The Icelandic National Broadcasting Service – Ríkisútvarpið, or RÚV for short - is an independent public service broadcaster, comprising television, radio and online services. The main objective of the National Broadcasting Service is to inform, educate and entertain. This triple role is reflected in its mission to provide the public with reliable news service and culture and entertainment content of the highest quality. We place particular attention on the Icelandic language, the history of the nation, cultural heritage and an active dialogue with the public. We furthermore place special focus on quality programming for children and young people. RÚV’s Archives are open and accessible to the public. 

RÚV is managed by an executive board made up of nine members, nominated by the Parliament and elected during a General Assembly in January each year, and by a management board chaired by the director-general. 

A source of RÚV’s strength in the modern world is that it is becoming increasingly possible for each and every one of us to compile individually tailored programming according to our own interests and at our own convenience. Therefore our new slogan includes a reference to the individual – the core player in our activity.

Our aim is that RÚV will accompany you in your daily life and in your most memorable moments. 

Five priorities will underlie all RÚV’s actions, major and minor, until the end of 2026. These are based on RÚV’s strengths, backed by extensive data and in harmony with public service broadcasters overseas. RÚV provides important services to society in Iceland. In some respects, these are exactly the same as in other countries; naturally, in others, RÚV is unique.

The strategy was unveiled at a Radio conference in the Broadcasting Centre in Efstaleiti.

RÚV‘s history spans over 90 years with regular radio service starting in 1930. Television broadcasts begun in 1966 and the website RUV.is was launched in 1996.

RUV.is – Whatever, wherever, whenever 

RÚV.is has all things human within its scope. A bustling hub of activity, our news desk is open 24/7 and we distribute large amounts of premium material around the clock, all year round. News, culture, local daily life and entertainment, everything relevant to you and the latest news when you need them.

Online we strive to meet different needs of our users, whether via linear program or on demand. Our online content player and our RUV app are a simple and convenient way to listen and watch whatever you want, wherever you want, whenever you want. Every week, we add more than 400 recordings from our tv and radio channels to the content library accessible by the RUV app.

Radio and televison programmes are all transmitted on RUV.is and normally available on demand for 7-90 days after transmission, with over 400 programme items added every week. RÚV has an archive of programmes and footage. For further information regarding archive sales please use the contact box below.

Ninety-five percent of the population use RÚV’s services every week and over seventy-six percent on a daily basis. These levels are one of the highest among Public Service Broadcasters in Europe. 99.8% of Icelandic households receive RUV‘s broadcasts, transmitted from numerous locations in Iceland via a distribution network built by RÚV, operated since 2009 by SÝN. 

RÚV is an active member of EBU (European Broadcasting Union, world’s leading alliance of public service media with 73 Members in 56 countries across Europe and beyond.

RÚV is also an active member of Nordvision, a cooperation of Public Service Television and Radio in the Nordic and the Nordic Film & TV Fund, which primary purpose is to promote film and TV productions of high quality in the five Nordic countries by providing support for top-up financing of feature films, TV-fiction / series and creative documentaries.

Managers                                                   

• Stefán Eiríksson (Director General)
• Margrét Magnúsdóttir (Office Director)
• Björn Þór Hermannsson (Director of Finance)
• Hrefna Lind Ásgeirsdóttir (Director of Digital Development)
• Matthías Már Magnússon (Head of Rás 2) 
• Fanney Birna Jónsdóttir (Head of Rás 1)
• Hildur Sigurðardóttir (Head of HR)
• Heiðar Örn Sigurfinnsson (Head of News) 
• Margrét Jónasdóttir (Acting Head of TV and Programming)  

Contact and address

RÚV
Icelandic National Broadcasting Service
Address: Efstaleiti 1, 150 Reykjavík
Iceland
tel. (+354) 515 3000

Please feel free to contact us by filling out the form below. Make sure to select the relevant department at the top of the form