Spanish state run TV broadcaster ends commercials tonight

Spanish state broadcaster TVE will be broadcasting it’s final TV Commercial tonight, loosing over 500 million Euros per year in advertising revenue, that will doubtlessly be fought over by the other channels under private ownership. These other channels, however, will also have to contribute 600 million Euros a year between them in order to fund TVE in the future.

The state run TV Station will have a budget of approx 1.2 billion Euros, about a third of that of the British BBC, but this new system could falter once the European Commission investigates the arrangement which could turn out to be illegal.

The final commercial to be shown by TVE1 tonight has been reserved for the broadcaster itself , as 81 year old Alberto Oliarte is the man who has been appointed to lead TVE into the new decade.

Television broadcasting in Spain generally is undergoing numerous changes, with the dated analogue signals being switched off in many parts of the country, as digital broadcasting takes over. The four national private operators all have plans to merge in 2010; La Sexta is to join Antena 3 and Cuatro is to join Telecinco, although the individual brands and channels are expected to stay unchanged in the short-term.