RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta – Indonesia's public television network, Televisi Republik Indonesia (TVRI), launched its campaign as the official broadcaster of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Sunday, 1 February 2026. The network marked the occasion with events held simultaneously in 34 provinces, earning a record from the Indonesian World Records Museum (MURI) and a sense of joy, with the Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto said to have backed the broadcasts.

The event, titled Kick-Off Bola Gembira (Joyful Football Kick-Off), marked the start of a series of TVRI activities to welcome the 2026 World Cup, to be held in North American countries from June 11 to July 19. TVRI’s central and regional stations organized events in 34 of Indonesia’s 38 provinces, with the central station hosting its event in Jakarta’s Car-Free Day area on the prominent General Sudirman Street.

"We officially open through this kick-off that TVRI is the official broadcaster and will air all matches of the 2026 World Cup," President Director of TVRI, Iman Brotoseno, said during the Kick Off Bola Gembira event in Jakarta, as quoted in the network’s official press release on Sunday.

In several locations, the events were held in front of regional TVRI offices and studios. In other places, they took place in car-free day zones and open public spaces, such as Pancasila Square in Semarang, Central Java, and Gelora Kadrie Oening Stadium in Samarinda, East Kalimantan.

At the events, the network’s logo and the 2026 FIFA World Cup logo adorned large banners behind the main stage. The 2026 World Cup mascots were also seen making appearances: Maple the Moose, Zayu the Jaguar, and Clutch the Bald Eagle, each representing Canada, Mexico, and the United States as host nations.

Various activities were held at different locations, ranging from drum band performances in Jakarta to ball-juggling competitions in Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan. In addition, rows of tents for small businesses were visible at several sites, helping to boost the local economy.

Adi, a local of Palangkaraya, said he was happy that this World Cup edition could be watched via terrestrial television. Moreover, TVRI has the widest broadcast reach in Indonesia.

"(Everywhere) in Indonesia definitely has TVRI (broadcast). You turn on the TV, and TVRI is there. This is a great moment," Adi said.

Regardless of the variety of locations, on the same day, TVRI received a MURI record for holding the 'Largest Car-Free Day Activity to Welcome the World Cup'. The MURI Chairman, Jaya Suprana, presented the record certificate to the Chairman of the TVRI Supervisory Board, Agus Sudibyo, in Jakarta.

"We would like to express our gratitude and appreciation to MURI for the award given to TVRI. This award from MURI is not only about achieving a record, but about the spirit of togetherness and public participation," Agus stated.

A spirit of togetherness and joy was the message TVRI sought to convey. In its statement, through Kick-Off Bola Gembira, the broadcaster reaffirmed its commitment to bringing joy to the Indonesian people.

Interestingly, at several locations, including Jakarta, life-sized cutouts of President Prabowo Subianto were seen. Wearing a red T-shirt, white trousers, and a white jacket bearing the country's national emblem on the chest, Prabowo was depicted holding a football in his right hand.

Prabowo was said to have 'given directions' for TVRI to secure the broadcasting rights for the 2026 World Cup in Indonesia. As Iman stated, Prabowo also instructed that the World Cup broadcasts be accessible throughout the country so that the public could share in the joy.

“The President gave directions so that this World Cup moment can be watched by all people, without exception. This is... proof of the President’s long-time concern for Indonesia's football development,” Iman said at the event.

The World Cup broadcast on TVRI will be the first since 1998, when the tournament was held in France. From 2002 to 2022, commercial private broadcasters held the World Cup broadcasting rights, with critics over fees charged to host public viewing events, something that TVRI has made free this year.

At the end of 2025, the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) announced that TVRI would become the broadcaster of the 2026 World Cup, with a payment using the annual state budget. This became official on Monday, 29 December 2025, when the public broadcaster made a formal announcement.

At the announcement, Iman hoped that the World Cup broadcasts would provide positive encouragement, including in northern Sumatra. Previously, Cyclone Senyar floods and landslides in the provinces of Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra resulted in hundreds of deaths and hundreds of thousands of displaced people.

“We hope that the broadcast of these World Cup matches can become a positive moment and a moment of togetherness, fostering optimism to rise again, especially amid the disaster recovery process in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra,” Iman said at a press conference in Jakarta at the time.

TVRI stated that it has ensured that all broadcasting facilities and infrastructure are ready to support the 2026 World Cup broadcasts, including in remote and outermost regions. All 104 World Cup matches will be aired in Indonesia on TVRI’s main channel and its sports channel, TVRI Sport; its broadcasts are supported by Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI) and Antara news agency.

In many countries, public broadcasters are common to be the official broadcasters of the FIFA World Cup. Some examples include the BBC in the United Kingdom, SBS in Australia, and RTVE in Spain.