Turkish Radio and Television Corporation

The Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT; Turkish: Türkiye Radyo ve Televizyon Kurumu) is the national public broadcaster of Turkey, founded in 1964. TRT was for many years the only television and radio broadcaster in Turkey. Before the introduction of commercial radio in 1990, and subsequently commercial television in 1992, it held a monopoly on broadcasting. More recent deregulation of the Turkish television broadcasting market produced analogue cable 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 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. Although theoretically unbiased, in practice TRT’s editorial stance strongly supports the government.
TRT's predecessor, Türkiye Radyoları was one of 23 founding broadcasting organisations of the European Broadcasting Union 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 in 1927 and a studio in Ankara 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, Istanbul, and İzmir, started in December 1971. TRT renewed its membership in the European Broadcasting Union (having been a founding member previously offering only radio) starting on 26 August 1972, with Turkey's first Eurovision Network event, a football match (Turkey vs. Italy), airing across Europe on 13 January 1973. TRT also joined the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union 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.
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.
TRT organised the Eurovision Song Contest 2004, 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 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 (SCF), approximately 150 TRT employees were accused of being members of a 'terrorist organisation'.
The directors general of the institution are as follows:
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.
TRT has a special TV channel for Kurdish that broadcasts on a 24-hour / 7-day basis called TRT Kurdî and other TV and Radio stations that broadcast programmes in the local languages and dialects like Armenian, Arabic, Bosnian and Circassian a few hours a week.
Another special TV channel aimed at the Turkic world, TRT Avaz was launched on 21 March 2009 and broadcasts in the Azerbaijani, Russian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Tatar and Turkmen languages; while the TRT Arabic television channel started broadcasting on 4 April 2010.
TRT started teletext trial-runs, called "Telegün", on 3 December 1990 on all TV channels. An electronic program guide (EPG) is available on 6 channels.
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.”
TRT offers online news services in Turkish and other languages.