Belarusian Television and Radio Company (BTRC, Belteleradiocompany)
The National State TV and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus—commonly referred to as Belteleradiocompany (BTRC)—serves as the country’s official state-owned television and radio broadcaster. Its roots stretch back to radio broadcasts that began in November 1925, while television followed in January 1956.
Today, BTRC oversees a robust suite of channels and stations, including televiion channels Belarus 1 (news and current affairs), Belarus 2 (entertainment and sports), Belarus 3 (cultural programming largely in Belarusian), Belarus 4 (regional news and cultural content), Belarus 5 (sports), Belarus 24 (international service), NTV‑Belarus (local version of Russia’s NTV), and since September 2024, the newly launched First News Channel; and the radio channels First National Channel, Radio Belarus (multilingual service), Culture, Stolitsa, and Radius‑FM.
Media assets
Television: Belarus 1, Belarus 2, Belarus 3, Belarus 4, Belarus 5, Belarus 24, NTV Belarus, First News Channel
Radio: First Channel, Radio Station Belarus, Channel Culture, Radio Stalitsa, Radius FM
State Media Matrix Typology
Ownership and governance
Like most media outlets in Belarus, BTRC is state-owned and falls directly under the purview of the Office of the President, Alexander Lukashenko. Leadership appointments are made at the President’s discretion. At the helm since March 2018 has been Ivan Eismont, who serves as the Chairman (also referred to as Director General) of BTRC.
Source of funding and budget
BTRC is wholly financed through the state budget. As of 2020, government subsidies to BTRC totaled BYN 123.9 million (approximately USD 47 million)—the single largest media subsidy granted that year. No reliable updates for 2024–2025 revenues, profits or income have surfaced in publicly available sources by mid‑2025.
Editorial independence
BTRC operates squarely as a state mouthpiece, with editorial directives tightly controlled by the President’s office, according to domestic journalists and policy analysts interviewed in 2023–2024. No legislation or independent mechanism exists in Belarus to guarantee editorial autonomy.
In 2021, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) suspended BTRC’s membership, citing its use as a propaganda vehicle. Though some reports speculated about a three‑year expiry, the EBU clarified in April 2024 that the suspension remains indefinite: to date, Belarus has no active membership in the EBU.
August 2025