Launched in 2005, Ictimai Television, which translates to “Public Television” in Azerbaijani, is a prominent station based in Baku. Locally, it is known as ITV.
Media assets
Television: Ictimai Television
Radio: Public Radio
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
The Azeri government established ITV in adherence to a prerequisite that enabled the country to join the Council of Europe. This broadcaster was brought into existence through the Law on Public Broadcasting, which mandates that the ITV Broadcasting Council, the primary governing entity at the station, is responsible for appointing the general director of ITV. However, in practice, the government holds the power to decide who occupies that position, as the Azeri President appoints the nine council members.
Source of funding and budget
The law establishing ITV initially proposed financing the station via a license fee paid by Azeri households. However, this legal provision still needs to be put into practice. Instead, ITV primarily funds itself through state funds, supplemented by revenue from advertising sales. In 2017, the station received AZN 11.5m (US$ 6.7m) from the government budget. Since then, the station has not made any publicly available annual or budget reports.
Editorial independence
ITV is widely recognized by journalists interviewed for this report in March 2023 and January 2024 as a government-controlled entity. It predominantly broadcasts biased news about local events and is overtly employed as a state propaganda channel. The majority of the news coverage is centered around the president. A report from a local NGO in 2017 stated, “since its formation in 2005, ITV has primarily served the needs of the state, largely being used as a propaganda tool of the government with little or no independent reporting.”
Much of the content aired on ITV is sourced from the state broadcaster AzTV. The AzTV logo on these broadcasts is frequently superseded by the ITV logo, giving the impression that the program is an original ITV production.
No domestic statute or independent assessment mechanism to validate the editorial independence of ITV has been identified.
August 2024