HAICA

What HAICA does

HAICA (Haute Autorité Indépendante de la Communication Audiovisuelle) is the independent constitutional authority responsible for regulating audiovisual communication in Tunisia. Established by Decree No. 116 of 2011 and headquartered in Tunis (19 Rue El Biben, Les Berges du Lac), the authority licenses and oversees television and radio broadcasters across the public, private, and associative segments, including named operators such as Carthage+, Attessia TV, Elhiwar Ettounsi, Mosaïque FM, and Express FM. Its mandate covers ensuring media pluralism, balance, diversity, and independence; protecting freedom of expression within legal frameworks; combating disinformation; and enforcing fair political representation in media coverage.

The authority operates a suite of regulatory services: a licensing process run through published cahiers des charges (specifications documents); an online complaint portal (plainte.haica.tn) accepting submissions from individuals and institutions against audiovisual programs; periodic monitoring reports on political pluralism, election coverage, Ramadan advertising, and social-issue treatment; a public Media Directory (Annuaire Médias); and enforcement decisions including fines, license withdrawals, and program suspensions. The underlying technology is described as a regulatory platform for audiovisual media licensing and monitoring, with no public APIs, SDKs, or proprietary AI features disclosed; operations remain largely domestic.

HAICA is a non-commercial, government state entity; its revenue is derived from licensing fees collected from broadcast operators (one-time/perpetual license model) plus the proceeds of enforcement fines, supplemented by state appropriations. It has no parent company, no subsidiaries, no funding rounds, and no equity investors. The authority maintains strategic partnerships with international regulator networks — REFRAM (vice-presidency since October 2017), RIRM, RIRAC — and cooperates with UNESCO on media freedom initiatives. Governance is led by President Nouri Lajmi, with the council subject to periodic composition changes.

Name

HAICA

Legal name

Haute Autorité Indépendante de la Communication Audiovisuelle

Website

https://haica.tn

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Short description

HAICA is Tunisia's independent constitutional regulatory authority for audiovisual communication. Established by Decree No. 116 of 2011, it licenses and oversees public, private, and associative TV and radio broadcasters, monitors media content, adjudicates complaints, and enforces sanctions to ensure pluralism and freedom of expression.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Audiovisual Media Regulation

NAICS

Regulation and Administration of Communications, Electric, Gas, and Other Utilities (92613), Regulation, Licensing, and Inspection of Miscellaneous Commercial Sectors (92615)

akta.pro primary industry

Licensing & Permitting Authorities (General) (BPAIAOAB)

Keywords

• Audiovisual regulation
• Broadcast licensing
• Media compliance monitoring
• Content regulatory authority
• Broadcast media oversight

Headquarters

HQ city

Tunis

HQ country

Tunisia

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Regulatory Fees: HAICA collects licensing fees from television and radio operators seeking broadcast licenses. Candidates selected for licensing pay a license fee as part of the regulatory process.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

HAICA is a constitutional independent regulatory authority that licenses television and radio broadcasters operating in Tunisia, monitors compliance of audiovisual content with national regulations, processes public complaints regarding media output, and issues regulatory decisions and sanctions. It also publishes annual activity reports and maintains a public directory of licensed media (Annuaire Médias) to support transparency in the audiovisual sector.

Product overview

HAICA (Haute Autorité Indépendante de la Communication Audiovisuelle) is Tunisia's independent regulatory authority for audiovisual communication, established by Decree No. 116 of 2011. It is not a technology product company but a governmental regulatory body. Its regulatory services include: licensing and regulating television channels (public, private, and associative) and radio stations (public, private, and associative); monitoring political pluralism and media coverage; investigating and adjudicating complaints against audiovisual programs; enforcing media law compliance; and publishing reports on audiovisual sector performance. HAICA maintains a directory of licensed media operators including television channels (such as Carthage+, Attessia TV, Elhiwar Ettounsi, Al-Janoubia, Hannibbal TV) and radio stations (such as Mosaïque FM, Express FM, IFM, Radio Med, Diwan FM) across Tunisia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Audiovisual Broadcast Licensing

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• REFRAM (Réseau francophone des régulateurs des médias)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 October 2017HAICA was elected to the vice-presidency of REFRAM (French-speaking Network of Media Regulators) in October 2017. This international network connects francophone media regulators for knowledge sharing and collaborative regulation development.
• RIRM (International Network of Media Regulators)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHAICA maintains active membership and cooperation with the International Network of Media Regulators for international regulatory coordination.
• RIRAC (Réseau International des Régulateurs de la Méditerranée)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHAICA participates in the International Network of Mediterranean Regulators (RIRAC) for regional cooperation among media regulators.
• UNESCOminorOthersHAICA collaborates with UNESCO on World Radio Day celebrations and media freedom initiatives, sourcing imagery from UNESCO for international press freedom commemorations.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Ofcom (UK): UK's communications regulator, broader in scope covering telecom, broadcasting, and online content. As a major established regulator with comprehensive digital mandate, it represents the broader incumbent model that HAICA's digital expansion could resemble.
• Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel (CSA) France: France's audiovisual regulator serves as a foundational institutional model for HAICA (both descended from francophone regulatory tradition). CSA oversees a much larger market with broader scope including online platforms, making it a broader incumbent rather than a direct peer.

Direct peers

• Conseil National de Régulation de l'Audiovisuel (CNRA) Senegal: Senegal's audiovisual regulator, comparable in mandate and francophone African context. Both regulate TV/radio licensing, pluralism, and content compliance within similar market structures and operate within the REFRAM network alongside HAICA.
• Conseil National de l'Audiovisuel (CNA) Morocco: Morocco's national audiovisual regulator, the closest regional and structural peer to HAICA. Both are francophone North African regulators overseeing TV/radio licensing, content monitoring, and pluralism, with similar constitutional mandates and licensee bases.
• Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel (CSA) Belgium (Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles): Belgium's francophone audiovisual regulator, directly comparable in mandate (TV/radio licensing, content compliance, pluralism) and francophone regulatory tradition. Smaller-scale peer relative to the French CSA.
• Haute Autorité de la Communication Audiovisuelle (HACA) Burkina Faso: Burkina Faso's audiovisual regulator, with near-identical institutional structure (Haute Autorité), francophone regulatory tradition, and scope over TV/radio licensing and content monitoring. Direct peer within the REFRAM network.
• Entidade Reguladora para a Comunicação Social (ERC) Portugal: Portugal's independent media regulator, comparable in mandate covering audiovisual content regulation, licensing oversight, and pluralism. Shares the European-regulator structural model that informs HAICA's institutional design.
• Haute Autorité de la Communication Audiovisuelle (HACA) Algeria: Algeria's independent audiovisual regulator, comparable in mandate (TV/radio licensing, content compliance) and institutional design (independent constitutional authority). Shares the francophone North African regulatory context with HAICA.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/Haica_tn
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCdxC5PmpfVdcqCsGWrsLNcQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/haicatunisie

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HAICA