Government Boosts Funding for National TV and Radio Company in 2025
The Republic of Uzbekistan has recently made significant allocations in its state budget for the National Television and Radio Company of Uzbekistan (MTRK). On December 24, the law “On the State Budget of the Republic of Uzbekistan for 2025” was passed, designating over 881 billion UZS (approximately $68.1 million) to the MTRK. A substantial portion of this amount, more than 107 billion UZS (around $8.3 million), is specifically earmarked for the purchase of mobile television stations to broadcast football tournaments.
Furthermore, the budget includes around 20 billion UZS (approximately $1.5 million USD) for the expenses related to upgrading the “O‘zbekiston 24” and “Mahalla” TV channels to full HD format for nationwide broadcasting. An additional 15 billion UZS (around $1.2 million) will be allocated for the design, construction, and equipping of new facilities.
Comparatively, in 2024, the state budget allocated 559.9 billion UZS (around $43.3 million) to MTRK, while the 2023 allocation was 555.94 billion UZS (around $43 million).
Starting from January 1, 2025, a new channel called “Futbol TV” will begin broadcasting football tournaments in Uzbekistan. Journalist Davron Fayziyev shared that the channel will operate on the frequency currently used by the “Foreign Languages” channel.
Previously, from 2017 to 2022, the “Futbol TV” channel existed as a private channel under the “UzReport” TV channel. However, it was shut down in 2022 due to a lack of broadcasting rights for championships and was replaced with an entertainment channel.
In February 2024, Abdurashid Juraboyev was appointed as the chairman of the National Television and Radio Company of Uzbekistan. Before this role, he served as the head of the Prime Minister’s Secretariat. These developments signal significant changes in the broadcasting landscape of Uzbekistan, especially in relation to coverage of football tournaments.
