What is RTSH Sport?
RTSH Sport is a television channel of Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH), the Albanian public broadcaster. RTSH's matchday notice of 31 October 2025 lists league football on RTSH Sport alongside RTSH 1 and RTSH 2, and its sport notices are published on the parent's domain, rtsh.al.[1]
RTSH's transparency programme states its legal basis in one sentence: “RTSH është një entitet publik, i themeluar me ligjin 8410/1998 dhe i ndryshuar me ligjin 97/2013.” Law No. 97/2013 is the law on audiovisual media in the Republic of Albania. The same page lists the statute of RTSH, approved by decision no. 98 of 22 December 2016, and records Law No. 97/2013 as amended by Law No. 30/2023 of 13 April 2023.[2] The chapter of Law No. 97/2013 on the public broadcaster could not be read: RTSH's own copies of the law returned an access error, and the text on the regulator's site was retrieved only as far as Article 46. The operative words of the law on RTSH's remit are therefore not quoted here.
The Media Ownership Monitor Albania, produced by BIRN Albania with the Global Media Registry, records RTSH's owner as “The Republic of Albania”, with 100%. It describes a supervisory council, KDRTSH, whose members are elected by parliament, and records Alfred Peza as elected General Director. Its data were last updated on 8 November 2023.[3]
What does RTSH Sport cover?
Domestic football is the documented core. Federata Shqiptare e Futbollit announced on 16 August 2024 that it had signed an agreement with Radio Televizioni Shqiptar, which “do të transmetojë për tre sezonet e ardhshme kampionatin Kategoria Superiore, duke përfshirë edhe Final 4, Kategorinë e Parë, Kupën e Shqipërisë dhe Superkupën e Shqipërisë”. The federation stated that its Executive Committee had reviewed the national operators' proposals and declared RTSH's offer the winner.[4] The release states: “RTSH merr të drejtën televizive për sezonet 2024/25; 2025/26; 2026/27 të kompeticioneve kombëtare”. The 2026–27 season is in progress on 24 September 2026; the release gives no fee.
The matchday notice of 31 October 2025, for the tenth week of Abissnet Superiore, placed Tirana–Bylis, Flamurtari–Elbasani and Egnatia–Vllaznia on RTSH Sport, Dinamo–Teuta on RTSH 1 and Vora–Partizani on RTSH 2.[1]
Beyond football, RTSH's accounts show sports rights as a standing cost. The 2025 financial statement lists, under spending on film, artistic projects and rights, “Blerjen e të drejtave sportive: 252,414,124 lekë ose 49% e totalit”. It records that “Detyrimet për të drejtat sportive përbëjnë rreth 62% të totalit të detyrimeve të institucionit”.[5] The statement does not name the competitions whose rights were bought.
How large is RTSH Sport's audience?
No audited audience figure for RTSH Sport, or for RTSH as a whole, could be retrieved. The Media Pluralism Monitor 2026 for Albania states: “Although work with industry has begun to establish an audience-measurement tool for television, Albania still lacks an official and transparent mechanism.”[6] The Media Ownership Monitor's RTSH outlet entry carries a field for audience share covering 8 May 2022 to 8 May 2023, but no figure is printed in it.[8]
The measurable figures are financial. RTSH's 2025 statement gives total revenue of 2,363,933,834 lekë, with 1,335,140,204 from the television licence fee, 810,187,972 from the state budget, 89,963,532 from advertising and notices and 106,451,090 from infrastructure leasing, and records 86.7% of the annual plan.[5] For 2022 the Media Ownership Monitor records that a household tax accounted for 57.5% of RTSH's finances and the state budget for 25.5%.[3]
Reporters Without Borders, in its 2026 index entry for Albania, lists “the public broadcaster RTSH” among “major media outlets”; that is a listing, not a measured figure.[7]
Since when has RTSH Sport existed?
No launch date for the RTSH Sport channel itself could be retrieved from RTSH's own pages or from the regulator, and none is given here.
For the parent, the sources give different kinds of date. RTSH states that it was founded by Law 8410/1998 and amended by Law 97/2013.[2] The Media Ownership Monitor's outlet entry gives 1960 as the founding year of the broadcaster, citing RTSH's response of 14 August 2023 to an information request.[8] The first is a statutory date and the second a broadcasting date; they are different facts and neither is adopted here as a founding date for the sport channel.
The earliest dated evidence of RTSH Sport carrying domestic league football in the sources read is the matchday notice of 31 October 2025.[1]
Why does RTSH Sport matter in Albania's sport?
It holds the domestic football rights. The federation's contract of 16 August 2024 covers the top division, the Final 4 that closes it, the second division, the Albanian Cup and the Super Cup.[4] Before that contract the federation had announced, on 24 August 2023, a three-year agreement with MCN TV for the same competitions; no statement ending that agreement was retrieved.[9]
Its governance is a monitored subject. Reporters Without Borders states that “Politicians limit editorial independence by politicising media regulators and by appointing those in charge of the public media.”[7] The Media Pluralism Monitor 2026 states that “Appointments in the PSM board and management remain vulnerable to political interference.”[6] Those are the monitoring bodies' findings, quoted as they give them.
Its spending on sport is published. RTSH's own 2025 statement puts sports rights at 252,414,124 lekë and sports-rights liabilities at about 62% of the institution's total liabilities.[5]
References
- RTSH — Abissnet Superiore në RTSH, kalendari dhe kanalet ku transmetohen ndeshjet e javës së 10-të (31 October 2025). Accessed 2026-09-24.
- RTSH — Programi i transparencës (legal basis; statute decision no. 98 of 22 December 2016; Law 97/2013 as amended by Law 30/2023). Accessed 2026-09-24.
- Media Ownership Monitor Albania (BIRN Albania / Global Media Registry) — Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH): company entry (data updated 8 November 2023). Accessed 2026-09-24.
- Federata Shqiptare e Futbollit — FSHF, kontratë 3-vjeçare me RTSH për të drejtën TV të Kategorisë Superiore (16 August 2024). Accessed 2026-09-24.
- RTSH — Gjendja ekonomiko–financiare: realizimi i treguesve ekonomiko-financiarë të vitit 2025. Accessed 2026-09-24.
- Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (EUI) — Media Pluralism Monitor 2026: Albania (market plurality risk 83%; page modified 2 July 2026). Accessed 2026-09-24.
- Reporters Without Borders — 2026 World Press Freedom Index, Albania (rank 83 of 180; score 56.52; media landscape, political and economic context). Accessed 2026-09-24.
- Media Ownership Monitor Albania — RTSH: outlet entry (founding year 1960; information current to 14 August 2023). Accessed 2026-09-24.
- Federata Shqiptare e Futbollit — FSHF firmos me MCN TV kontratë 3-vjeçare për të drejtën TV të “Abissnet Superiore” (24 August 2023). Accessed 2026-09-24.