Real TV is an all-news television channel that was launched in 2018 in Azerbaijan.
Media assets
Television: Real TV
State Media Matrix Typology: Captured Private (CaPr)
Ownership and governance
There is no information publicly available about the ownership of Real TV other than it is controlled by private entities. Azeri investigative journalists say that the station is controlled by the president’s family. The station is run by a group of journalists from ANS, a pro-government station that was shut down by the Azeri government in 2016 under pressure from Turkish authorities as ANS was planning at the time to air an interview with Fethullah Gulen, a US-based cleric blamed for the coup in Turkey.
Source of funding and budget
There is no publicly available information about the budget of Real TV, hence no evidence that the station is state-funded.
Editorial independence
Real TV is openly supportive of the president Aliyev, the channel being closely aligned with the government’s agenda, according to Azeri journalists and experts.
No domestic statute or independent assessment mechanism to validate the editorial independence of Real TV have been identified.
September 2023