State-controlled national television station and Azerbaijan’s oldest television channel.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
AzTV, short for Azerbaijan Television and also known in Azerbaijani as Azərbaycan Televiziyası, is Azerbaijan’s oldest television broadcaster and one of the country’s principal national media institutions. It began broadcasting from Baku on 14 February 1956, when Azerbaijan was part of the Soviet Union, and developed from a small Baku studio into a nationwide public-facing television organization. Its original service was built around a limited schedule of films, concerts, theatre, interviews, political material and short news readings. Programming initially aired only a few days each week, but transmission hours expanded substantially during the 1950s through the 1980s and reached continuous 24-hour broadcasting in January 2005. The broadcaster’s early development was closely tied to the expansion of television infrastructure in Soviet Azerbaijan. A television-center building was constructed in Baku during the mid-1950s, and a 180-metre transmission tower entered service in 1957. Relay links and regional transmitters subsequently extended reception beyond the capital, while installations in Ganja, Goychay, Shusha and Nakhchivan helped make the Baku service available across much of the republic. AzTV also became an important producer and archive-holder for Azerbaijani-language television, preserving programs recorded on film and videotape from its earliest years. AzTV’s institutional form changed several times. The Baku television studio was merged with the radio information administration in 1957, becoming part of the state radio and television structure. It received state television and radio committee status in 1970 and became a company in 1991. Following Azerbaijan’s independence, the broadcaster assumed a central role in the country’s national information system. In 2005, it was reorganized as the Azerbaijan Television and Radio Broadcasting Closed Joint-Stock Company, whose sole shareholder is the national government. The company also operates İdman Azərbaycan TV, a sports channel, and Mədəniyyət TV, a culture channel. The channel’s output has traditionally included news, current-affairs and discussion programs, documentaries, music and entertainment, cultural performances, feature films and other nationally oriented programming. Its daily schedule opens with Azerbaijan’s national anthem. The broadcaster’s public identity emphasizes national language, history, culture and state information, while its ownership and governance place it within Azerbaijan’s state media system. In 2007, an application to join the European Broadcasting Union was rejected because the organization judged AzTV to be too closely associated with the ruling government. Technologically, AzTV moved from basic studio and film operations to videotape production in the 1960s, color broadcasting in Baku in the 1970s, wider electronic editing and video production in the 1970s and 1980s, satellite distribution in the 2000s, widescreen transmission in 2013 and high-definition broadcasting in 2021. Its HD service was extended to satellite distribution through Azerspace-1 in January 2022. The organization remains an active national broadcaster with terrestrial, satellite and international distribution capabilities, although detailed current corporate and executive information is not established in the supplied sources.
History
Azerbaijan Television began broadcasting from Baku on 14 February 1956, approximately three decades after Azerbaijani Radio. Its television-center building had been constructed from 1954 and was equipped with assistance from specialists in Moscow and Leningrad. Before the official launch, the Baku studio transmitted occasional test programs. On opening day, actress Najiba Malikova introduced the service with the phrase “Göstərir Bakı!” and the channel screened the Azerbaijani film Bəxtiyar. The first service was modest. It initially broadcast for about two hours twice weekly, later expanding to three days per week and then to five days per week by August 1956. Early schedules combined concerts, films, theatre performances, interviews, political speeches and brief news readings. Television personnel were recruited from radio, newspapers and theatre because the local television profession was still developing. The studio’s facilities were very small and included only a limited number of cameras and film-projector equipment. Technical and geographic expansion followed quickly. A football match from the Republic Stadium was televised on 9 June 1957, followed by broadcasts from major theatres, the opera and ballet theatre, the philharmonic and other concert venues. An 180-metre tower entered service in 1957, initially extending reception only around Baku. The Baku-Aghstafa radio-relay line, regional transmitters and later facilities in Ganja, Goychay, Shusha and Nakhchivan progressively broadened coverage. A Nakhchivan station began operating in 1962, and a local studio followed in 1963. Institutionally, the Baku television studio was merged with the radio information department in October 1957. The resulting state radio and television organization received State Television and Radio Broadcasting Committee status in 1970 and became a company in 1991. The broadcaster’s schedule expanded from a few hours daily to approximately seven hours in 1962, around ten hours during the 1970s and as much as eighteen hours in the 1980s. Continuous 24-hour broadcasting began in January 2005. Production methods also evolved. Videotape recording was introduced in the studio in 1965, while improved systems during the 1970s made electronic editing and regular news reporting more practical. Color broadcasting became possible in Baku in 1973. During the 1980s, improved video production and technical facilities contributed to AzTV’s strong standing within the Soviet television system; the broadcaster was reported to have ranked fourth in the USSR in 1985 for technical equipment, film production and appearances on central television. The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the final years of Soviet rule tested AzTV’s role. In 1988, its coverage of events was constrained by its position within the Communist Party-controlled state media system and by Soviet military censorship. Coverage of unrest and demonstrations was delayed or restricted, although some commentators and employees challenged official policies and articulated Azerbaijani national concerns. Following the January 1990 violence in Baku, announcer Rafiq Huseynov appeared on air to convey condolences for civilian deaths. Restrictions continued until the collapse of Soviet authority in 1991. After Azerbaijan declared independence on 18 October 1991, AzTV became the principal television service of the independent state. A new 310-metre Baku television tower was commissioned on 7 June 1996 after construction work that began in the late Soviet period. Satellite distribution expanded in the 2000s: an uplink station installed in 2004 enabled transmission toward Europe through Hot Bird, North America through Galaxy 25 and Asia through Azerspace-1. In 2005, the broadcaster was reorganized as the Azerbaijan Television and Radio Broadcasting Closed Joint-Stock Company, wholly owned by the national government. The company’s portfolio includes AzTV as well as the sports service İdman Azərbaycan TV and the culture service Mədəniyyət TV. AzTV adopted a 16:9 broadcast format in November 2013. A modernization program supported by a 2019 presidential order led to further investment in servers, editing systems and transmission equipment. AzTV and its associated channels began HD broadcasting on 31 May 2021, and AzTV moved to HD satellite transmission through Azerspace-1 on 28 January 2022. The channel continues to combine national news, political and social discussion, documentaries, music, cultural programs, films and live events, while maintaining a large historical archive dating from 1956.
- 2022
HD satellite transmission begins
[1]AzTV switched to HD transmission through the Azerspace-1 satellite on 28 January.
- 2021
HD broadcasting begins
[1]AzTV and the company’s sports and culture channels began HD broadcasting on 31 May.
- 2013
16:9 broadcasting introduced
[1]The channel began broadcasting in widescreen format on 6 November.
- 2005
Reorganized as a closed joint-stock company
[1]AzTV became part of the Azerbaijan Television and Radio Broadcasting Closed Joint-Stock Company, wholly owned by the government.
- 1996
New Baku television tower commissioned
[1]A 310-metre tower entered service on 7 June, strengthening national transmission infrastructure.
- 1991
AzTV becomes a company after independence
[1]The broadcaster’s institutional form changed as Azerbaijan moved from Soviet administration to independence.
- 1985
Technical standing reaches a Soviet-era high
[1]AzTV was reported as ranking fourth in the USSR for technical equipment, film production and appearances on Central Television.
- 1973
Color broadcasting begins in Baku
[1]Azerbaijani television became capable of color transmission in the capital.
- 1965
Videotape production introduced
[1]The studio began using videotape recording, improving the preservation and production quality of programs.
- 1962
Nakhchivan receives television service
[1]A small television station enabled viewers in Nakhchivan to receive programs from Baku.
Products and positioning
State broadcaster and national television service
National television channel · 1956
AzTV
The flagship Azerbaijani national television service. Its schedule includes news, current-affairs discussions, documentaries, music, cultural programming, feature films and live coverage. The channel begins its daily broadcast with Azerbaijan’s national anthem and distributes content through terrestrial and satellite systems.
Sports television channel
İdman Azərbaycan TV
A sports-oriented channel operated by the Azerbaijan Television and Radio Broadcasting Closed Joint-Stock Company. It is part of the same state-owned broadcasting group as AzTV.
Culture television channel
Mədəniyyət TV
A culture-focused television channel operated within the Azerbaijan Television and Radio Broadcasting company alongside AzTV and İdman Azərbaycan TV.
Brand decisions
2022
HD satellite distribution through Azerspace-1Generation changeBackground
After terrestrial and studio modernization, the broadcaster extended its high-definition format to satellite distribution.
Action taken
AzTV began HD broadcasting via Azerspace-1 on 28 January.
Aftermath
The change expanded the technical reach of the channel’s HD service across its satellite distribution footprint.
2021
Transition to high-definition broadcastingGeneration changeBackground
A technical modernization program followed a 2019 presidential order to strengthen the material and technical base of Azerbaijan Television and Radio Broadcasting.
Action taken
AzTV, İdman Azərbaycan TV and Mədəniyyət TV began HD broadcasting on 31 May.
Aftermath
The upgrade was followed by HD satellite transmission through Azerspace-1 in January 2022.
2013
Adoption of 16:9 broadcastingGeneration changeBackground
The channel modernized its presentation and transmission standards after decades of technical development.
Action taken
AzTV began broadcasting in a 16:9 aspect ratio on 6 November.
Aftermath
The change preceded the broadcaster’s later transition to high-definition production and transmission.
2005
Corporate reorganization under government ownershipStrategyBackground
The broadcaster’s post-Soviet institutional structure was replaced by a company model as Azerbaijan consolidated its national television system.
Action taken
AzTV became part of the Azerbaijan Television and Radio Broadcasting Closed Joint-Stock Company, with the national government as sole shareholder.
Aftermath
The company also operated the national sports and culture channels İdman Azərbaycan TV and Mədəniyyət TV.
Sources2 sources
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