Dogus Holding is a leading conglomerate in Turkey, boasting a diverse portfolio of investments across various sectors. These include construction, real estate, tourism, energy, food and beverage production, and retail. The company also operates a robust media portfolio, which includes three television stations – NTV, Star, and Eurostar, three radio channels, and an online video platform. Additionally, Dogus Holding holds the local franchises for internationally recognized magazines like National Geographic and Vogue.
Media assets
Television: NTV, Star TV, Eurostar, TV8
Radio: NTV Radyo, Kral Muzik, Kral FM, Kral Pop Radio,
News portal: PuhuTV
State Media Matrix Typology: Captured Private (CaPr)
Ownership and governance
Dogus Holding, established in 1951, is owned by the family of its founder, businessman Ayhan Sahenk. Initially, the company was primarily engaged in the construction industry. Following Sahenk’s death in 2001, his wife and two children assumed control of approximately 80% of the group’s shares. The remaining shares are publicly traded.
Source of funding and budget
Dogus Holding’s media outlets primarily rely on advertising for their funding. The company’s 2019 report indicates that the media division of the group was profitable. Similar to other conglomerates owned by oligarchs with close government ties, Dogus Holding also profits from substantial public orders in lucrative sectors such as construction and real estate. However, the current available financial information does not provide enough details to accurately estimate the proportion of government funding in the total budget of Dogus’ media business.
Editorial independence
Dogus Holding, in an effort to protect its non-media business interests and secure large government contracts, has been known to adopt a pro-government stance in its media coverage. This approach dates back to the early 2010s, a time when, much like other oligarch-owned media, its outlets completely avoided broadcasting news about government critics. For instance, they did not report on a massive wave of anti-government demonstrations in 2013. Reports from Reporters Without Borders (RSF) suggest that Dogus Media’s editors have connections with government officials close to Erdogan and consistently adhere to editorial directives from the government.
Despite 2019 reports suggesting that Dogus Group might shift its stance to criticize the government (due to its plans to back a group of politicians challenging the Erdogan regime), local journalists and experts interviewed for this report in March 2023 and May 2024 have seen no evidence of any alterations in Dogus’ media editorial line to date.
The latest round of research for this report has not identified any statute that establishes the editorial independence of media outlets owned by Dogus. During the most recent research phase, no independent evaluation or oversight mechanism was found that could confirm the editorial independence of Dogus’ media outlets.
August 2024