An Azerbaijani privately owned television channel broadcasting primarily in Russian from Baku.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
CBC Azerbaijan is an Azerbaijani television channel owned by SOCAR and headquartered in Baku. The channel is commonly identified as CBC, short for Caspian Broadcasting Company, and presents itself as an international television outlet connected with Azerbaijan. It originated as ATV International, a satellite service established by Azad Azerbaijan TV in 2009 for viewers outside Azerbaijan. The channel was conceived as an international-facing broadcaster rather than a conventional domestic commercial station, and its early programming included news, documentaries, cultural material, concerts, and feature films. The project received an operating licence on 5 March 2009. It began technical operations on 5 October 2009 through the Türksat 3A satellite, using equipment imported from Germany and the United States, and was formally launched on 24 December of the same year. During its ATV International phase, the service transmitted in Azerbaijani as well as English, Armenian, Persian, and Russian. Its subject matter included Azerbaijan's heritage, architecture, arts, culture, and public life, alongside locally produced and foreign entertainment. The original service encountered difficulties associated with its non-commercial status and access to modern production facilities. On 10 April 2013, Azad Azerbaijan TV transferred ATV International to SOCAR's media arm, SOCAR Media Public Union. The service was subsequently relaunched under the CBC name. The rebrand gave the channel a clearer institutional identity and aligned it with a stated ambition to promote Azerbaijan's state policy, represent SOCAR's business interests, and become a leading broadcaster in the South Caucasus. The name also connected the channel to the Caspian region and to SOCAR's broader public communications activities. CBC's programming strategy has developed from multilingual international broadcasting toward a predominantly Russian-language service. After the rebrand, the channel planned for most programming to be delivered in languages used across the South Caucasus, with the balance in languages spoken in Azerbaijan. In its current form, CBC broadcasts in Russian around the clock. Its output has included news and current-affairs programming, documentaries, cultural features, and sports. In August 2015, it broadcast Azerbaijan Premier League matches in Azerbaijani, demonstrating that the channel's schedule could also include nationally oriented sports coverage. The channel has had a visible role in presenting Azerbaijani historical and cultural narratives to audiences beyond the country. That role has also brought criticism. In January 2024, CBC faced accusations that a documentary concerning the history of Yerevan promoted anti-Armenian propaganda. Later reporting referred to a related documentary, Hidden Heritage of Yerevan, which was nominated for an award at the Around International Film Festival in Amsterdam on 11 September. These episodes illustrate the politically sensitive environment in which CBC operates and the tension between its international cultural-presentation mission and contested historical subjects. CBC remains an active Azerbaijani television brand with a Baku base, SOCAR ownership, and an international orientation. Its principal distinguishing features are Russian-language continuous broadcasting, coverage designed for regional and overseas audiences, and programming that combines news, culture, documentaries, sport, and entertainment with the presentation of Azerbaijan's national perspective.
History
CBC Azerbaijan developed from ATV International, an international satellite television project launched by Azad Azerbaijan TV. On 5 March 2009, the National Television and Radio Council granted a licence for the service, which was intended to reach international viewers by satellite for a period of up to six years. ATV International began operating on 5 October 2009 using the Türksat 3A satellite and production equipment imported from Germany and the United States. Its formal launch followed on 24 December 2009. The early channel was designed as a multilingual window onto Azerbaijan. Its output included news in Azerbaijani, English, Armenian, Persian, and Russian, together with documentaries about the country's heritage, culture, art, and architecture. It also carried concerts by Azerbaijani performers and local and foreign feature films. Because the service was not operated as a conventional commercial channel, it reportedly experienced difficulties in using modern facilities. These problems contributed to its transfer from Azad Azerbaijan TV to SOCAR's media structure. On 10 April 2013, ATV International was handed to SOCAR Media Public Union, the media wing associated with Azerbaijan's state energy company. The channel was relaunched as CBC, an abbreviation of Caspian Broadcasting Company. The new ownership and identity were associated with two stated objectives: promoting Azerbaijan's state policy and representing SOCAR's business interests. The channel also sought to establish itself as a leading television outlet in the South Caucasus. Azar Khalilov became its director general. A six-year broadcasting licence for the Caspian International Broadcasting Company had also been granted at a National Television and Radio Council meeting on 2 April 2013. CBC continued the multilingual orientation of its predecessor during the transition. Its post-rebrand plan assigned approximately 90 percent of programming to languages used in the South Caucasus, with the remainder in languages spoken in Azerbaijan. Over time, however, the service became primarily Russian-language. CBC now broadcasts in Russian continuously, giving it a regional and international audience orientation while retaining a focus on Azerbaijani affairs and national representation. The channel's programming has included news, documentaries, cultural features, and entertainment. It has also carried sports content: in August 2015, CBC broadcast Azerbaijan Premier League matches in Azerbaijani. This marked a clear example of the channel combining its international profile with programming aimed directly at domestic Azerbaijani viewers. Leadership changed in November 2017, when Vugar Khalilov succeeded Azar Khalilov as director general. CBC has continued to operate within a politically sensitive media environment. In January 2024, one of its documentaries about the history of Yerevan was criticized as allegedly promoting anti-Armenian propaganda. The documentary subject matter reflected CBC's broader use of historical and heritage programming to present Azerbaijani perspectives to international audiences. A related documentary, Hidden Heritage of Yerevan, was nominated for an award at the Around International Film Festival in Amsterdam on 11 September. The episode generated both criticism and external festival recognition, illustrating the contested nature of the channel's historical programming. CBC remains headquartered on 8 November Avenue in Baku and is described as a privately owned Azerbaijani television channel under SOCAR ownership. Its current identity rests on continuous Russian-language broadcasting, international satellite roots, coverage of Azerbaijani news and culture, and an institutional role connected with the communication of Azerbaijan's national and business interests.
- 2024
Yerevan heritage documentary controversy and festival nomination
[1]CBC faced criticism over a documentary concerning Yerevan's history, while Hidden Heritage of Yerevan was nominated at an Amsterdam international film festival.
- 2017
Director-general succession
[1]Vugar Khalilov succeeded Azar Khalilov as director general in November.
- 2015
Azerbaijan Premier League coverage
[1]CBC aired Azerbaijan Premier League matches in Azerbaijani.
- 2013
Transfer to SOCAR Media Public Union
[1]ATV International was transferred to SOCAR's media wing on 10 April and subsequently rebranded as CBC.
- 2009
Licence granted for ATV International
[1]Azad Azerbaijan TV received authorization on 5 March to operate an international satellite television service.
- 2009
ATV International begins operations
[1]The channel began operating on 5 October through Türksat 3A and was formally launched on 24 December.
Products and positioning
An international-facing Azerbaijani television broadcaster combining Russian-language news and general programming with cultural, historical, sports, and entertainment content, while also serving SOCAR-related public communications objectives.
Television broadcasting · 2013
CBC television channel
CBC is the channel's core broadcasting product. It operates from Baku and currently transmits in Russian on a 24-hour basis. Its schedule combines news and current affairs with documentaries, cultural programming, entertainment, feature films, and selected sports coverage. The service retains an international orientation inherited from ATV International and is intended to communicate Azerbaijani perspectives to regional and overseas audiences.
International satellite television service · 2009
ATV International
ATV International was the predecessor to CBC. Launched in 2009, it was built as a satellite channel for international viewers and used a multilingual schedule including Azerbaijani, English, Armenian, Persian, and Russian. Its programming covered news, Azerbaijani heritage and culture, concerts, documentaries, and films before the service moved into SOCAR's media structure and was renamed CBC.
Controversies
2024
Criticism of Yerevan history documentary
CBC was accused of promoting anti-Armenian propaganda through a documentary addressing the history of Yerevan. A related heritage documentary was subsequently nominated at the Around International Film Festival in Amsterdam, placing the controversy in the context of CBC's politically sensitive historical programming.
2022
WE Charity sues CBC for defamation
WE Charity said it filed a lawsuit against CBC in federal court in Washington, D.C., alleging that CBC's reporting about its projects in Kenya was false and defamatory. These are allegations in the lawsuit, not a court determination.
2021
CBC faces backlash over disabling Facebook comments
In June 2021, CBC disabled Facebook comments on its news posts for a period of one month. The move drew public backlash, and reporting on the reaction noted that the hashtag #DefundCBC was trending on Twitter at the time. The coverage described the response as a controversy over the broadcaster's decision to turn off comments on its Facebook news posts.
2021
Federal Court dismisses CBC lawsuit against Conservatives
Canada’s Federal Court dismissed CBC’s lawsuit against the Conservative Party of Canada over the use of CBC video in political ads; the court found the use fair on the facts.
2019
CBC sues the Conservative party over video use
CBC filed a lawsuit against the Conservative party, alleging that its use of CBC excerpts violated the moral rights of journalists Rosemary Barton and John Paul Tasker.
2008
CBC responded to complaints over Palin-related articles
Following complaints about articles containing unsupported assertions about Sarah Palin and others, CBC said it had erred in judgment and announced new editing procedures for future work on its platforms.
Brand decisions
2015
Azerbaijan Premier League broadcastingProduct launchBackground
CBC's international and multilingual profile included opportunities to add nationally focused programming.
Action taken
The channel aired Azerbaijan Premier League matches in Azerbaijani.
Aftermath
The broadcast expanded CBC's programming mix into domestic sports coverage.
2013
Transfer and rebranding from ATV International to CBCM&ABackground
The predecessor service experienced difficulties associated with its non-commercial structure and use of modern broadcasting facilities.
Action taken
Azad Azerbaijan TV transferred ATV International to SOCAR Media Public Union, after which the channel adopted the CBC name and a broader regional communications mission.
Aftermath
The channel became associated with SOCAR, Azerbaijan's state policy messaging, and the presentation of Azerbaijani business and national interests to regional and international audiences.
Recent events
Reported
WE Charity sues CBC for defamation[5]
WE Charity said it filed a lawsuit against CBC in federal court in Washington, D.C., alleging that CBC's reporting about its projects in Kenya was false and defamatory. These are allegations in the lawsuit, not a court determination.
- Unconfirmed
CBC acquires Germinal adaptation[8]
CBC in Canada became the first international buyer of the forthcoming six-part drama Germinal, which Banijay Rights is distributing.
Reported
CBC faces backlash over disabling Facebook comments[4]
CBC faced public backlash after turning off Facebook comments on its news posts for a month; the article reports that #DefundCBC was trending on Twitter.
Reported
Federal Court dismisses CBC lawsuit against Conservatives[6]
Canada’s Federal Court dismissed CBC’s lawsuit against the Conservative Party of Canada over the use of CBC video in political ads; the court found the use fair on the facts.
- Unconfirmed
Reported
CBC Edmonton stories win national RTDNA awards[9]
Two CBC Edmonton stories won national awards from the Radio, Television and Digital News Association: one for excellence in video and one for sports feature reporting.
Reported
CBC launches Art Uncontained[10]
CBC launched Art Uncontained, an initiative connecting Canadian artists and art lovers, with original programming from CBC Arts and across the CBC network.
Reported
CBC and Canada Council create a $1 million artist fund[10]
CBC/Radio-Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts teamed up to create Digital Originals, a $1 million fund to help artists, groups and arts organizations adapt work for online audiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Reported
CBC launches $2 million fund for Canadian creators[11]
CBC announced a $2 million fund to provide financing for the development and production of original Canadian stories in several formats during the COVID-19 pandemic. Applications were open until April 24.
Reported
CBC announces Hot Docs festival-at-home partnership[12]
CBC announced a partnership with Hot Docs to stream a selection of documentaries that would have debuted at the festival on CBC Gem and documentary Channel, with filmmaker Q&As livestreamed. The planned streaming schedule begins April 16, 2020.
Reported
CBC and Hot Docs partner on festival-at-home experience[13]
CBC and Hot Docs announced a partnership to bring a festival-at-home experience to Canadian audiences, featuring selected 2020 Hot Docs Festival premieres and online programming. The experience was scheduled to begin on April 16.
Sources14 sources
- 1CBC (Azerbaijani TV channel)en.wikipedia.org
- 2CBC Azerbaijan official websitecbc.az
- 3CBC sues the Conservative party over video usedailyheraldtribune.com
- 4CBC faces backlash over disabling Facebook commentsdailyhive.com
- 5WE Charity sues CBC for defamationprnewswire.com
- 6Federal Court dismisses CBC lawsuit against Conservativestorontosun.com
- 7CBC responded to complaints over Palin-related articlesnewsbusters.org
- 8CBC获得《萌芽》改编剧相关权益c21media.net
- 9CBC Edmonton报道作品获得RTDNA全国奖项cbc.ca
- 10CBC推出Art Uncontained计划cbc.ca
- 11CBC推出200万美元加拿大创作者基金cbc.ca
- 12CBC宣布与Hot Docs合作推出居家影展mobilesyrup.com
- 13CBC与Hot Docs合作推出居家电影节体验channelcanada.com
- 14CBC推出CBC Listen应用canadianreviewer.com
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