The Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT; Turkish: ) is the national
public broadcaster
Public broadcasting (or public service broadcasting) is radio, television, and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service with a commitment to avoiding political and commercial influence. Public broadcasters receive ...
of
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
, founded in 1964. TRT was for many years the only
television
Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
and
radio
Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...
broadcaster in Turkey. Before the introduction of commercial radio in 1990, and subsequently commercial television in 1992, it held a
monopoly
A monopoly (from Greek language, Greek and ) is a market in which one person or company is the only supplier of a particular good or service. A monopoly is characterized by a lack of economic Competition (economics), competition to produce ...
on broadcasting. More recent deregulation of the Turkish television broadcasting market produced analogue terrestrial television. Today, TRT broadcasts around the world, including in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, the United States, and Australia.
Around 70% of TRT's funding comes from a license tax on television and radio receivers. Additionally, a 2% TRT tax was added to the electricity bills until January 2022. As these are
hypothecated taxes, as opposed to the money allocated to general government funds, the principle is similar to that of the
television licence
A television licence or broadcast receiving licence is a payment required in many countries for the reception of television broadcasts or the possession of a television set. In some countries, a licence is also required to own a radio or rece ...
levied in a number of other countries, such as the BBC in the United Kingdom. The rest of TRT's funding comes from government grants (around 20%), with the final 10% coming from
advertising
Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a Product (business), product or Service (economics), service. Advertising aims to present a product or service in terms of utility, advantages, and qualities of int ...
. Although theoretically unbiased, in practice TRT’s editorial stance strongly supports the government.
History

TRT's predecessor, was one of 23 founding broadcasting organisations of the
European Broadcasting Union
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU; , UER) is an alliance of Public broadcasting, public service media organisations in countries within the European Broadcasting Area (EBA) or who are member states of the Council of Europe, members of the ...
in 1950; it would return to the EBU fold as TRT in 1972. The original company started radio test broadcasts in 1926, with a studio built in
Istanbul
Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
in 1927 and a studio in
Ankara
Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...
following in 1928.
Test transmissions started on TRT 1 on 31 January 1968. A full national television schedule, which at that time linked the areas in and around
Ankara
Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...
,
Istanbul
Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
, and
İzmir
İzmir is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara. It is on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, and is the capital of İzmir Province. In 2024, the city of İzmir had ...
, started in December 1971.
TRT renewed its membership in the
European Broadcasting Union
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU; , UER) is an alliance of Public broadcasting, public service media organisations in countries within the European Broadcasting Area (EBA) or who are member states of the Council of Europe, members of the ...
(having been a founding member previously offering only radio) starting on 26 August 1972, with Turkey's first
Eurovision Network
Eurovision is a pan-European television telecommunications network owned and operated by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). It was officially founded in 1954 in Geneva, Switzerland, and its first official transmission took place on 6 June 19 ...
event, a football match (Turkey vs. Italy), airing across Europe on 13 January 1973.
TRT also joined the
Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union
The Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU or APBU), formed in 1964, is a non-profit, professional association of broadcasting organisations. It currently has over 288 members in 57 countries and regions, reaching a potential audience of about 3 b ...
in 1976, the same year their first colour television test was showcased via laboratory at the general assembly of the
Organisation of the Islamic Conference
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC; ; ), formerly the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, is an intergovernmental organisation founded in 1969. It consists of 57 member states, 48 of which are Muslim-majority. The Pew Forum on ...
.
All programming was in black and white from the start of test transmissions in 1968 until the New Year's Eve programming on 31 December 1981, when the first on-air colour tests started.
The entire lineup switched to colour on 15 March 1984.
A new logo, developed in the United States by Pittard Sullivan at the cost of US$2 million, was unveiled on 31 January 2001. The bulk of the logo used red, representing the
flag of Turkey
The national flag of Turkey, officially the Turkish flag (), is a red flag featuring a white crescent and star on its emblem, based on the 18th-century Ottoman Empire flag. The flag is often called "the red flag" (), and is referred to as "the ...
and national pride, green representing its agricultural lands and blue representing its neighboring seas. The new logo was critiiczed by Turkish designers under the grounds of it being "the product of an outdated image survey", claiming that the idea would be improved if developed within Turkey.
TRT organised the
Eurovision Song Contest 2004
The Eurovision Song Contest 2004 was the 49th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Istanbul, Turkey, following the country's victory at the with the song " Everyway That I Can" by Sertab Erener. Organised by the European B ...
, with the semi-final on 12 May 2004 and the final on 15 May 2004. On 19 May 2012,
TRT 1 HD started simulcasting with
TRT 1
TRT 1 (''TRT One'') is the first Turkish national television channel, owned by state broadcaster TRT. It was officially launched on 31 January 1968 as a test broadcast, becoming regular by the early 1970s. It was the only channel Turkey until 15 ...
upscaled to full HD 16:9 DVB-S2 standard.
In January 2018, TRT celebrated its 50th anniversary. All TRT channels broadcast a collection of old idents and news studio (still being modern logo) as part of the celebration in form of nostalgia. Each day new idents were made. This event also happened in 1978, 1988, 1998 and 2008. On 9 May 2023, TRT Diyanet Children's channel started its test broadcast.
During the
July 2016 coup attempt, TRT offices in Istanbul and Ankara were raided by lieutenant colonel Umit Gencer and other soldiers. TRT news anchor Tijen Karas was forced to read a statement from the plotters live on TV declaring the coup. After the coup attempt, people in TRT were either fired or forced to retire. According to Haber-Sen Union, 1800 workers were forced to retire. The union protested this situation on 21 November 2018 in Istanbul, Ankara, Diyarbakir and Brussels. During the protests, TRT employees stated that they were exposed to psychological pressure defined as MOBING. TRT employee Osman Köse stated that more than 3,000 TRT employees had been transferred to other state institutions and 5,000 people had been dismissed from TRT. Many TRT employees were dismissed and imprisoned on charges related to the coup attempt. According to the list published in the 'Resmi Gazete' of the state, 312 people were dismissed. According to a report provided by Gülen-linked NGO
Stockholm Center for Freedom
The Stockholm Center for Freedom (The SCF) is an advocacy organization founded in 2017 by the Turkish journalist Abdullah Bozkurt. The SCF has been headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden due to the Turkish government crackdown on freedom of the press ...
(SCF), approximately 150 TRT employees were accused of being members of a 'terrorist organisation'.
Directors general of the TRT
The directors general of the institution are as follows:
# Adnan Öztrak (1964–1971)
# Musa Öğün (1971–1973)
#
İsmail Cem
İsmail Cem (born İsmail Cem İpekçi, 15 February 1940 – 24 January 2007) was a Turkish Centre-left politics, centre-leftist politician, intellectual, writer, author and journalist who served as the Minister of Culture (Turkey), Minister ...
(1974–1975)
#
Nevzat Yalçıntaş (1975)
#
Şaban Karataş
Şaban Karataş (1928–2016) was a Turkish academic and conservative politician who was the director general of the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) between 1976 and 1977. He served at the Parliament in the late 1970s and 1990s. He ...
(1976–1977)
# Cengiz Taşar (1978–1979)
# Doğan Kasaroğlu (1979–1981)
# Macit Akman (1981–1984)
# Tunca Toskay (1984–1988)
# Cem Duna (1988–1989)
# Kerim Aydın Erdem (1989–1993)
# Tayfun Akgüner (1993–1996)
# Yücel Yener (1997–2003)
# Şenol Demiröz (2003–2005)
Services
Television channels
All television channels can be watched via
Turksat satellite in Europe in Asia and terrestrial in Turkey and neighbouring countries. Some of them are also found on cable TV systems.
Domestic
*
TRT 1
TRT 1 (''TRT One'') is the first Turkish national television channel, owned by state broadcaster TRT. It was officially launched on 31 January 1968 as a test broadcast, becoming regular by the early 1970s. It was the only channel Turkey until 15 ...
(launched January 1968) – General entertainment channel with a broad schedule featuring local and foreign series, Turkish and
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood ...
cinema, live shows with Turkish folk music, Turkish classical music and pop music, live sport, news & current affairs plus special events.
*
TRT 2 (launched September 1986, shut down March 2010, relaunched February 2019) – Highbrow channel with a broad schedule featuring cultural and educational shows, heavy promotion of the arts (Turkish and international), cultural talkshows, documentaries, and local and foreign films.
*
TRT 3 Spor (launched October 1989) – Live and archive sport including
Formula 1
Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
, World and European Figure Skating Championships, World and European Athletics Championships, Turkish Women's Volleyball league, U18 Basketball plus feature programmes. When parliament is in session, TRT 3 relays live coverage of the
Turkish Grand National Assembly
The Grand National Assembly of Turkey ( ), usually referred to simply as the GNAT or TBMM, also referred to as , in Turkish, is the unicameral Turkish legislature. It is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by the Turkish Consti ...
(
TBMM-TV).
*
TRT Çocuk
TRT Çocuk is a Turkish Free-to-air tv channel part of the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation, which can also be received in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, tran ...
(launched November 2008) – Children's programming, animated programmes and educational programmes. The station now broadcasts 24 hours a day.
*
TRT Kurdî
TRT Kurdî is the first national television station that broadcasts in the Kurdish dialect of Kurmanji and in Zazaki. On the channels sixth anniversary it changed its name from TRT 6 into TRT Kurdi. A 2018 survey of 393 Kurdish individuals fr ...
(launched January 2009) – Channel broadcasting in
Kurdish
Kurdish may refer to:
*Kurds or Kurdish people
*Kurdish language
** Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji)
**Central Kurdish (Sorani)
**Southern Kurdish
** Laki Kurdish
*Kurdish alphabets
*Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes:
**Southern ...
.
*
TRT Müzik
TRT Müzik is a Turkish television channel owned and operated by TRT. It broadcasts music programmes featuring music news magazines and talk show
A talk show is a television programming, radio programming or podcast genre structured around th ...
(launched November 2009) – 24-hour music channel with Turkish folk and classical music. It also airs pop, rock,
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
& ethnic music.
*
TRT Belgesel
TRT Belgesel (TRT Documentary) is a Turkish Free-to-air television channel owned and operated by Turkish Radio and Television Corporation
The Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT; Turkish: ) is the national public broadcasting, publ ...
(launched November 2009) – 24-hour documentary channel.
*
TRT Haber
TRT Haber ( English: TRT News) is a Turkish news and current affairs television channel. It was listed by Anadolu Agency
Anadolu Agency (, ; abbreviated AA) is a state-run news agency headquartered in Ankara, Turkey.
History
The Anadolu Agenc ...
(launched May 2010) – News and current affairs, sports news and weather.
*
TRT 4K
TRT 4K, is an UHD television channel established by TRT on Türksat 3A. TRT 4K started test broadcasting February 19, 2015. TRT4K is the first UHD FTA TV channel in Turkey and Europe.
TRT4K uses HEVC (H.265) codec with 4K Ultra HD resolu ...
(launched February 2015) –
Ultra HD
Ultra-high-definition television (also known as Ultra HD television, Ultra HD, UHDTV, UHD and Super Hi-Vision) today includes 4K resolution#Resolutions, 4K UHD and 8K resolution#Resolutions, 8K UHD, which are two digital video formats with an ...
television channel of TRT. This is the first 4K television channel in Turkey.
* (launched September 2019) – Alternate channel to
TRT Spor
TRT 3 is a Turkish television channel. It mostly broadcasts sport events.
History
TRT 3 started test transmissions on October 2, 1989, as "3. Kanal" or TV3. TV2's reserve transmitters, which were under the jurisdiction of Türk Telekom, were ...
.
International
*
TRT Türk
TRT Türk is the international TV channel of the TRT, which is broadcast to other countries.
TRT Türk's task is to enhance the understanding of the possibilities Turkey and Turkic republics may possess or take advantage of in various fields t ...
(
16:9, not encoded in DVB signal) ''(formerly known as
TRT INT) ''– International news, current affairs, documentaries and cultural programming aimed at both Turks and Turkish speaking audience living abroad. It's the first TRT channel to make extensive use of a private production company for news programming.
*
TRT Avaz
TRT Avaz (formerly TRT Türk) is a channel broadcast by the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation with focusing on Turkey and Balkans. It was launched in Turkey on 21 March 2009 and broadcasts throughout the Balkans, Turkic Central Asia, the Mi ...
''(formerly known as
TRT Türk
TRT Türk is the international TV channel of the TRT, which is broadcast to other countries.
TRT Türk's task is to enhance the understanding of the possibilities Turkey and Turkic republics may possess or take advantage of in various fields t ...
)'' (launched March 2009) – International channel aimed at the
Turkic republics and Turks living in the Balkans. The channel has a focus on entertainment and documentaries as opposed to TRT Türk's new focus on news. Programmes are broadcast in a mixture of languages including
Turkic and
Russian
Russian(s) may refer to:
*Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*A citizen of Russia
*Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages
*''The Russians'', a b ...
.
*
TRT World
TRT Global, previously named TRT World, is a Turkish public broadcaster which broadcasts in English 24 hours a day and is operated by the TRT and based in the Ulus quarter of Ankara. It provides worldwide news and current affairs focusing on ...
– International news, current affairs, documentaries and cultural programming in English for international audiences.
*
TRT Arabi
TRT Arabi, (formerly TRT Arabia; / ) is an Arabic television channel of TRT, broadcasting to Arabic-speaking audiences in Turkey and the Middle East, 24 hours a day, on subjects, events, and news as well as soap operas from and pertaining to ...
(launched April 2010) – Broadcasts 24 hours a day in
Arabic language
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
with programs aimed at
Arabs in Turkey
Arabs in Turkey (; ) are about 1.5 million or 5 million (including the Syrian refugees) citizens or residents of Turkey who are ethnically of Arab descent. They are the third-largest minority in the country after the Kurds and the Circassians. a ...
, as well as the wider
Arab world
The Arab world ( '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, comprises a large group of countries, mainly located in West Asia and North Africa. While the majority of people in ...
and
Middle East
The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq.
The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
.
* TRT Persian – Iran and international news in Persian for Iranian and international Persian audiences.
Minority languages
TRT has a special TV channel for Kurdish that broadcasts on a 24-hour / 7-day basis called
TRT Kurdî
TRT Kurdî is the first national television station that broadcasts in the Kurdish dialect of Kurmanji and in Zazaki. On the channels sixth anniversary it changed its name from TRT 6 into TRT Kurdi. A 2018 survey of 393 Kurdish individuals fr ...
and other TV and Radio stations that broadcast programmes in the local languages and dialects like
Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...
,
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
,
Bosnian and
Circassian a few hours a week.
Another special TV channel aimed at the Turkic world,
TRT Avaz
TRT Avaz (formerly TRT Türk) is a channel broadcast by the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation with focusing on Turkey and Balkans. It was launched in Turkey on 21 March 2009 and broadcasts throughout the Balkans, Turkic Central Asia, the Mi ...
was launched on 21 March 2009 and broadcasts in the
Azerbaijani,
Russian
Russian(s) may refer to:
*Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*A citizen of Russia
*Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages
*''The Russians'', a b ...
,
Kazakh,
Kyrgyz,
Uzbek,
Tatar
Tatar may refer to:
Peoples
* Tatars, an umbrella term for different Turkic ethnic groups bearing the name "Tatar"
* Volga Tatars, a people from the Volga-Ural region of western Russia
* Crimean Tatars, a people from the Crimea peninsula by the B ...
and
Turkmen languages; while the
TRT Arabic television channel started broadcasting on 4 April 2010.
Closing and opening times throughout the years
*31 January 1968: TRT 1 opened at and closed at
Radio channels
*
Radyo 1
Radyo 1 is a major radio station of TRT. This network is the earliest radio network in Turkey. Radyo-1 is not a specialized network and presents programs of general interest, including news, science, art, literature, drama, sports, environment, e ...
(launched in May 1927) – spoken-word programmes including culture, arts, drama, news, science, society, education and history
*
TRT FM (formerly Radyo 2, launched in May 1964) – A mixture of Turkish pop, folk and classical music, foreign pop, call ins, news and travel information
*
Radyo 3 (launched in September 1974) – Classical music, jazz, world music, foreign pop & rock
* (formerly Radyo 6, launched in 2009) – Broadcasting in Kurdish language for
Kurds in Turkey
The Kurds are the largest ethnic minority in Turkey. According to various estimates, they compose between 15% and 20% of the population of Turkey.; ; Sandra Mackey , "The reckoning: Iraq and the legacy of Saddam", W.W. Norton and Company, 200 ...
* (launched in September 1993) – News programmes
*
TRT Nağme – Turkish classical music
* – Broadcasting for
Turks in Europe
The Turks in Europe (sometimes called Euro-Turks; or ''Avrupa'da yaşayan Türkler'' or ''Avrupa Türkleri'') refers to Turkic peoples living in Europe, particularly those of Turkish origin.
Generally, "Euro-Turks" refers to the large Turkis ...
*
TRT Türkü – Turkish folk music and
türkü
*
Voice of Turkey (launched in December 1982) – Broadcasting with 26 different languages and around the World.
Regional channels
* Antalya Radyosu – Broadcasting in
Antalya
Antalya is the fifth-most populous city in Turkey and the capital of Antalya Province. Recognized as the "capital of tourism" in Turkey and a pivotal part of the Turkish Riviera, Antalya sits on Anatolia's southwest coast, flanked by the Tau ...
, covers west
Mediterranean Region, Turkey
*
Çukurova Radyosu – Broadcasting in
Mersin
Mersin () is a large city and port on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast of Mediterranean Region, Turkey, southern Turkey. It is the provincial capital of the Mersin Province (formerly İçel). It is made up of four district governorates ...
, covers east Mediterranean Region, Turkey
* Erzurum Radyosu – Broadcasting in
Erzurum
Erzurum (; ) is a List of cities in Turkey, city in eastern Anatolia, Turkey. It is the largest city and capital of Erzurum Province and is 1,900 meters (6,233 feet) above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 367,250 in 2010. It is the site of an ...
, covers
Eastern Turkey
The Eastern Anatolia region () is a geographical region of Turkey. The most populous province in the region is Van Province. Other populous provinces are Malatya, Erzurum and Elazığ.
It is bordered by the Black Sea Region and Georgia in th ...
* GAP Diyarbakır Radyosu – Broadcasting in
Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır is the largest Kurdish-majority city in Turkey. It is the administrative center of Diyarbakır Province.
Situated around a high plateau by the banks of the Tigris river on which stands the historic Diyarbakır Fortress, it is ...
, covers
South Eastern Turkey
* Trabzon Radyosu – Broadcasting in
Trabzon
Trabzon, historically known as Trebizond, is a city on the Black Sea coast of northeastern Turkey and the capital of Trabzon Province. The city was founded in 756 BC as "Trapezous" by colonists from Miletus. It was added into the Achaemenid E ...
, covers
Northern Turkey
Teletext and EPG
TRT started
teletext
Teletext, or broadcast teletext, is a standard for displaying text and rudimentary graphics on suitably equipped television sets. Teletext sends data in the broadcast signal, hidden in the invisible vertical blanking interval area at the to ...
trial-runs, called "Telegün", on 3 December 1990 on all TV channels. An
electronic program guide
Electronic programming guides (EPGs) and interactive programming guides (IPGs) are menu-based systems that provide users of television, radio, and other media applications with continuously updated menus that display scheduling information fo ...
(EPG) is available on 6 channels.
Exportation of TRT programmes
TRT, recognized as Turkey's state television broadcaster and engaged in public broadcasting, initially captured viewership with imported programs, series, and films from abroad, gradually expanding its screens to include domestic productions and producing its own content. Examining television studies at both international and national levels reveals that the societal, economic, and sociological challenges within countries have consistently been reflected in cinema or television productions throughout different periods.
Turkish TV series, widely popular within Turkey, have now gained international recognition, surpassing expectations and serving as a promotional tool for Turkey, leading the country to become the second-largest exporter of TV series globally as of 2018.
Turkey, exporting its TV programmes internationally since 1981, particularly highlighted by the export of the series "Aşk-ı Memnu" first aired on TRT in 1975 to France, has become the second-largest exporter of TV series globally after the United States as of 2019, and in 2022, it is known that around 100 Turkish series were exported to 150 countries, emphasizing the economic significance and communicative role of TV series. Turkish dramas have evolved from domestic productions to globally exported products, competing with local shows and U.S. imports in terms of viewership, and they have also expanded their reach to countries beyond their linguistic regions, including Azerbaijan, other Turkic-speaking nations, and Western Europe, where a significant expatriate Turkish audience resides. Considering all these, it can be noted that “Turkish TV series now reach 400 million viewers worldwide”.
Since 2000, Turkish soap operas have consistently grown in production, achieving significant success locally and expanding their influence globally through exports, initially in regions culturally connected to the former Ottoman Empire such as the Balkans and the Middle East, and subsequently reaching as far as Latin America, China, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and more.
It should be also stated that "after 2010, the film and television sector received growing support from the Ministry of Customs and Trade to promote exports in the sector".
It is scholarly stated that "over the twelve-year period from 2010 to 2022, information indicates that TRT has undertaken 50 different television projects in the 'family' genre, constituting approximately 55.55% of the total TV series broadcasting during this period".
Turkish television soap operas blend globalized consumerism and romantic love, transcending national boundaries, yet they also portray traditional family structures and gender roles, setting them apart from the American prototype—a characteristic referred to as the "Turkish touch".
Similarly, TV series, initially exported to the Middle East and Balkan countries, have gradually been sold to various countries, including the United States, turning the present-day TV industry into a massive globalized sector and representing a significant counterflow in the global circulation of cultural products. Besides, "Turkish serials for television have typically been sold to international broadcasters in packages of 100 commercial hours per show. In another noteworthy development, TRT has been offering its original productions free of charge for international viewers, either dubbed or subtitled, on their YouTube platforms".
When Turkish exports initially gained popularity in the Middle East and Balkans, there was a prevailing belief that the resonance of content and characters with the cultural preferences of the audiences explained their widespread appeal.
However, as research indicates that transnational viewers in the Middle East find the stories, traditions, and family relations relatable to their own reality, it is noteworthy that Turkish TV exports have also garnered popularity in diverse regions such as Africa, Latin America, Europe, and Asia.
Overall, Turkey is implementing a new foreign policy, aimed at expanding connections beyond the Western world, grounded in acknowledging historical, cultural, and political ties with the MENA and Central Asia; and the Turkish government is actively striving to establish Turkey as a global and regional leader.
TRT Persian launched in December 2024 aimed at Iran and international news in Persian for Iranian and international Persian audiences.
Zahid Sobacı, director-general of TRT, previously said that TRT Persian would be launched by the end of 2024 and emphasized twice that “we must disturb Iran.”
News
TRT offers online news services in Turkish and other languages.
* TRT Afrika
*
English*
French*
Hausa*
Swahili*
TRT Arabi
TRT Arabi, (formerly TRT Arabia; / ) is an Arabic television channel of TRT, broadcasting to Arabic-speaking audiences in Turkey and the Middle East, 24 hours a day, on subjects, events, and news as well as soap operas from and pertaining to ...
Arabic
*
TRT Balkan
*
Albanian*
Bosnian-Serbian-Croatian*
MacedonianArmenian* TRT Deutsch
German
* TRT Español
Spanish
* TRT Francais
French
*
TRT Haber
TRT Haber ( English: TRT News) is a Turkish news and current affairs television channel. It was listed by Anadolu Agency
Anadolu Agency (, ; abbreviated AA) is a state-run news agency headquartered in Ankara, Turkey.
History
The Anadolu Agenc ...
Turkish
*
TRT Kurdî
TRT Kurdî is the first national television station that broadcasts in the Kurdish dialect of Kurmanji and in Zazaki. On the channels sixth anniversary it changed its name from TRT 6 into TRT Kurdi. A 2018 survey of 393 Kurdish individuals fr ...
Kurdish
* TRT Russian
Russian
*
TRT World
TRT Global, previously named TRT World, is a Turkish public broadcaster which broadcasts in English 24 hours a day and is operated by the TRT and based in the Ulus quarter of Ankara. It provides worldwide news and current affairs focusing on ...
English
AzerbaijaniBulgarianChineseDanishDariDutchFinnishGeorgianGreekHebrewHindiHungarianIndonesianItalianJapaneseKazakhKoreanKyrgyzMalayNigerian PidginNorwegianPashtoPersianPolishPortugueseRomanianSomalianSwedishTatar (Latin)TurkmenUrduUyghur (Arabic)Uzbek* Discontinued:
** Tatar (Cyrillic)
** Uyghur (Latin/Cyrillic)
*
Turki (South Azerbaijani)*
Afghani (Southern Uzbek)*
Turkmence
Logos
File:TRT Oldest Logo.svg, 1968 - 1985
File:TRT logo (1980).svg, 1985 – 1990
File:TRT logo (1990-2001).svg, 1990 – 2001
File:Turkish Radio and Television logo (2001-2012).svg, 2001 – 2018, still used in some channels until 2021.
File:TRT logo (2018-).svg, 2018 – present, first used by TRT World
TRT Global, previously named TRT World, is a Turkish public broadcaster which broadcasts in English 24 hours a day and is operated by the TRT and based in the Ulus quarter of Ankara. It provides worldwide news and current affairs focusing on ...
from 2015.
See also
*
Timeline of broadcast in Turkey
*
Media freedom in Turkey (covers censorship aspects)
*
Media of Turkey
The mass media in Turkey includes a wide variety of domestic and foreign periodicals expressing disparate views, and domestic newspapers are extremely competitive.
*
Emel Gazimihal (first female speaker)
References
External links
*
TRT World
TRT Sales
{{Authority control
Mass media in Turkey
Publicly funded broadcasters
Turkish-language television stations
Turkish-language radio stations
European Broadcasting Union members
Multilingual broadcasters
Radio stations established in 1964
Television channels and stations established in 1968
1964 establishments in Turkey
State media
Companies of Turkey