TVRI is designated as public broadcasting institution per Act No. 32 of 2002 on Broadcasting, which defined as a "legal entity established by the state, independent, neutral, not commercial, and has the function to provide services for the public benefit". Its duty, according to Government Regulation No. 13 of 2005, is "to provide the healthy information, education and entertainment services, (maintain) social control and unity, and preserve the nation's culture for the whole public benefit by organizing television broadcast that reaches all parts of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia". TVRI is formally placed directly under, and responsible to, the President of Indonesia, as the network is no longer an agency of any ministry. TVRI organization structure consists of five Board of Supervisors (Dewan Pengawas) appointed by the People's Representative Council (DPR) and six Board of Directors (Dewan Direksi) appointed by the Board of Supervisors. According to article 15 of the Broadcasting Act, TVRI is funded by several sources such as broadcasting fees, annual state budget (drafted by the government and approved by the DPR), community contribution, and advertisement, as well as other legal efforts related to its broadcasting operation. In fact, as of today the broadcasting fee is not yet implemented, and TVRI is asked to generate "non-tax revenue" to the state by various funding sources besides annual state budget; which some of the revenue would be returned to the network. Previously, "television fee" has been existed to supplement TVRI funding besides the state budget until the 1990s, but later abolished. As of 2018 TVRI has approximately 4.300 employees, with an estimated 1.800 of whom are based in Jakarta. 90% of its employees are civil servants under Ministry of Communication and Information Technology,[13] though the network is not a part of the ministry.
