Television in Syria was formed in 1960, when Syria and Egypt (which adopted television that same year) were part of the
United Arab Republic
The United Arab Republic (UAR; ar, الجمهورية العربية المتحدة, al-Jumhūrīyah al-'Arabīyah al-Muttaḥidah) was a sovereign state in the Middle East from 1958 until 1971. It was initially a political union between Eg ...
. It broadcast in black and white until 1976. In 1985 a second channel was established and in 1995 Syrian television rented a channel on Arabsat and it started broadcasting eight hours daily via satellite in 1996. Syrian channels are mostly owned and controlled by the
Syrian Arab Television and Radio Broadcasting Commission (SATRBC) which is connected to the
Ministry of Information. It has 4,800 staff; both government employees and freelancers.
Since the start of the
Syrian Civil War in 2011, the state has been engaging in a "media war" to combat the criticisms broadcast from other popular media outlets viewed in the Arab World and internationally, such as
Al Arabiya
Arabiya ( ar, العربية, transliterated: '; meaning "The Arabic One" or "The Arab One") is an international Arabic news television channel, currently based in Dubai, that is operated by the media conglomerate MBC.
The channel is a flag ...
and
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...
. Syrian television coverage champions the government against rebel forces such as
Al-Nusra Front
Al-Nusra Front or Jabhat al-Nusra ( ar, جبهة النصرة لأهل الشام, Jabhat an-Nuṣrah li-Ahl ish-Sham lit. ''Front of the Supporters of the People of Syria/the Levant''), known as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham ( ar, جبهة فتح ال ...
,
Free Syrian Army
The Free Syrian Army (FSA) ( ar, الجيش السوري الحر, al-jaysh as-Sūrī al-ḥur) is a loose faction in the Syrian Civil War founded on 29 July 2011 by officers of the Syrian Armed Forces with the goal of bringing down the governm ...
and the
Islamic Front. According to
BBC Arabic
BBC Arabic ( ar, بي بي سي عربي) may refer to the Literary Arabic language radio station run by the BBC World Service, as well as the BBC's satellite TV channel, and the website that serves as an Literary Arabic language news portal an ...
, it also tends to omit or downplay reports of civilian casualties in its coverage of confrontations with "terrorist" groups.
The Arab League
The Arab League ( ar, الجامعة العربية, ' ), formally the League of Arab States ( ar, جامعة الدول العربية, '), is a regional organization in the Arab world, which is located in Northern Africa, Western Africa, E ...
officially asked the satellite operators
Arabsat
The Arab Satellite Communications Organization (often abbreviated as Arabsat) is a communications satellite operator in the Arab World, headquartered in the city of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Arabsat was created to deliver satellite-based, public and ...
and
Nilesat
Nilesat (; , ''or'' ) is an Egyptian company and the name of a series of Egyptian communications satellites. It was established in 1996 with the purpose of operating Egyptian satellites and their associated mission control center and ground st ...
to stop broadcasting Syrian media in June 2012. On April 27, 2013,
Al Jazeera Media Network
Al Jazeera Media Network (AJMN) (Arabic: الجزيرة, romanized: al-jazīrah, IPA: l (d)ʒæˈziːrɐ , referring to the Qatar Peninsula) is a Qatari international state-owned public media conglomerate headquartered at Qatar Radio and Tele ...
announced that it was suspending indefinitely its activities throughout Syria because of alleged intimidation and threats against its staff.
List of channels
Satellite channels
*
Addounia TV
Addounia TV ( ar, قناة الدنيا الفضائية, lit=The World) was a private television station based in Damascus, Syria since March 23, 2007. The station is described by some western media as "semi-official" and a "mouthpiece of the gov ...
(defunct)
*
Arrai TV
Arrai TV ( ar, قناة الرأي) was an Arabic-language television station based in Syria. The channel was owned by Misha'an al-Juburi. During the Libyan Civil War in 2011, it was used by overseas Libyans to defend the Gaddafi government, denou ...
(defunct)
*
Cham TV (defunct)
*
Lana TV
Lana may refer to:
*Lana (given name)
*Francesco Lana de Terzi (1631–1687), Italian Jesuit priest and scientist
*Lana (wrestler), professional wrestler and pro wrestling manager
*'' Wild Energy. Lana'', a 2006 Ukrainian fantasy novel
Sciences
* ...
*
Lana Plus TV
*
El Khabar TV
*
Massaya TV
Massaya TV (Arabic قناة مسايا الفضائية) is a private Syrian satellite television station based in Damascus and in Dubai. It is specializing in broadcasting events, concerts and weddings particular in Syria and the Arab World. Mass ...
*
Sama TV
Sama TV ( ar, قناة سما الفضائية, lit=Sky) is a television station based in Damascus, Syria since September 7, 2012. Sama TV is a sister channel of defunct Addounia TV.
Programs
Sama TV features a variety of general-interest program ...
*SATRBC
**
Noor Al-Sham
Noor Al-Sham, also spelled Nour El-Sham (Arabic , literal translation "The Light of the Levant" is a state-run, religious satellite television
Satellite television is a service that delivers television programming to viewers by relaying it from ...
**
Syria TV
Syria TV ( ar, القناة الفضائية السورية), also known as Syrian Satellite Channel, is a satellite television channel a nationwide public broadcasting, state-funded by the Syrian General Organization of Radio and TV and broadc ...
**
Syrian Drama TV
**
Syrian Education TV
Syrian Education TV (Arabic القناة الفضائية التربوية السورية) launched by the Syrian Ministry of Education on 14 October 2008 on Arabsat and it was later launched in June 2009 to broadcast from Damascus on Nilesat
...
**
Syrian Medical TV (defunct)
**
Syrian News Channel
**
Talaqie TV
Talaqie TV (Arabic قناة تلاقي, literal translation "Meeting") was a television station
A television station is a set of equipment managed by a business, organisation or other entity, such as an amateur television (ATV) operator, that ...
(defunct)
*
Spacetoon
( ar, سبيستون or ) is a pan-Arab free-to-air television channel that specializes in animation and children programs. It began broadcasting on 15 March 2000 and it is headquartered in Dubai, UAE with offices in Riyadh. The channel target ...
(shut down in Syria)
Regional channels
*
Rojava TV (Kurdish)
*
Ronahî TV (Kurdish)
*
Manbij Tv (Kurdish) (defunct)
* Nosor TV (defunct)
* Syria Baladna (defunct)
Terrestrial channels
*
Channel 1 (
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
focus) (defunct)
*
Channel 2 (Sport, family and health focus including regional variants) (defunct)
Rebel media
Satellite channels
*Syrian Television
*
Orient TV
Orient News (in Arabic تلفزيون أورينت) is a Syrian media group owned by Syrian businessman, journalist and opposition figure Ghassan Aboud, based in Dubai, providing news service to the Middle East with a focus on Syria.
History
Orie ...
*
Syria al-shaab
*
Suriya al-Ghad
*
Aleppo Today
*
Al-Jisr TV
References
Mass media in Syria
Arabic-language television stations
{{Syria-stub