RTÜK has brought internet media under its regulatory purview by imposing licensing requirements on critical broadcasters such as Cumhuriyet TV, Fatih Altaylı, and BirGün TV. RTÜK's move is being interpreted as a new threat to freedom of expression

MELTEM AKYOL, İSTANBUL

We entered the last quarter of 2025 with RTÜK's decision to impose licensing requirements on BirGün TV. RTÜK, which had previously taken similar decisions regarding Cumhuriyet TV and Fatih Altaylı's broadcasts, is drawing attention with its “meticulous” choice targeting opposing voices. RTÜK member İlhan Taşcı pointed out that RTÜK's picks indicate that a similar process we experienced on television licenses will occur.

Erol Önderoğlu, RSF Turkey Representative, called on RTÜK to “implement the obligation to be a liberal, constructive, and transparent institution.”

Licensing requirement for the internet: Regulation or censorship?

Let's rewind a bit. In 2019, RTÜK required platforms broadcasting on the internet to obtain a broadcasting license. The regulation titled “Regulation on the Presentation of Radio, Television, and On-Demand Broadcasts via the Internet” came into effect on 1 August 2019, which brought digital platforms under RTÜK's supervision.

As a result, three different types of licenses were introduced: “radio broadcasting via the internet,” “television broadcasting via the internet,” and “on-demand broadcasting via the internet.”

When it was first introduced in 2019, the radio license fee was TL 10,000, while the television and on-demand broadcasting fee was TL 100,000. The license fees for 2025 are as follows:

• Internet radio broadcasting: TL 92,622,
• Internet television broadcasting and on-demand broadcasting: TL 926,214.

With this regulation, RTÜK, which gained the right to regulate internet broadcasting, made its first move in 2022. In February 2022, it gave DW Türkçe, Euronews Türkçe, and Voice of America news sites 72 hours to apply for a license. These organizations refused to apply for a license and were subsequently blocked from access.

At its general assembly meeting on 27 December 2024, RTÜK decided that the Cumhuriyet newspaper's YouTube channel, Cumhuriyet TV, must obtain a license. Cumhuriyet TV was the first YouTube channel to which RTÜK requested a license.

In March 2025, director İlker Canikligil was arrested on charges of “openly inciting crime” (TCK 214) and “openly inciting the public to hatred and hostility” (TCK 216), citing his social media posts as grounds. Following the arrest, RTÜK ruled that FluTV, owned by Canikligil, should be granted a broadcasting license.

On 21 June 2025, less than 24 hours after Fatih Altaylı's arrest, RTÜK warned the journalist that he must obtain a license for his YouTube channel.

In September 2025, RTÜK took action against BirGün TV. It gave BirGün TV, which had started its new broadcast season four days earlier, 72 hours to obtain a license.

Fatih Altaylı's appeal for annulment was rejected

So what are the institutions imposing the licensing requirement doing? Cumhuriyet TV filed a lawsuit against the licensing requirement decision. The first hearing in the case was held at the Ankara 25th Administrative Court on 23 October 2025. Enes Hikmet Ermaner, one of the lawyers for Cumhuriyet newspaper, said that the case had been decided but that the decision had not yet been notified to them.

RTÜK had announced that access could be blocked for Altaylı's channel on the grounds that “no broadcasting license had been obtained.” Fatih Altaylı filed a lawsuit seeking the annulment of RTÜK's decision regarding the internet broadcasting license request. The Ankara 6th Administrative Court dismissed the case on procedural grounds, stating that RTÜK's announcement was not yet “final and enforceable as an administrative act.” The court stated that this lawsuit, filed before the access restriction decision was made, was premature and could not be subject to judicial review at this stage.

Lawsuit from MLSA: Administrative Court dismissed, appeal is now at Regional Administrative Court

The licensing of these two channels, known for their opposition content, has brought RTÜK's regulatory authority, which extends to the YouTube platform, back into the spotlight. However, the legal process initiated by the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA) immediately after the regulation requiring licenses for internet broadcasts came into force has not been concluded even after six years.

Recalling that they filed a lawsuit for suspension of execution in the administrative court as soon as the regulation came into force, MLSA Co-Director Veysel Ok said, "We filed this lawsuit saying that this licensing imposition would destroy independent media and immediately lead to censorship, as alternative voices would not be able to find the money. The Administrative Court rejected this lawsuit. It is currently before the Regional Administrative Court. It has been six years and we are still stuck at this point. But we will see this through to the end, and we believe that a decision will be issued to suspend this regulation."

According to Ok, the fundamental goal of RTÜK's licensing requirement is as follows: "The mainstream media is currently under control, but the public does not see the mainstream media as a news source. Many independent journalists publish online, and citizens follow the news there. Internet media and social media still set the agenda in Turkey. That is why the government wants to control this space. This has been going on since 2019. Being subject to RTÜK's supervision is both financially burdensome for journalists and means that internet media, which should be more free, must comply with RTÜK's old television rules controlled by the government. This aims to prevent the dissemination of information."

Ok also criticizes human rights organizations in Turkey. Stating that the danger posed by the regulation is not sufficiently understood, Ok says, "The aim is to centralize censorship, place all media outlets under RTÜK's control, and block broadcasts when necessary. This pressure raises serious concerns in terms of freedom of expression. Independent media is an indispensable element not only for the opposition but also for the accountability of the government, RTÜK, and the healthy functioning of a democratic society. This needs to be well understood and fought for accordingly.”

Taşcı: License requirement for what you don't like...

So how was this issue discussed at RTÜK, and how is it being discussed now? RTÜK member İlhan Taşcı pointed out that two different views emerged in the RTÜK Supreme Council regarding license control: "The majority opinion is that such broadcasts should be licensed. The regulation that gives RTÜK the authority to control is cited as the reason for this. A group, of which I am a member, argues that RTÜK has no authority in this area. Let me put it this way: Ultimately, RTÜK is a body that regulates radio and television. For example, if Channel A or Channel B broadcasts its programs, i.e., its television catalog, directly on the internet, then of course the law grants RTÜK the authority to regulate this. Because they are continuing the television format there. But when we look at the broadcasts requiring a license—whether it's BirGün TV, Cumhuriyet TV, or Fatih Altaylı's broadcasts—we cannot call these a television format. They are not like a television format with a 24/7 program schedule, fixed times, and regular broadcasts. They are not like a television. Therefore, they cannot be evaluated as if they were in a television format."

Taşcı: What will happen to television

According to Taşcı, RTÜK's internet control “means that Turkey, which is becoming increasingly constrained and intellectually barren, is heading towards a similar point in the internet environment; it also means a very serious obstacle to the people's constitutionally guaranteed freedom of information, freedom of the press, and freedom of expression.” Just like the practices on television. This sentence actually sums up many things.

“With RTÜK's approach, we see that channels that are not necessarily opposition but engage in critical journalism, question the government, or criticize the government, are punished almost every week,” said Taşcı, continuing: "When you implement a similar practice for television, you can impose administrative fines, revoke licenses, or issue closure penalties. Looking at the media outlets for which RTÜK has made licensing decisions, it would not be wrong to say that the situation will not be any different. This could lead to another phenomenon that is at least as risky as censorship, if not more so: self-censorship. In other words, broadcasters will start asking themselves: What will RTÜK say about this? Just like with television, those who engage in critical journalism are being targeted here.

"In Turkey, dozens of pro-government channels or RTÜK can continue broadcasting in all areas, including digital, without paying license fees. But if you are a critical broadcaster, RTÜK hangs over you like the sword of Damocles. Just do not think, question, or criticize...

“The reason for attempting to reflect this treatment of television on the internet—and the reason for the shift to the internet in the first place was precisely these policies—is that broadcasts made via the internet are more effective than many television stations, even those funded by loans from public banks.”

From Önderoğlu to RTÜK: Implement the requirement to be a liberal, constructive, and transparent institution...

The final word from Erol Önderoğlu, Turkey Representative of Reporters Without Borders (RSF): "Although demanding licence appears to be a regulatory requirement for Birgün TV and Fatih Altaylı's YouTube channels, no one can ignore that RTÜK is an institution that supports the government's political project. If it is regulation, then a single, constructive, and objective licensing procedure should be applied to all online platforms of the same nature. A lax approach, where only critical, conspicuous channels are given a 72-hour deadline, is neither consistent with a positive regulatory approach nor reliable. We call on RTÜK to abandon this discriminatory practice and fulfill its obligation to become a comprehensive, freedom-oriented, constructive, and transparent institution."