The rules governing radio, television and on-demand broadcasting services in Turkey are gathered in a single statute: Law No. 6112 on the Establishment of Radio and Television Enterprises and Their Broadcasting Services. This page sets out the forty-five questions the sector asks most often, in the order the Law itself follows — sanctions and licensing first, then content and child protection, then commercial communication, news principles, elections, liability, broadcasting rights and the TRT regime. Each heading links to a guide that sets out the provision it rests on and what it means in practice.
The Structure of the Law
| Subject | Article | Section on this page |
|---|---|---|
| Reception and retransmission of broadcasting services | Art. 4 | 7 |
| Broadcasting language | Art. 5 | 4 |
| Broadcasts in extraordinary periods | Art. 7 | 7 |
| Broadcasting service principles | Art. 8 | 2, 3, 4 |
| Commercial communication: advertising, teleshopping | Arts. 10, 11 | 3 |
| Programme sponsorship and product placement | Arts. 12, 13 | 3 |
| European works | Art. 15 | 7 |
| Short reporting and public access to events | Arts. 16, 17 | 6 |
| Right of correction and reply | Art. 18 | 1, 5 |
| Logo and call sign | Art. 21 | 7 |
| Viewer representation | Art. 22 | 1 |
| Staff working in news units | Art. 23 | 5 |
| Protective symbol system | Art. 24 | 2 |
| Retention of broadcast recordings | Art. 25 | 1 |
| Election period and political advertising | Arts. 30, 31 | 4 |
| Administrative sanctions | Art. 32 | 1 |
| Judicial sanctions | Art. 33 | 1 |
| Duties and powers of the Supreme Council | Art. 37 | 1 |
| TRT obligations | Art. 45 | 8 |
| Liability and the responsible editor | Art. 46 | 5 |
| Service and competent courts | Art. 47 | 1 |
1. Sanctions, Licensing and Supervision
This is the most asked part of the Law, because the consequences are directly financial and the last step is licence revocation. The fine is not a fixed sum but a rate: the base is the gross commercial communication revenue for the month preceding the month in which the breach was established.
- How is an RTUK fine calculated?
- What is the maximum penalty RTUK can impose?
- How many times can RTUK suspend a programme?
- When is a broadcasting licence revoked?
- Where do you appeal an RTUK decision?
- How do you complain to RTUK?
- Is appointing a viewer representative mandatory?
- How long must broadcast recordings be kept?
- How fast must a requested recording be provided?
| Key figure | Subject | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| 2% – 5% | Fine rate for the grave sub-paragraphs of Art. 8/1 and for Art. 8/4 | Art. 32/1 |
| 1% – 3% | Rate for other breaches | Art. 32/2 |
| TRY 1,000 / TRY 10,000 | Floor for radio / television and on-demand services | Arts. 32/1, 32/2 |
| 5 times | Ceiling for programme suspension | Art. 32/1 |
| 30 days + 3 months | Period given, then suspension, on loss of a licence condition | Art. 32/6 |
| 15 days | Period for bringing an action in the administrative court | Art. 32/9 |
| 1 month | Period for paying an administrative fine | Art. 32/11 |
| 1 year | Retention period for broadcast recordings | Art. 25/1 |
| 10 days | Period for delivering a recording to RTUK | Art. 25/2 |
2. Child Protection and the Protective Symbol
A single amended sentence reversed the logic of this area in 2017. The phrase in Article 8/2 “without using a protective symbol” became “even if a protective symbol is used” by Decree Law No. 690, enacted as it stood by Law No. 7077.
3. Advertising, Sponsorship and Product Placement
Commercial communication is the most closely regulated area of the Law. It has four forms, each with its own regime of time limits, disclosure and prohibitions.
- How many minutes of advertising are allowed on TV?
- How must ad breaks be separated?
- Is product placement allowed in every programme?
- Is product placement allowed in news programmes?
- How must programme sponsorship be disclosed?
- Are alcohol and tobacco ads banned?
- Can products be promoted with health claims?
| Item | Hourly share | Note | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advertising | 20% (12 minutes) | Excluding teleshopping | Art. 10/2 |
| The broadcaster’s own programme trailers | 5% (3 minutes) | Outside the advertising share | Art. 10/3 |
| Programme sponsorship | Outside the share | Disclosure at four moments | Arts. 10/3, 12/1 |
| Product placement | Outside the share | Only in four programme types | Arts. 10/3, 13/1 |
| Teleshopping | Separate regime | Uninterrupted minimum 15 min; maximum 1 hour per day | Art. 10/4 |
| Free public service announcements | Outside the share | Must be RTUK-recommended | Art. 10/5 |
4. Broadcasting Principles, News and Language
Article 8/1 contains close to twenty sub-paragraphs. The questions below cover those that bear most directly on journalistic practice. Article 8/1(ı) alone carries four separate duties: impartiality and accuracy, the duty to investigate, the prohibition on exaggerated presentation, and stating character and source.
- How must archive footage be labelled?
- Can music and sound effects be used in news?
- Must you credit a news agency?
- Is slang on air a punishable offence?
- Which languages can be used in broadcasting?
- Is a notary required for broadcast opinion polls?
- Can fortune telling and astrology programmes air?
- Are contests and prize draws allowed on air?
| Sub-para. | Subject | Sanction band |
|---|---|---|
| Art. 8/1(ı) | Impartiality, accuracy, prohibition on effects and music, archive and source labelling | Art. 32/2 (1%–3%) |
| Art. 8/1(m) | Correct use of Turkish; prohibition on low, coarse and slang language | Art. 32/2 |
| Art. 8/1(p) | Notarial supervision of surveys and opinion polls | Art. 32/2 |
| Art. 8/1(r) | Prohibition on exploitation through fortune telling or superstition | Art. 32/2 |
| Art. 8/1(ö) | Prohibition on competitions and lotteries by information and communication devices and on prizes | Art. 32/1 (2%–5%) |
| Art. 8/4 | Health claim promotion, matchmaking lines, premium-rate numbers | Art. 32/1 (2%–5%) |
5. Elections
The election period is the one time when regulatory authority changes hands. Under Article 30/1 the procedures and principles are regulated by the Supreme Election Council; RTUK monitors and supervises in line with its decisions.
- What are the election period broadcasting rules?
- Until what hour does the election day broadcast ban run?
- Is political advertising allowed?
| Hour / period | Rule | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Until 18:00 on polling day | News, forecasts and comment on the election and results prohibited | Law 298, Art. 80 |
| 18:00 – 21:00 | Only Supreme Election Council news and communiqués, on radios | Law 298, Art. 80 |
| After 21:00 | All broadcasting free | Law 298, Art. 80 |
| Until 24 hours before polling day | Participation in open debates, interviews and panels, and live coverage of meetings | Law 298, Art. 55/A |
| Until the hour bans begin | Political party and candidate advertising | Law 6112, Art. 31/1 |
6. Liability and Staffing
Law No. 6112 does not load liability onto one person; it builds a chain and preserves the undertaking’s own liability. For damages, Article 18/6 makes the undertaking and the producer jointly and severally liable.
- Who is liable for an insult during a live broadcast?
- Who bears liability for a broadcast?
- Is a responsible editor mandatory?
- Are there requirements for newsroom staff?
| Liability | Who | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Liability arising from a broadcast | The person directing the broadcast or making the programme + the responsible editor; the undertaking’s liability is preserved | Art. 46/1 |
| Where the broadcast did not pass the responsible editor | Persons authorised to manage and represent the company | Art. 46/2 |
| Damages for infringement of personality rights | The undertaking + the producer of the programme, jointly and severally | Art. 18/6 |
| Broadcast recording offences | The responsible editor | Arts. 33/3, 33/4 |
| Broadcasting without a licence | Natural persons; for legal persons, board members and the general manager | Art. 33/1 |
| Programme ban on suspension | The producer or presenter responsible, at the same or a different undertaking | Art. 32/4 |
7. Broadcasting Rights, Quotas, Logos and Retransmission
This section regulates not content but rights and technical identity: how much of someone else’s footage you may use, which events must be shown unencrypted, quotas, logos and retransmission.
- How many seconds of sports footage can you use?
- Is the short reporting right free of charge?
- Which events must be broadcast unencrypted?
- What is the European works quota?
- Are there rules for broadcast logos?
- Is retransmission free?
- Can broadcasting be restricted during emergencies?
| Subject | Figure or rule | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Short reporting duration | At most 90 seconds, only in a news programme, source stated | Art. 16/3 |
| Short reporting payment | Against payment; on a fair, reasonable and equitable basis | Art. 16/1 |
| Right to select the footage | Belongs to the requesting broadcaster | Art. 16/2 |
| Major events | RTUK prepares the list; unencrypted and free of charge nationwide | Arts. 17/1, 17/2 |
| European works quota | At least 50%; independent producer works 10% | Art. 15/1 |
| Logo | Registration with RTUK compulsory; change subject to permission | Art. 21/1 |
| Retransmission | Free; Law No. 5846 reserved | Arts. 4/1, 4/3 |
| Breach of a publication ban | 1 day → up to 5 days → up to 15 days → licence revocation | Art. 7/4 |
8. The TRT Regime
TRT is subject to the broadcasting principles and commercial communication provisions of Law No. 6112 (Art. 45/1), but the sanction differs: RTUK does not impose a fine; it warns, expressly stating the nature of the breach, and notifies the relevant Ministry of the requirement (Art. 45/2). The right of reply and the revenue regime sit in separate statutes.
- Which rules apply to TRT?
- Who pays the TRT bandrol levy?
- How is the right of reply used at TRT?
- Can broadcasting be stopped on national security grounds?
| Subject | TRT | Private broadcaster |
|---|---|---|
| Broadcasting principles | Law 6112, Art. 8 applies (Art. 45/1) | Law 6112, Art. 8 |
| Sanction | RTUK warning + notification to the Ministry (Art. 45/2) | Administrative fine and measure (Art. 32) |
| Correction and reply | Law 2954, Art. 27 — request 7 days, broadcast 3 days | Law 6112, Art. 18 — request 60 days, broadcast 7 days |
| Protective symbol | Applies (Art. 24/3) | Applies (Art. 24) |
| National security prohibition | Law 2954, Art. 23 | Law 6112, Art. 7/1 (and Law 2954, Art. 23 during elections — Law 298, Art. 55/A) |
| Bandrol | Law 3093, Arts. 3–4: from manufacturers and importers, on the VAT base | — |
Five Distinctions Often Confused
| Confused pair | The difference |
|---|---|
| Programme suspension / broadcast suspension | Programme suspension is measured in times and capped at five (Art. 32/1); broadcast suspension is measured in days and belongs to the repetition ladder (Arts. 32/5, 32/6, 7/4). |
| Complaint / right of reply | A complaint aims at a sanction against the broadcaster; the right of reply puts your own answer on air (Art. 18). |
| Short reporting / unencrypted broadcasting duty | Article 16 gives other broadcasters 90 seconds against payment; Article 17 gives the public unencrypted and free access. |
| Responsible editor / viewer representative | The responsible editor bears liability arising from the broadcast (Art. 46/3); the viewer representative evaluates complaints and puts them to the broadcasting board, and must have ten years’ experience (Art. 22). |
| Crediting a source / obtaining a right to use | Article 8/1(ı) makes crediting compulsory; it does not remove the permission and payment obligations under Law No. 5846. |
A Broadcaster’s Checklist
These are the duties most often found missing on inspection. All are written in the Law and none is optional.
- Viewer representative appointed, announced publicly and notified to RTUK? (Art. 22)
- Responsible editor appointed and meeting the statutory conditions? (Art. 46/3)
- Broadcast recordings kept for one year, with recordings under investigation held separately? (Art. 25)
- Protective symbol labelled on every programme, with the band chosen by content? (Arts. 8/2, 24)
- Advertising counter resetting on the clock hour, with programme trailers counted separately? (Arts. 10/2, 10/3)
- Sponsorship disclosure made at all four moments — start, break entry, break exit, end? (Art. 12/1)
- Archive and reconstruction labels and source fields mandatory? (Art. 8/1(ı))
- Logo identical to the registered version and modified during breaks? (Art. 21)
- KEP address current and checked daily? (Art. 32/10)
- Newsroom establishment above the minimum RTUK has set? (Art. 23)
Some of these can be solved technically: mandatory fields in the schedule, an advertising counter that resets on the hour, archive and source fields, a time-stamped recording archive. The staffing requirement and the viewer representative are institutional decisions that software can track but not satisfy.