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204 channels
Turkish television has a rhythm all its own. Primetime hits after 20:00, when the evening meal winds down and the whole family gathers for the dizi, those sprawling, operatic dramas that run two-plus hours without a commercial break in the tense final act. Think heartbreak, revenge, and impossible love, all shot with cinematic polish. These shows are a national obsession and a huge export, but domestically they compete with another ritual: the raucous news debate. Commercial news channels like those in the Doğuş or Ciner group feature panels of shouting pundits, while the public broadcaster TRT offers more measured, official bulletins. Sports, especially football, pull massive live audiences, the Süper Lig and European matches dominate weekend schedules. What sets Türkiye apart is its multilingual airwaves. While Turkish is dominant, broadcasters also air content in Kurdish (Kurmanci and Zazaki), Arabic, Persian, Armenian, and English, reflecting the country's diverse population and regional ties. Children's shows and imported dramas are almost always dubbed into Turkish, not subtitled, which gives voice actors a beloved cult status. Music channels remain stubbornly popular, a legacy of the pre-streaming era when households left them on as background. And the state broadcaster TRT still carries a public-service ethos, with cultural documentaries and children's programming that doesn't chase ratings. The result is a TV landscape that's simultaneously modern and traditional, loud and intimate, global and intensely local.