Balearic coalition increases IB3 public TV budget despite audit pledge

The Balearic government led by PP and VOX has not closed IB3; instead, it increased its budget by 11.2% in 2025 to €45.8 million. The July 2023 coalition agreement only mandated auditing public entities, not shutting down the regional broadcaster.

The Balearic public radio and television service continues broadcasting and is expanding rather than shrinking. The approved budget for IB3 in 2025 stands at **€45.8 million**, up from **€41.1 million** in 2024. This represents an **11.2%** increase in a single fiscal year. This growth occurred despite PP and VOX governing the region since 2023 with explicit rhetoric against superfluous public spending.

## What the July 2023 coalition agreement stated

The pact between the People's Party (PP) and Santiago Abascal's VOX included measure number 50, requiring audits of public bodies to eliminate those deemed superfluous, unnecessary, duplicated, or ideologically driven. The wording was broad enough to avoid committing to specific closures. There was no mention of shutting down IB3.

VOX had explicitly advocated for closing IB3 before the 2019 elections. However, electoral platforms differ from coalition agreements. In February 2025, both parties agreed to propose **Josep Codony** as IB3's director general, signaling support for his continued management. It is difficult to reconcile this decision with plans to dismantle the entity.

## Data contradicts the narrative of cuts

Official 2025 figures leave little room for interpretation. IB3's budget grew **11.2%** year-on-year. In November 2025, the Balearic Government also approved an additional **€21 million** in multi-year funding for original productions during 2026 and 2027: **€10.5 million** per year. The Balearics have extended their 2026 budgets, maintaining the current structure.

The obvious question arises: if IB3 were dispensable spending, why wasn't a reduction demanded instead of approving a nearly five-million-euro increase? The answer lies in the gap between campaign promises and the realities of signing a governing agreement.

## Why regional broadcasters aren't shut down

Several factors explain IB3's continuity. The PP does not necessarily share VOX's proposal to close IB3 and advocates maintaining a local public television service. Shutting down a regional media outlet carries significant political costs, extending beyond voters. IB3 contracts production companies and supports the Balearic audiovisual industry, generating jobs and economic activity.

The coalition agreement did not explicitly mandate closure. Auditing and eliminating bodies was an open-ended formula allowing for reviews without practical consequences. The precedent of Codony confirms that the strategy favored continuity over dismantlement.

## What this case reveals about cutback promises

IB3 illustrates how pledges to eliminate public structures can be shelved during coalition negotiations. Three verifiable facts stand out: VOX advocated closing IB3, signed an agreement that did not require such closure, and under the coalition government, the broadcaster maintained operations while increasing its budget.

Demanding consistency between platform and governance is not an ideological judgment on public television. It is verifying whether anti-spending rhetoric translates into decisions when influence is available. In this instance, the numbers indicate it does not.