, 25/16), Arts 1, 3, 5 and 26. Accessed 2026-09-24.
  3. Federalna — Impressum (Radio-televizija Federacije Bosne i Hercegovine, Bulevar Meše Selimovića 12, Sarajevo; general director). Accessed 2026-09-24.
  4. Federalna — Sport (headlines of 23 September 2026). Accessed 2026-09-24.
  5. Federalna — federalna.ba home page (Javni servis Federacije Bosne i Hercegovine; © Federalna 2026). Accessed 2026-09-24.
  6. Audience Measurement d.o.o. — audiencemeasurement.ba (television audience measurement by peoplemeter; panel and universe as stated). Accessed 2026-09-24.
  7. Media Ownership Monitor Bosnia and Herzegovina 2023 (BIRN Bosnia and Herzegovina) — Findings: indicators (TV audience data 1.3.2022–31.3.2023; print 69%; online 67.7%). Accessed 2026-09-24.
  8. Reporters Without Borders — 2026 World Press Freedom Index, Bosnia-Herzegovina (rank 90 of 180; score 54.29; media landscape and political context). Accessed 2026-09-24.
  9. Parlament Federacije BiH, Dom naroda — Pregled zakona i drugih akata usvojenih u Parlamentu Federacije BiH (mandatni period 2006–2010). Accessed 2026-09-24.