The National Television and Radio Company of Uzbekistan (MTRK) is the country’s national broadcaster. The station operates four television channels and radio stations.
Media assets
Television: Nationwide- Oʻzbekiston, Uzbekistan, Yoshlar, Sport, UzHD, Madaniyat va Maʼrifat, Dunyo Boʻylab, Bolajon, Navo, Oilaviy, Diyor, Kinoteatr, Mahalla, Oʻzbekiston 24, Oʻzbekiston tarixi; Regional- Andijon, Buxoro, Farg’ona, Jizzax, Namangan, Navoiy, Qaraqalpaqstan, Qashqadaryo, Samarqand, Sirdaryo, Surxondaryo, Toshkent, Xorazm
Radio: Oʻzbekiston, Yoshlar, Toshkent, Mahalla, O’zbekiston24
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
MTRK was founded through a 2005 presidential decree as a state-owned company accountable to the Cabinet of Ministers, the government of Uzbekistan. According to information from the broadcaster, the chair of the company and his/her deputies are appointed by the Cabinet of Ministers with the President’s approval.
Source of funding and budget
According to information from the broadcaster, MTRK is fully funded through a subsidy from the state budget allocated by the government. In 2020, MTRK was allocated some UZS 420bn (US$ 40.7m) from the state budget, a large subsidy for the country’s standards, according to local experts interviewed for this report in May 2023.
According to a state budget document obtained by the Media and Journalism Research Center (MJRC), MTRK was allocated state subsidies of UZS 521.9bn (US$ 42.5m) and UZS 559.9bn (US$ 44m), respectively, in 2023 and 2024.
Editorial independence
According to local journalists and experts interviewed for this report in May 2023 and May 2024, MTRK follows the government’s communication strategy closely, and its editorial coverage fully aligns with its interests.
No domestic statute or independent mechanism establishing MTRK’s editorial independence has been identified in the latest round of research for this report.
August 2024