EN
"The Azerbaijan Television and Radio Broadcasting" Closed Joint-Stock Company is the first television and radio institution in our country.
Every nation needs a platform that can reflect its national and spiritual values and cultural heritage. Our platform is called "Blue Screen". Therefore, the work done by the National Television and Radio in the direction of introducing Azerbaijan to the international community, delivering our country's rich heritage - culture, arts, literature - to the world and propagating it is invaluable. This was emphasized by the national leader of the Azerbaijani people, Heydar Aliyev, during his meeting with the employees of "Azerbaijan Television and Radio Broadcasting" CJSC, stating that "Azerbaijani Television is the national mirror of our people".
Azerbaijani television shows us not only to ourselves but to the whole world. In the modern era, our main television creates an epic of rich broadcasts on various fields. It plays the role of an encyclopedia for future generations by demonstrating the unprecedented historical victories and national spiritual values of our people. The structure of "Azerbaijan Television and Radio Broadcasting" Closed Joint Stock Company includes the following institutions:
AZERBAIJAN TELEVISION (AzTV)
Azerbaijan Television started broadcasting on February 14, 1956, 30 years after radio. On its first broadcast day, young actress Najiba Malikova congratulated viewers with the words "Showing Baku!" in celebration of the start of television activities. The literary film "Bəxtiyar" was also shown on the same day.
From 1957, Azerbaijan Television increased its broadcasts to 5 times a week, totaling 2 hours and 20 minutes daily by 1962, 7 hours daily by 1962, 10 hours daily from the 1970s, and 18 hours daily from the 1980s. Since January 2005, our Main Television has switched to continuous 24-hour broadcasting.
The "Azerbaijan Television and Radio Broadcasting" Closed Joint-Stock Company was established based on the foundation of the Azerbaijan State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company by Decree No. 213 of March 23, 2005, from the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev.
Azerbaijan Television has a wide audience. Currently, viewers can watch its broadcasts not only in every city and village of our homeland, even in the most remote regions, but also in many countries around the world. Azerbaijan Television operates correspondents' offices in Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, Iran, Canada, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. Since 2013, it has also started operations in Arab countries and Northern Africa.
From February 2004, the broadcasting of AzTV programs in European countries has been enhanced. As a result of the installation of a digital TV-Up-link station by specialists from the "Teleradio" Production Union's Telecoil Complex, Azerbaijan Television broadcasts are aired via the "Hot Bird" and "SESAT" satellites to Europe, "Galaxy 25" to North America, and "Turksat 1C" to Asia. In 2007, Azerbaijan Television was awarded the "European Quality" medal for the technical level of its broadcasts in Europe.
Flipping through Teleradio's annual, the bright traces of talents and hard work are clearly visible on its pages. The juxtaposition of varied and colorful broadcasts on the screen and ether of National Teleradio confirms the successful continuation of this tradition. Today, alongside professional creative teams, talented journalists who have proven themselves with their voice and word, as well as graduates of higher education institutions who have come to "seek" themselves, are also working. Of course, this creates opportunities for the emergence of various new broadcasts with diverse content.
Currently, Azerbaijan Television airs political debates, portrait programs on various topics, literary and artistic shows, travel and music-entertainment programs, TV shows, documentaries, and literary films in HD format. Therefore, a wide audience of viewers and listeners always holds Azerbaijan Television's voice and heart close.
SPORTS TV
The Sports TV channel, since its inception, has dedicated itself to successfully implementing the country's sports policy. The SportsTV channel plays a significant role in promoting and popularizing the successful sports policy of the Republic of Azerbaijan, both domestically and internationally, initiated by President Ilham Aliyev.
An important part of the sports policy is also to attract young people to sports activities, ensuring a healthy future. Created on February 1, 2009, on the initiative of President Ilham Aliyev, the Sports TV channel serves this purpose. The channel's financial and technical base provides sufficient conditions for the operational and live broadcast of sports competitions, individual programs, and reports from sports events.
To date, the SportsTV channel has regularly provided viewers with information about the successful performances of our athletes at various European and world championships, Youth Olympic Games, and other prestigious international tournaments. Examples include broadcasting the Baku 2015: First European Games, Baku 2017: Islamic Solidarity Games, 4th Islamic Solidarity Games, and Formula 1 races. These sports programs have been broadcast to over 120 countries and have provided viewers with a comprehensive view of Azerbaijan. This tradition continues successfully today. After the races, President Ilham Aliyev praised the quality of the programs broadcast by Azerbaijan Television and Sports TV channel, setting an example for the team's activities. Azerbaijan Television was awarded a special certificate from the International Sports Broadcasting Company for the successful promotion of sports policy internationally.
Currently, the channel's broadcasts such as "Sports-News", "Sports Week", "Chess Club", "Telefitness", "30 minutes", "Sport 303", "VeloExtreme", "Women in Sports", and other programs apply various creative methods during reports of the most interesting football tournaments in the world - Bundesliga and Premier League of England. In this regard, timely documentaries are also prepared and aired about the stars of world and Azerbaijani sports. Together with the creative achievements of the channel, there have also been numerous technical successes. Broadcasting through the satellite began on January 15, 2010, and the daily volume of broadcasts reached 15 hours.
Since October 12, 2015, Sports TV channel has switched to a 24-hour work schedule. Currently, the channel's programs are broadcast in HD format. This innovation makes it easier for viewers to visually accept video presentations. The sports channel is not broadcast on open air in world countries, so the financial means are paid. In our Republic, viewers can watch all the programs of the Sports TV channel without paying any monthly fee. The Summer and Winter Olympic Games, the World University Games, the European Youth Olympic Festival, various world and continental championships, Formula 1 tournaments, UEFA Champions League, European League, as well as the most prestigious competitions of the European Volleyball Confederation in our country, are presented professionally inSports TV channels.
It is noteworthy that one of the most popular competitions on our planet - the FIFA World Cup - was broadcast on Sports TV channel in 2014 and 2018. In 2020, an agreement was reached on the broadcast of the Tokyo Olympics in our Republic and millions of viewers watched the Olympic Games in 2021 from the Sports TV channel due to the pandemic.
CULTURE TV
"Culture enriches nations with the finest examples gathered from humanity." This idea was articulated by the National Leader of our people, Heydar Aliyev. Indeed, culture is considered the face of every nation. If beauty is to save the world, culture can be a part of this beauty. In this regard, nurturing the cultural heritage and historical roots of the Azerbaijani people plays a crucial role in preserving and safeguarding our cultural identity. Meanwhile, the technological opportunities in our modern world are creating favorable conditions for the global dissemination of our national and spiritual values.
As much as the role of the family is in the upbringing and intellectual development of individuals, television channels play an equally significant role in shaping nations and elevating their tastes and cultural levels. The Culturechannel, established on February 14, 2011, under the "Azerbaijan Television and Radio Broadcasting" CJSC, has quickly gained popularity among viewers, successfully fulfilling such an important mission. One of the main goals of the channel is to promote the rich cultural heritage of Azerbaijan and introduce global cultural masterpieces to our country, thereby shaping the aesthetic taste of the younger generation.
Since assuming office, President Ilham Aliyev has accelerated substantial reforms in the field of culture, similar to other areas. State programs have been adopted for cinema, theater, music, applied arts, as well as for the preservation and restoration of historical monuments. These initiatives reaffirm the state's attention and great care for the preservation and development of culture and spiritual values in our country across all sectors.
The establishment of the Culturechannel is a clear example of President Ilham Aliyev's significant attention and dedication to culture and the arts. It is noteworthy that the creation of the Culture channel under Azerbaijan Television is not coincidental. Azerbaijan Television has become a pioneering force not only in terms of material and technical aspects but also in creativity within the country's television landscape. The television preserves rare pieces from the rich "Golden Fund" of our national culture and art, including numerous articles on prominent artists, mugham performances, composer's songs, and various operas and performances.
The Culturechannel, broadcasting its programs in HD format, has gained the opportunity to be viewed worldwide, thereby expanding the global dissemination of our culture on a broader and more magnificent scale.
It is important to mention that the Television Academy operating on AzTV has significantly contributed to ensuring the professional potential of the Culturechannel's staff. Therefore, it can proudly be emphasized that the invaluable efforts initiated by the Great Leader Heydar Aliyev in the preservation, development, and transmission of Azerbaijani culture, arts, and national spiritual values to future generations are successfully continuing.
Moreover, in recent years, numerous projects have been implemented in the field of promoting Azerbaijani culture under the initiative of Mehriban Aliyeva, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, UNESCO and ISESCO Goodwill Ambassador, and First Vice President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. One of these projects includes the mugham competition, which has significantly contributed to the global promotion of Azerbaijani mugham.
Since its inception, the Culture channel has successfully fulfilled its mission of being the true essence of our cultural life. All major cultural events organized by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation in the capital and various regions of our country are broadcasted to viewers through the "Culture" channel. Furthermore, the channel has transformed into a true advocate of science, education, Azerbaijani language, history, culture, and art. The film policy of the "Culture" channel has also sparked great interest, focusing on films that positively impact the human spirit, instilling noble feelings, and showcasing masterpieces of world cinema.
As emphasized by our national leader Heydar Aliyev: "Preserving the nation's culture is not only the duty of cultural servants, not only the work of those working in this field, intellectuals, but also the responsibility of state officials, all state structures, and institutions."
Culture is the visit card of a nation. Indeed, today, the Culture channel, beloved by everyone, has turned this reality into practice through its practical activities.
AZERBAIJAN RADIO
Azerbaijan Radio, the first radio station in the East, started broadcasting on November 6, 1926, with the words "Attention, Baku is speaking," 30 years before Azerbaijan Television. From that day on, the "voice from the ether" heard from speakers installed on the streets and squares of the capital connected people to itself.
In its early days, the Baku studio operated in just three rooms on the third floor of the main building of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (formerly Ismailiyya). The first room, considered the central hub of the city broadcast network, was equipped with large lamps along its entire length. The second room served as the entrance to the studio, where invitees awaited their turn to go on air. To the left of this room, there was a small space with a window opening into the studio for viewing and monitoring purposes. Behind the window, a device installed in a simple wooden box connected one side to the studio microphone and the other side to the transmitter line. The third room housed the studio, with Turkmen carpets on the floor and walls covered in dark green velvet. At the top end of the room, there was a microphone mounted on a stand. In the middle of the studio, a "Steinway" grand piano was placed, with chairs lined up along the walls. This setup marked a significant innovation in the political and cultural life of the Azerbaijani people.
Today, Azerbaijan Radio, which has rightfully earned the title "Voice of the Independent Azerbaijan and an Interpreter to the World," is known as the "Voice Dispatch." It serves listeners 24 hours a day with engaging programs, aiming to preserve, disseminate, enrich, and develop our country's state interests, national values, cultural heritage, music, fine arts, literature, and especially our globally recognized national values in the world.
Azerbaijan Radio, the country's first radio station, currently broadcasts on FM-105 and can be listened to continuously in various frequencies nationwide and in many countries around the world.
INTERNATIONAL RADIO
International Radio, under the title "Voice of Azerbaijan," first aired on July 20, 1941. Currently, it broadcasts daily in 11 languages: Azerbaijani, Turkish, English, Persian, Arabic, Armenian, Russian, Georgian, Talysh, Lezgian, and Kurdish. The programs cover Azerbaijani realities, Western Azerbaijan, the Zangezur issue, Azerbaijani history, and the treasury of literature and music.
The institution operates with the "Southern Azerbaijan Group." The group's broadcasts include political agendas, literary and artistic presentations, historical topics, and musical numbers. Among its segments are "Bridge," "Facts of Western Azerbaijan," "Eastern Zangezur," and "Ask Your Question."
Adjacent to International Radio is the "News, Analytical, Commentary, and Release Group," which airs important national and global news to listeners daily in an efficient manner. On Saturdays, the program consolidates the week's events, while on Sundays, cultural news continues to be broadcast at appropriate times.
On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, broadcasts in Georgian are released. These include releases, news, comments on current topics, and a music compilation.
On Mondays and Wednesdays, broadcasts in Lezgian include news, comments on current topics, materials related to the agenda, and music programs.
In International Radio, the "Talysh Group" continues its activities on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Broadcasts in Talysh include news, comments on current topics, materials related to the agenda, and a music compilation.
International Radio broadcasts in Kurdish to listeners on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The program includes news, comments on current topics, materials related to the agenda, and a music compilation.
Every day of the week, broadcasts in Armenian are presented. The daily broadcasts include news, economic news, comments on current topics, historical materials, and music.
International Radio's program "Vatan" is also featured in our releases. The program airs daily for 1 hour and 30 minutes in Azerbaijani and 30 minutes in Armenian.
The "Turkish Group" broadcasts daily with news, comments on current topics, materials related to the agenda, and a music compilation. Note that the Turkish Group enriches its broadcast time with a segment titled "100 Figures of the Turkic World."
The "Persian Group" broadcasts daily with news, comments on current topics, materials related to the agenda, and a music compilation. The segment "Pages from Azerbaijani History" is a long-standing broadcast of the group.
The "Arabic Group" presents daily broadcasts with news, comments on current topics, materials related to the agenda, and a music compilation for listeners. It's worth noting that the segment "Through Arab Eyes" is one of the most listened-to segments by the listeners of the Arabic Group.
International Radio presents broadcasts in Russian to listeners every day of the week. The program includes news, comments on current topics, materials related to the agenda, and a music compilation. The group's releases "Great Personalities of Azerbaijan" and "Songs Carrying Love" have won the favor of Russian-speaking listeners.
The "English Group" of International Radio continues its broadcast on Mondays with a weekly summary and a music compilation.
International Radio, striving to convey Azerbaijani realities to the world, is closely followed in Azerbaijan and many countries around the world.