STVS

What is STVS?

STVS is the Surinaamse Televisie Stichting, a television foundation based in Paramaribo. Its own page states: “De Surinaamse Televisie Stichting (STVS) is het eerste televisiestation in Suriname; opgericht in 1965 door toenmalige premier Johan Adolf Pengel.” That is, it describes itself as the first television station in Suriname, founded in 1965 by the prime minister of the day.^[2]

The same page gives its mission as: “STVS is de tv-autoriteit, die de samenleving voorziet van objectief nieuws, educatieve informatie en entertainment, waar in de wereld u zich ook bevindt.” Those are the broadcaster's own words about itself.^[2] Its site carries the footer “STVS © 2024. Alle rechten voorbehouden.”^[1]

Status. No statute or founding instrument for STVS was retrieved, and STVS's own pages say nothing about ownership or funding. Starnieuws, in its report of 27 May 2026, refers to STVS as “de staatszender”, the state broadcaster.^[5] The Suriname Herald reported on 16 May 2026: “Vicepresident (vp) Gregory Rusland heeft het bestuur en de directie van de Surinaamse Televisie Stichting (STVS) ontvangen voor overleg”. It reported the expectation that Rosita Leeflang could be appointed acting director of STVS the following week; no report of the appointment itself was retrieved. The same report stated that the foundation had since 2024 not been able to draw on the subsidies allocated to it, and that part of the costs of the World Cup broadcasts would be borne by the government.^[6]

What does STVS cover?

Domestic sport. STVS publishes national sport on the path stvs.sr/category/sport/nationaal. As retrieved on 26 September 2026, its items from November 2025 to July 2026 concerned football, among them the appointment of Henk Fraser as national coach (30 July 2026), “WK-debuut Suriname definitief van de baan” (27 March 2026), and “Natio gaat naar de play-offs” (19 November 2025). An older item, of 16 April 2024, concerned the men's hoofdklasse in basketball.^[3]

The 2026 FIFA World Cup. Starnieuws reported on 13 May 2026: “De Surinaamse Televisie Stichting (STVS) is officieel bevestigd als exclusieve licentiehouder en uitzender van het FIFA Wereldkampioenschap 2026 voor Suriname.” It reported that STVS cited official documents of FIFA and IRIS LATAM Limited, and that FIFA stated that IRIS LATAM was authorised to grant sublicences for broadcasting rights in the region, including Suriname.^[4] On 27 May 2026 Starnieuws reported that Telesur had obtained a sublicence to show the tournament on ATV and stream it on TelesurPlus, and that “STVS stelt dat de sublicenties aan Telesur en SRS Radio niets veranderen aan haar status als centrale rechtenhouder voor Suriname.”^[5] The tournament ended on 19 July 2026.

How large is STVS's audience?

No television-audience currency, readership survey or audited web measurement for Suriname was retrieved, so no audience figure is given. STVS's own pages, as retrieved, publish no audience or reach figure.^[2]

Reporters Without Borders, in its 2026 index entry for Suriname, ranks the country 34th of 180 and states that “The country enjoys a pluralist media landscape.”^[7] That entry names no broadcaster.

Since when has STVS existed?

STVS dates itself to 1965 and names Johan Adolf Pengel, then prime minister, as its founder. That is the broadcaster's own account; no independent founding record, such as a deed or a gazette entry, was retrieved.^[2]

Why does STVS matter in Suriname's sport?

For the 2026 FIFA World Cup, STVS was the rights holder for Suriname, according to Starnieuws's reports of May 2026, and the channel through which Telesur's ATV and SRS Radio obtained sublicences.^[4][5] Starnieuws's report of 13 May closes: “Met de overeenkomst bevestigt STVS haar positie als nationale broadcaster van internationale sportevenementen in Suriname.” That sentence presents STVS's account of itself.^[4]

The same Starnieuws report of 27 May 2026 quotes the VHP member of parliament Mahinder Jogi, who asked how the money would be recouped; Starnieuws reports: “Hij heeft begrepen dat de overheid de rechten heeft gekocht voor US$ 500.000.” That is his statement, and no government figure was retrieved.^[5] STVS's own sport page follows the men's national team, the Natio, through World Cup qualifying and the appointment of its coach.^[3]