Gakku TV

Gakku TV was a Kazakh music television channel created to promote music, performers, and popular culture from Kazakhstan. It was described as the country's first music channel focused exclusively on content produced in Kazakhstan. The channel sought to strengthen the visibility of Kazakh music and culture, encourage interest in national creative production, and connect established performers with newer artists. Founded on November 1, 2013, by Kazakh producer Sanzhar Mustafin, who also headed Musan Group, Gakku TV developed as a specialist music and entertainment outlet rather than a general-interest broadcaster. Its programming was distributed through cable and satellite television across Kazakhstan. Content was produced in both Kazakh and Russian and combined music-video rotation with short-form entertainment, celebrity interviews, show-business coverage, sports and fashion news, film-industry features, and audience-oriented formats. The channel's music proposition covered both contemporary releases and archival material. Its schedule included daily rotation of hundreds of notable performances from approximately the preceding three decades, while the channel also offered free rotation for its music content. The programming architecture divided videos into themed blocks, including new domestic releases, solo-artist sequences, alternative music, older Kazakh recordings, hip-hop, Q-pop, and music from the 2000s and 2010s. This gave Gakku TV a role both as a promotional platform for current releases and as a curated archive of Kazakhstan's popular music. Gakku TV also built a public-facing events business around its Gakku Dausy, or Voice of Gakku, festivals. Beginning in Almaty in 2014, these large concerts brought together Kazakh singers and bands and became increasingly prominent in scale. Later editions were staged in Almaty, Astana, Oskemen, and Aktau, with the 2017 Almaty event featuring Dimash Kudaibergen and attracting a very large reported audience. The channel additionally presented the Gakku Auendery awards ceremony and the Sound of Gakku concert at the EXPO-2017 concert venue in Astana. Its original programs included Gakku NEWS, An-Gimme, Derec, Backstage, Gakku Top 10, Zhauap Ber, Cool Tizbe, Love Story, Follow Wars, Instanews, Tyńda, KinoKorme, Uyat-Parade S, and Newton Tour 2018. Together, these shows positioned the brand as a platform for music discovery, celebrity access, social-media commentary, chart competition, and behind-the-scenes coverage. A related radio service, Gakku FM, began broadcasting on December 1, 2016, with a schedule centered on Kazakh music and culture and entertainment news. Gakku TV stopped broadcasting on March 1, 2025, after the expiration of its contract with a copyright holder. The final music video broadcast was reported to be "Oblaka" by URKER. The cessation ended the channel's television operation, although its historical importance remains tied to the development of a dedicated national music-media platform and to the promotion of Kazakh artists through television, radio, digital video, awards, and large-scale live events.

Gakku TV was established on November 1, 2013, by Kazakh producer Sanzhar Mustafin, the head of Musan Group. Its creation addressed a perceived need for a dedicated national music channel that would broadcast music made in Kazakhstan and provide sustained visibility for local performers. The channel's cultural mission combined music promotion with a broader effort to support Kazakh-language and Kazakhstan-centered popular culture. The channel operated through cable and satellite distribution across Kazakhstan. Its output used both Kazakh and Russian and included music videos, short entertainment programs, news, interviews, chart programming, and coverage of the entertainment and film industries. Its first broadcast music video was Batyrkhan Shukenov's "Otan Ana." On September 8, 2014, Gakku TV launched its first newscast, formalizing its role as more than a continuous music-video service. A major part of the brand's public identity developed through live events. The first Gakku Dausy festival was held in Almaty on September 13, 2014. It featured approximately 200 singers, 57 bands, and 75 concert numbers, with Batyrkhan Shukenov appearing as a special guest. The second festival followed in Almaty in September 2015 and featured 55 Kazakh performers. The third edition, held in 2016 in connection with celebrations related to Almaty's history, drew a substantially larger audience and generated a concert video that surpassed one million YouTube views according to the cited reference material. Gakku TV broadened its event portfolio in 2016 with the first Gakku Auendery television awards ceremony, staged at Kazakhstan Central Concert Hall in Astana. In 2017, it presented the Sound of Gakku concert at the EXPO-2017 concert hall in Astana. That year also saw Gakku Dausy events in Oskemen, Almaty, and Aktau. The Almaty event featured Dimash Kudaibergen as its first headliner and was reported to have attracted approximately 150,000 visitors. The Aktau edition coincided with the city's day celebrations. The fifth-anniversary Gakku Dausy event took place in Almaty on September 15, 2018. It was reported to have drawn approximately 200,000 people, making it one of the brand's largest public events. The show was presented by producers Alua Konarova and Bayan Alaguzova, together with Gakku TV representatives Nurzhan Yerkinuly and Timur Balymbetov. On television, the channel maintained a broad slate of original formats. Gakku NEWS covered show business, sports, and fashion. An-Gimme used a live conversational format with celebrities, while Derec and Backstage explored the production and behind-the-scenes aspects of music videos. Gakku Top 10 served as a public music chart in which established and emerging artists competed for audience votes. Other programs focused on audience questions, celebrity relationships, social-media comments, film-industry events, music-video reviews, guessing games, and the touring activities of performers. The channel organized its music-video output into themed blocks such as #Jap-jana for new domestic releases, #Solo for one artist's consecutive videos, #Ozgeler for alternative genres, #Yep-yeski for older Kazakh videos, #Hip-hop for rap, #Q-Pop for Q-pop, and decade-focused collections. This programming structure allowed the service to combine premieres with retrospective and genre-based curation. Gakku FM, a related radio station produced by the Gakku TV team, began broadcasting on December 1, 2016. It carried Kazakh music as well as culture, entertainment, and show-business news. Both the television channel and the radio service ceased broadcasting on March 1, 2025, after the expiration of a contract with a copyright holder. The last music video shown on Gakku TV was reported as URKER's "Oblaka."

• 2025

  Broadcasting ends

  [1]Gakku TVen.wikipedia.org

  Gakku TV and Gakku FM stopped broadcasting after a copyright agreement expired.

• 2018

  Fifth-anniversary Gakku Dausy

  [1]Gakku TVen.wikipedia.org

  The anniversary festival in Almaty was reported to attract approximately 200,000 attendees.

• 2017

  Sound of Gakku and multi-city festival events

  [1]Gakku TVen.wikipedia.org

  The brand presented Sound of Gakku in Astana and organized Gakku Dausy events in Oskemen, Almaty, and Aktau.

• 2016

  Awards ceremony and major festival expansion

  [1]Gakku TVen.wikipedia.org

  Gakku TV held the first Gakku Auendery awards ceremony, staged its third Gakku Dausy festival, and launched Gakku FM radio.

• 2015

  Second Gakku Dausy festival

  [1]Gakku TVen.wikipedia.org

  The second festival in Almaty featured 55 Kazakh performers.

• 2014

  First newscast and first Gakku Dausy festival

  [1]Gakku TVen.wikipedia.org

  The channel launched its first newscast and held the inaugural Gakku Dausy music festival in Almaty.

• 2013

  Gakku TV is founded

  [1]Gakku TVen.wikipedia.org

  Producer Sanzhar Mustafin established Gakku TV under the wider Musan Group context.

A national Kazakh music and entertainment platform focused on locally produced music, artist discovery, cultural visibility, and large-scale fan engagement.

• Music television · 2013

  Gakku TV music channel

  The core television service aired Kazakhstan-produced music videos, music programs, celebrity content, news, and entertainment in Kazakh and Russian. It distributed its programming through cable and satellite television and maintained themed music blocks spanning new releases, archival videos, alternative music, hip-hop, Q-pop, and decade-based collections.

• Radio station · 2016

  Gakku FM

  Gakku FM was the brand's radio extension, broadcasting contemporary Kazakh music together with culture, entertainment, and show-business news. It operated from December 2016 until the Gakku broadcasting operation ended in March 2025.

• Music festival · 2014

  Gakku Dausy

  Gakku Dausy was the brand's signature public concert series. It brought together Kazakh singers and bands in large outdoor and concert-venue events, expanding from its 2014 Almaty launch to events in several Kazakh cities and becoming a major audience-engagement vehicle for the channel.

• Music awards · 2016

  Gakku Auendery

  Gakku Auendery was a televised awards event associated with Gakku TV. Its first cited ceremony took place in 2016 at Kazakhstan Central Concert Hall in Astana and extended the brand's role from broadcaster and promoter into music recognition.

• 2018Fifth-anniversary Gakku Dausy

  Almaty · Kazakhstan

  The fifth-anniversary event was presented by Alua Konarova, Bayan Alaguzova, and Gakku TV representatives Nurzhan Yerkinuly and Timur Balymbetov.

  Outcome. The event was reported to draw approximately 200,000 people.

  Source
• 2017Sound of Gakku

  Astana · Kazakhstan

  Gakku TV presented a concert at the EXPO-2017 concert hall in Astana.

  Outcome. Expanded the brand's event presence beyond the Gakku Dausy festival series.

  Source
• 2017Multi-city Gakku Dausy events

  Oskemen · Almaty · Aktau · Kazakhstan

  The fourth annual festival program reached Oskemen, Almaty, and Aktau. The Almaty event featured Dimash Kudaibergen as its first headliner.

  Outcome. The Almaty concert was reported to attract approximately 150,000 visitors, while the Aktau edition coincided with the city's day.

  Source
• 2016Third Gakku Dausy festival

  Almaty · Kazakhstan

  The third festival was linked to celebrations associated with Almaty's 1,000th anniversary and became the largest edition to that point.

  Outcome. The concert video later exceeded one million YouTube views according to the cited reference.

  Source
• 2015Second Gakku Dausy festival

  Almaty · Kazakhstan

  The second annual event presented 55 Kazakh performers in a large public concert in Almaty.

  Outcome. Extended the festival format and its artist-promotion role.

  Source
• 2014First Gakku Dausy festival

  Kazakhstan

  The inaugural Almaty festival supported the launch of the channel and presented a large roster of Kazakh singers and bands, with Batyrkhan Shukenov as a special guest.

  Outcome. Established Gakku Dausy as the brand's recurring live-music platform.

  Source

• 2025

  Broadcasting operation is discontinuedOther

  Background

  The channel's broadcasting contract with a copyright holder expired.

  Action taken

  Gakku TV stopped broadcasting on March 1, 2025; Gakku FM also ceased broadcasting.

  Aftermath

  The final music video reported to have aired on the television channel was URKER's "Oblaka."

  Source

1. 1Gakku TVen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Gakku TV official websitegakku.kz