Television in Turkey was introduced in 1952 with the launch of ITU TV. The first experimental closed-circuit television broadcasts were prepared between June and July 1966. Turkey's first national television channel, TRT 1, began broadcasting in 1968. By 1972, TRT transmitted its service exclusively to Ankara four nights a week; however, viewers in border regions were frequently enticed by television channels broadcasting from neighboring countries. Sophisticated antennas targeting functional signals from Bulgaria were widely installed in Istanbul prior to the official launch of TRT's local service in the city.^[2]

Color television was introduced on 31 December 1980 and became the industry standard on 1 July 1984. During this transition period in 1983, the Turkish government rejected a commercial proposal from Polly Peck to assemble color television sets within the country.^[3] A second TRT channel, initially based out of Istanbul, followed in 1986. Leveraging rapid technological advancements and the global rise of satellite tech, TRT expanded its state monopoly by launching a third channel in 1989, a fourth channel dedicated to educational programming in 1990, and an international channel for the Turkish diaspora that same year.^[4]

In the mid-1980s, public discussions emerged regarding the creation of private television stations to end the state monopoly.^[4]

Turkey's first private television channel, Star 1, was established on 3 August 1989 by Magic Box Incorporated, a company registered in Germany.^[4] Prior to the wave of liberalization in the 1990s, broadcasting remained entirely under state control.^[5] The subsequent emergence of commercial television stations initially occurred without legal regulation; these new channels lacked formal operating licenses due to TRT's ongoing de facto monopoly. When Star 1 first aired, it utilized the physical studios and facilities of the German channel Sat.1 to deliver five hours of daily programming. This milestone triggered the launch of numerous other private channels, including Teleon, Show TV, HBB, Kanal 6, Cine 5, TGRT, Kanal D, ATV, and STV. To resolve the regulatory vacuum in the private sector, new legislation was enacted on 20 April 1994, officially terminating TRT's legal monopoly.^[6]

The contemporary Turkish television market is dominated by a handful of major networks, led by Kanal D, ATV, and Show TV, which command market shares of 14%, 10%, and 9.6%, respectively.^[7]

The two most common reception platforms are terrestrial and satellite. By the end of 2009, nearly 50% of households utilized satellite networks, with approximately 15% of those subscribers opting for premium pay services. Three providers primary dominate this multi-channel market: the satellite platforms Digiturk and D-Smart, and the cable infrastructure provider Türksat.^[8]

The most viewed television channels for 2024 are:^[18]