RTÜK imposed 625 sanctions on TV, radio outlets in 2023

The Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) applied 625 sanctions to television and radio broadcasters in 2023, resulting in a total of 81,901,000 Turkish liras (~2.5 million US dollars) in fines.

The majority of these penalties were issued based on the principle of "preserving general morality, spiritual values, and family protection." However, RTÜK did not impose any fines under the principle that "one-sided or biased broadcasts related to political parties are not allowed."

According to the 2023 Activity Report, RTÜK predominantly targeted media outlets that provided coverage critical of the government.

- Halk TV received 15 program suspensions and 12 administrative fines.

- TELE1 faced 17 administrative fines, seven days of broadcasting suspension, and eight program suspensions.

- Now TV was penalized with seven administrative fines and two program suspensions.

The monetary penalties were proportional to the broadcasters' revenue. Among them, Now TV received the highest fine, totaling 43,342,091 liras. Halk TV faced a fine of 4,149,918 liras, while TELE1 was fined 1,457,546 liras.

RTÜK managed to collect 23 million liras from the imposed fines. The 2023 report reveals that RTÜK's total revenue amounted to 812,280,000 liras. This revenue included 157,222,000 liras from annual frequency usage fees and 237,147,000 liras from government assistance. Additionally, 34,193,000 liras was transferred to the Ministry of Treasury and Finance under Article 78 of Law No. 5018.

In terms of legal proceedings, RTÜK faced 183 lawsuits in 2023. Out of these, 64 resulted in favor of RTÜK, while 26 were unfavorable. Notably, in 2022, only four cases ended unfavorably for RTÜK. (HA/VK)