Television in Syria
Television in Syria was introduced on 23 July 1960 with the launch of Channel 1, during the period in which Syria and Egypt were united as the United Arab Republic.
Syrian television channels are predominantly owned and operated by the Syrian General Authority for Radio and Television (GART), which is affiliated with the Ministry of Information. The organization employs approximately 4,800 staff, including both government employees and freelancers.
Television in Syria is mainly received through free satellite and digital terrestrial.
History
[edit]Prior to 1976, all television broadcasts were aired in black and white. In 1985 a second channel was established and in 1995 Syrian television rented a channel on Arabsat and it started broadcasting eight hours daily via satellite in 1996.
Since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, the state has been engaging in a "media war" to combat the criticisms broadcast from other popular media outlets viewed in the Arab world and internationally, such as Al Arabiya and Al Jazeera. In Ba'athist Syria television coverage championed the government against Syrian opposition islamist rebel forces such as Al-Nusra Front, Free Syrian Army and the Islamic Front. According to BBC Arabic, it also tended to omit or downplay reports of civilian casualties in its coverage of confrontations with what the Assadist government labeled as terrorist groups.[1] The Arab League officially asked the satellite operators Arabsat and Nilesat to stop broadcasting Syrian media in June 2012.[2][3] On 27 April 2013, Al Jazeera Media Network announced that it was suspending indefinitely its activities throughout Syria because of alleged intimidation and threats against its staff.[4]
The collapse of Ba'athist and Assad family rule on 8 December 2024 brought challenges to the media landscape in Syria as it is unclear whether the new Islamist-led Syrian government would relax censorship and allow more press freedom.[5]
National networks
[edit] |
| Channel name | Owner/parent company | Launched | Broadcast hours | Aspect ratio | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aleppo Today | Aleppo Today Channel | 1 December 2011 | 24 hours | 16:9 HDTV | |
| Alyaum TV | Orbit Communications (original) OSN (current) |
27 October 2003 | 16:9 HDTV | ||
| Syria TV | Fadaat Media | March 2018 | 24 hours | 16:9 HDTV | |
| Al Thania TV | Fadaat Media | February 2025 | 16:9 HDTV | Sister network to Syria TV. | |
| Radio Damascus | GART | 4 February 2026 | 24 hours | 16:9 HDTV | TV broadcast started on 4 February 2026 |
| Al-Souriya TV | GART | 1995 (original) 19 February 2026 (current form) |
24 hours | 16:9 HDTV | Relaunched in 2026. Also on digital and satellite. |
| Syrian News Channel | GART | 15 December 2010 (original) 5 May 2025 (current form) |
24 hours | 16:9 HDTV | Relaunched in 2025. Also on digital and satellite. |
| Ana Sooria | 2025 | 16:9 HDTV | |||
| Syria One | 2025 | 16:9 HDTV | |||
| Massaya TV | 1 May 2007 | 16:9 HDTV | |||
| Prime TV | 8 December 2025 | 16:9 HDTV | Official broadcaster of the Syrian Prime Premier League | ||
| Sham TV | Mohammad Akram Al-Jundi | 2005 | 16:9 HDTV | First private satellite channel in Syria. | |
| Suboro TV | Syriac Orthodox Church | 25 March 2019 | 16:9 HDTV | Classical Syriac / Turoyo -language TV channel that broadcasts religious topics. | |
| Ronahî TV | 20 October 2011 | 16:9 HDTV | First Kurdish-language TV network to operate in Syria. | ||
| Rojava TV | 19 July 2017 | 16:9 HDTV | Kurdish-language TV channel. | ||
| Welat TV | 2024 | 16:9 HDTV | Kurdish-language TV channel. |
Former channels
[edit] |
Suspended channels
[edit]| Channel name | Owner/parent company | Launched | Suspended | Reason of suspension |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noor Al-Sham | ORTAS (GART) | 31 July 2011 | 8 December 2024 | Fall of the Assad regime. |
| Syrian Drama TV | ORTAS (GART) | 20 August 2009 | 8 December 2024 | Fall of the Assad regime. |
| Syrian Education TV | ORTAS (GART) | 14 October 2008 | 8 December 2024 | Fall of the Assad regime. |
| Sama TV | 24 January 2013 | 8 December 2024 | Inactive. | |
| Drama 24 | ORTAS (GART) | 8 December 2024 | Fall of the Assad regime. | |
| Sakaker Kids TV | ORTAS (GART) | 8 December 2024 | Fall of the Assad regime. | |
| Sports TV | ORTAS (GART) | 8 December 2024 | Fall of the Assad regime. | |
| Syrian Local Channel | ORTAS (GART) | 2022 | 8 December 2024 | Fall of the Assad regime. |
Former
[edit]| Channel name | Owner/parent company | Launched | Closed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Channel 1 | General Organization of Radio and TV | 23 July 1960 | 11 November 2012 | |
| Channel 2 | General Organization of Radio and TV | 13 March 1985 | 11 November 2012 | |
| Manbij TV | Unknown | Unknown | Kurdish-language channel | |
| Nosor TV | Unknown | Unknown | ||
| Syria Baladna | Unknown | Unknown | ||
| Al-Jisr TV | Unknown | Unknown | ||
| Addounia TV | Rami Makhlouf | 23 March 2007 | 2015 or 2024 | |
| Arrai TV | Misha'an al-Juburi | 2007 | 4 December 2011 | |
| Orient News | Ghassan Aboud | February 2009 | 21 November 2023 | |
| Syrian Medical TV | ORTAS | Unknown | 2016 | |
| Talaqie TV | ORTAS | 6 October 2012 | 17 October 2016 | |
| Spacetoon | Spacetoon International | 15 March 2000 | Unknown | |
| Suriya al-Ghad | 2011 | 2022 | ||
| Syria al-Shaab | July 2011 | Unknown |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "BBC documentary examines Syria's state TV channel al Ikhbariya". TheGuardian.com. 10 February 2013.
- ↑ "Blocking of Syrian television is justified – The National".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ "Newser | Headline News Summaries, World News, and Breaking News". www.newser.com.
- ↑ "Syria". Reporters Without Borders. Archived from the original on 25 September 2010.
- ↑ "What could Assad's downfall mean for freedom of expression in Syria?". www.indexoncensorship.org. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
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