Andorra Televisió

Andorra Televisió is the principal television channel of Andorra's public broadcaster, Ràdio i Televisió d'Andorra (RTVA). The channel broadcasts primarily in Catalan and serves the Principality with a general-interest schedule combining news, current affairs, entertainment, drama, cinema, children's programming, sports and live coverage of major national events. Its best-known news output is the l'Informatiu bulletin family, which gives the channel a central role in reporting political, social, cultural and economic developments in the country. The service has roots in experimental broadcasts made under the name Televisió d'Andorra, or TVA, beginning on 1 January 1991 through the frequency associated with Canal 33. These early transmissions were intermittent. A more formal launch took place in December 1995: test transmissions began on 4 December, followed by regular programming on 5 December 1995. The first regular bulletin, Informatiu Migdia, was presented by Ramon Font. The launch was associated with senior Andorran public figures including head of government Marc Forné, general trustee Josep Dallerès and Enric Tolsa, then president of the public broadcasting organization ORTA, the predecessor of RTVA. Technical support came from the Andorran production company Antena 7. During its development, Andorra Televisió expanded beyond basic news and acquired a broader national-channel identity. Its schedule included imported children's programming, including material from Televisió de Catalunya, as well as original formats such as the children's service Club Piolet. The channel also developed locally produced fiction. Cim de passions, first broadcast in 1999, portrayed the relationships and conflicts of a hotel-owning family in a story adapted to Andorran circumstances. Art de Garatge, introduced in 2012, was a youth-oriented fiction project proposed by young creators and supported by the channel. A major step in the channel's institutional and production development was its involvement in the Eurovision Song Contest. Andorra first appeared in the competition in 2004, when Marta Roure performed in Catalan at the Istanbul contest. The broadcaster subsequently participated with representatives including Marian Van de Wal, Jenny, Anonymous, Gisela and Susanne Georgi. These appearances required expanded production, coordination and transmission capabilities and increased the channel's international visibility. RTVA withdrew from Eurovision after 2009, meaning that Andorra was no longer represented from the 2010 edition, with budgetary constraints and public-deficit considerations cited in the background to the decision. Live event coverage has also been important to the channel's public-service role. Andorra Televisió has broadcast the Games of the Small States of Europe, including substantial coverage when Andorra hosted the competitions. It has also covered significant national and cross-border events, including the Vuelta a España's visits to Andorra. News distribution increasingly moved online through the informatius.ad portal and later the AndorraDifusió.ad platform, launched as a broader RTVA digital news environment in 2014. In 2014, director Xavier Mujal said the broadcaster intended to strengthen the channel's news operation, describing its television news as among the most-watched news services in Andorra. The channel subsequently narrowed its terrestrial reach. On 1 July 2016, it stopped broadcasting in municipalities in the Catalan Pyrenees after an agreement dating from 2010 expired. RTVA chose not to renew the arrangement, reducing coverage to the Principality and saving approximately 120,000 euros annually according to the cited reference material. Andorra Televisió remains the flagship television outlet of RTVA, combining national news and public-service programming with general entertainment and coverage of events relevant to Andorran life.

Andorra Televisió developed from Andorra's first experiments with national television. Sporadic broadcasts began on 1 January 1991 under the name Televisió d'Andorra, using the frequency of Canal 33. The experimental service continued intermittently until the creation of a more stable public channel in the mid-1990s. Test transmissions for the modern service began on 4 December 1995. The launch presentation involved prominent public figures, including head of government Marc Forné, general trustee Josep Dallerès and Enric Tolsa, president of Organisme de Ràdio i Televisió d'Andorra, then the public broadcasting organization. Regular programming began the following day, 5 December, when Ramon Font presented Informatiu Migdia, the first regular news bulletin of an Andorran television channel. The technical team was supplied by Antena 7, an Andorran company that had already produced broadcasts during the late 1980s. The channel gradually established a generalist public-service schedule. News became its core function, while drama, cinema, entertainment, children's programming and live event coverage broadened its appeal. One early children's offering was Clic, a blue doll character associated with an afternoon block of cartoons acquired from Televisió de Catalunya. RTVA later developed Club Piolet as a more distinctly owned children's identity, including a magazine and membership club. Original fiction formed another part of the channel's development. Cim de passions premiered in November 1999 and followed a family of hoteliers, using local settings and themes. The production was associated with Marta Cruells, director Ester Nadal and producer Raimon Cartró, and was co-produced by ORTA and Inlingua. In 2012, Andorra Televisió supported Art de Garatge, a project created by Daniel Arellano Mesina and young collaborators. The production included actor Àlex Batllori, and Joel Pla, who appeared in the series, later joined the channel's children's programming activity in connection with Club Piolet. Eurovision was a major institutional milestone. Andorra Televisió first participated in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2004, sending Marta Roure to the Istanbul edition and broadcasting an Andorran entry in Catalan. Collaboration with Televisió de Catalunya, including the 12 Punts program, helped support the selection and presentation process. Andorra subsequently appeared in five further editions with representatives including Marian Van de Wal, Jenny, Anonymous, Gisela and Susanne Georgi. Eurovision required production and logistical capabilities beyond the channel's routine operations and raised its profile among international television audiences. RTVA ended its participation after 2009, so Andorra was absent from the contest from 2010, with financial pressures and public-deficit concerns associated with the decision. The channel also became an important broadcaster of national sporting and civic events. Its coverage of the Games of the Small States of Europe involved significant technical deployment, particularly when Andorra hosted the event. Other notable coverage included the Vuelta a España's visits to Andorra. In parallel, RTVA experimented with digital news distribution. The informatius.ad portal was later replaced by AndorraDifusió.ad in 2014, creating a broader online outlet for news and live material. News remained a strategic priority. In April 2014, director Xavier Mujal said that the broadcaster would continue developing its information services and described Andorra Televisió's news as among the country's most-watched. The service nevertheless reduced its cross-border terrestrial footprint in 2016. An agreement dating from 2010 had allowed the channel to reach municipalities in the Catalan Pyrenees. When the agreement expired on 1 July 2016, RTVA did not renew it, ending those broadcasts and concentrating terrestrial coverage on Andorra. The cited material reports annual savings of approximately 120,000 euros. Today, Andorra Televisió is the flagship television channel of RTVA. Its role combines national public-service broadcasting with mainstream programming: l'Informatiu bulletins, prime-time drama, films, entertainment, children's content, sports and live special events. Its identity is closely tied to Catalan-language broadcasting, Andorran news and the representation of the Principality's institutions, communities and cultural life.

• 2016

  Cross-border terrestrial distribution ends

  [1]Andorra Televisióen.wikipedia.org

  Broadcasts to municipalities in the Catalan Pyrenees cease after the relevant agreement expires and is not renewed.

• 2014

  AndorraDifusió digital platform launched

  [1]Andorra Televisióen.wikipedia.org

  The broadcaster replaces informatius.ad with AndorraDifusió.ad as its principal online news platform.

• 2012

  Art de Garatge introduced

  [1]Andorra Televisióen.wikipedia.org

  The channel supports the youth-oriented fiction project Art de Garatge.

• 2004

  Eurovision debut

  [1]Andorra Televisióen.wikipedia.org

  Andorra Televisió participates in Eurovision for the first time, represented by Marta Roure in Istanbul.

• 1999

  First original drama series

  [1]Andorra Televisióen.wikipedia.org

  Cim de passions premieres as a locally adapted drama about a hotel-owning family.

• 1995

  Formal channel launch

  [1]Andorra Televisióen.wikipedia.org

  Test transmissions begin on 4 December and regular broadcasting starts on 5 December with Informatiu Migdia.

• 1991

  Experimental television broadcasts begin

  [1]Andorra Televisióen.wikipedia.org

  Televisió d'Andorra begins intermittent experimental broadcasts using the frequency associated with Canal 33.

A national public-service television channel in Catalan, positioned as Andorra's flagship general-interest broadcaster with a strong emphasis on domestic news, national identity, public events and accessible mainstream programming.

• Television news

  l'Informatiu

  The channel's principal news-bulletin family, covering Andorran politics, public affairs, society, culture and major events. News programming is central to Andorra Televisió's public-service identity and has historically been described by channel management as one of the most-watched news offerings in the country.

• Children's programming

  Club Piolet

  A locally developed children's identity that evolved from earlier cartoon programming such as Clic. Club Piolet included a magazine and membership-club concept and became one of the channel's recognizable original services for younger viewers.

• Original drama · 1999

  Cim de passions

  A 1999 drama series about the tensions, relationships and business struggles of a family of hoteliers. Its story was adapted to Andorran circumstances and represented an early effort to produce original scripted television for the channel.

• Youth fiction · 2012

  Art de Garatge

  A 2012 fiction project created by Daniel Arellano Mesina and a group of young collaborators. The production demonstrated the channel's support for locally generated youth content and included appearances by actors associated with Spanish television.

• Live event coverage

  Live sports and special-event broadcasting

  Andorra Televisió broadcasts major events relevant to the Principality, including the Games of the Small States of Europe and important breaking-news, sporting and civic occasions. Coverage has sometimes required substantial outside-broadcast and production deployment.

• 2004Eurovision Song Contest participation

  Andorra · Europe

  Andorra Televisió used participation in Eurovision to present Andorra and the Catalan language to a large European television audience. The first entry, performed by Marta Roure in Istanbul, was supported in part through cooperation with Televisió de Catalunya and its 12 Punts program.

  Outcome. Andorra participated in six editions in total, but RTVA ended its Eurovision involvement after 2009 because of budgetary and public-finance pressures.

  Source

• 2016

  Restriction of terrestrial coverage to AndorraStrategy

  Background

  A 2010 agreement permitting broadcasts to municipalities in the Catalan Pyrenees expired on 1 July 2016.

  Action taken

  RTVA chose not to renew the agreement, ending Andorra Televisió's terrestrial broadcasts in those municipalities.

  Aftermath

  The channel's terrestrial coverage was limited to the Principality of Andorra, with reported annual savings of approximately 120,000 euros.

  Reported annual savings. Approximately 120,000 euros saved annually (From 1 July 2016)

  Source

• 2014

  Strengthening of news and digital distributionStrategy

  Background

  The broadcaster identified news as a core audience and public-service strength while its online distribution was evolving.

  Action taken

  RTVA developed AndorraDifusió.ad as a replacement for informatius.ad and publicly emphasized continued investment in the news service.

  Aftermath

  News became more closely integrated with the broadcaster's digital presence, including online news and live material.

  Source

• 2010

  Withdrawal from EurovisionStrategy

  Background

  RTVA faced budgetary and public-deficit constraints after several years of Eurovision participation.

  Action taken

  The broadcaster stopped entering the Eurovision Song Contest from the 2010 edition onward.

  Aftermath

  Andorra Televisió no longer represented Andorra in the contest, ending a period of six participations.

  Source

• 2016

  Andorra Televisió ends broadcasts in the Catalan Pyrenees[1]Andorra Televisióen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The channel stopped terrestrial broadcasts to municipalities in the Catalan Pyrenees after a 2010 agreement expired and was not renewed, limiting its coverage area to Andorra.

• 2014

  Andorra Televisió expands digital news distribution[1]Andorra Televisióen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  The broadcaster replaced the earlier informatius.ad news portal with the broader AndorraDifusió.ad platform, adding a stronger digital dimension to its news operation.

• 2010

  Andorra withdraws from Eurovision participation[1]Andorra Televisióen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  RTVA no longer participated in Eurovision from 2010 onward. The reference material associates the withdrawal with budgetary and public-deficit considerations.

• 2004

  Andorra makes its Eurovision Song Contest debut[1]Andorra Televisióen.wikipedia.org

  Campaign · Other

  Andorra Televisió entered Eurovision for the first time, with Marta Roure performing in Catalan at the Istanbul contest.

• 1999

  Andorra Televisió develops original drama programming[1]Andorra Televisióen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  The channel premiered Cim de passions, an original drama centered on a family of hoteliers and adapted to Andorran circumstances.

• 1995

  Andorra Televisió begins regular broadcasting[1]Andorra Televisióen.wikipedia.org

  Other · Product launch

  After test transmissions began on 4 December, the channel started regular broadcasts on 5 December with the Informatiu Migdia bulletin, marking the establishment of Andorra's public television service.

1. 1Andorra Televisióen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Official Andorra Televisió websiteatv.ad