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Media in Uzbekistan is currently being censored to an extent. Although a government decree officially eliminated statecensorship in 2002, it has continued to severely restrict independentjournalism, particularly following theAndijan uprising of 2005. Licensing and regulation are controlled by the State Press Committee and the Inter-Agency Coordination Committee, which use their authority to harass, delay and obstruct the activities of independent media outlets. In late 2006, authorities further tightened state control by requiring re-registration by all media outlets not passing a summary review of qualifications. In 2005 some 30 to 40 independenttelevision stations and seven independentradio stations were in operation, but four state-owned television stations, run by the Television and Radio Company of Uzbekistan, dominated the market. No live programming is allowed.[citation needed]
Totalnewspaper readership is estimated at only 50,000; the newspaper market is dominated by the state-owned papers Pravda Vostoka, Halq Sozi, and Narodnoye Slovo. The largest privately owned papers areNovosti Uzbekistana,Noviy Vek,Noviy Den, andMohiyat. The state controls newspaper distribution and materials supply. In the early 2000s, newspaper articles occasionally have criticized government policy and social conditions, butbribery of journalists is common.[citation needed]
The only national news agency, theUzbekistan National News Agency, is state-controlled. Agence France-Presse (of France), Anadolu Ajansı (of Turkey), the Associated Press, Interfax (ofRussia), and Reuters are foreign agencies with offices in Uzbekistan. The government forced Radio Free Europe–Radio Liberty to close itsTashkent office in late 2005. In early 2006, a new media law placed further restrictions on the activities of foreign news organizations inUzbekistan.[1]
In 2011, the flow of information coming out of the country remains tightly controlled by the authorities, but a few independent voices are still reporting from inside Uzbekistan. TheUznews.net news website was operational from 2006 to 2014. At the time, it was one of few sources that still had a network of journalists reporting on day-to-day events in Uzbekistan.[2]
Journalism in Uzbekistan is a dangerous profession, with a number of reporters being imprisoned for it. During 2011, there were eleven journalists imprisoned in Uzbekistan.[3]
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Television in Uzbekistan was firstintroduced in 1956 whenUzbek SSR was part of theSoviet Union. The first national television channel wasOʻzbekiston, which was introduced during beginning transmission of Uzbekistan. Colour television was also introduced in the 1970s. Back then, Oʻzbekiston was the only TV channel, and it broadcast several times a day. Uzbekistan's first private television channel STV, started broadcasting on 15 May 1991.
In 2005 some 30 to 40 independenttelevision stations were in operation, but four state-owned television stations, run by the Television and Radio Company of Uzbekistan, dominated the market. Nolive programming is allowed.[citation needed]
Uzbekistan's first and leading digital platformUzdigital, launched in 2009. In 2013, high definition television in HD has been launched on a commercial basis. Uzdigital recently launched its ownHD channels such as Zoʻr TV HD, MY5 HD, Sevimli HD, Kinoteatr HD, Milliy HD, and UzHD.[citation needed]
In September 2012 audiences had reached 1 million.[citation needed]
