The Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) and the Agency for Electronic Media of Croatia (AEM) came together and signed a cooperation protocol with the aim of strengthening institutional cooperation between the regulatory authorities of the two countries, sharing experiences in addressing global challenges in the era of digital media, and establishing a legal framework for future comprehensive cooperation.

The Croatian AEM delegation was received by RTÜK President Mehmet Daniş. President Daniş met with AEM President Josip Popovac and his accompanying delegation in his office to discuss opportunities for cooperation between Türkiye and Croatia in the field of audiovisual media.

Following the meeting, the delegation proceeded to the signing ceremony of the protocol with the participation of RTÜK President Mehmet Daniş.

Speaking at the ceremony, President Daniş noted that sharing international experience has become even more important, particularly in the fight against disinformation.

President Daniş, highlighting the importance of close dialogue among regulatory authorities on topics such as digital transformation, artificial intelligence, media literacy, and combating disinformation, stated that the signed protocol would strengthen the exchange of information and expertise between the two institutions and pave the way for new areas of collaboration.

President Daniş expressed his hope that the friendly relations between the two countries would be further strengthened through institutional collaborations in the field of audiovisual media.

In his speech at the signing ceremony, AEM President Josip Popovac said that the protocol did not mark the beginning of cooperation between the two institutions, noting that their relationship has been strong for the past few years.

Noting that today’s signing has provided an official framework for the existing relationship, Mr. Popovac said, “By signing this agreement, we have formalized our existing friendly relationship. I hope this will be beneficial for both sides.

Emphasizing that the protocol provides a strong framework for further developing the existing cooperation, President Popovac noted that the relationship between the institutions has, over time, evolved beyond institutional cooperation to become a friendship.

Expressing his pleasure at being in Ankara, President Popovac stated that he believes the ties that have developed between Türkiye and Croatia—both at the institutional and interpersonal levels—will be further strengthened through future mutual visits and joint projects.

The protocol covered cooperation in the fields of audiovisual media services, new media, international relations, technical cooperation, broadcasting technologies, digitalisation, and media literacy.

Within the framework of the protocol, RTÜK and AEM will share their experiences gained from the implementation of legislation and the monitoring of broadcasts.

In this context, it was agreed to place particular emphasis on the exchange of information and experience concerning the protection of children and young people in relation to audiovisual media services. The parties also agreed to provide each other with technical support in the use of information and communication technologies and to exchange information, views and experience on ethical principles.

The two institutions will facilitate mutual participation, to the extent possible, in national and international courses, seminars, panels, conferences, and in-service training programs to be held in their respective countries in the field of audiovisual media. It was also agreed to conduct working visits to strengthen the exchange of knowledge and experience, and to organize joint meetings in Türkiye and Croatia to further develop cooperation.

At the meeting held as part of the signing ceremony, a presentation was delivered to the Croatian delegation on the media usage habits research conducted by RTÜK, as well as on its work on the regulation of digital broadcasting, the Smart Signs system, and its bilateral and multilateral cooperation with international regulatory bodies.

In addition to Supreme Council Members Dr. Necdet İpekyüz and İlhan Taşcı, and Vice President Dr. Deniz Güler, the meeting was attended by Yusuf Demirtaş (Head of International Relations), Murat Ellialtı (Head of Monitoring and Evaluation), Olcay Çiçeklitaş (Head of Information Technologies), Yavuz Doğan (Deputy Head of Permits and Allocations), Candaş Aynagöz (Deputy Head of International Relations), as well as experts and staff members of the Supreme Council.

The AEM delegation included President Josip Popovac, Secretary of the Media Council and Legal Advisor Roberta Grgić, Senior Media Analyst Daniela Miler, and Advisor to the Director for International Relations and Public Relations Sanja Pančić.

RTÜK Vice President Dr. Deniz Güler, responding to questions from the Croatian delegation at the meeting, stated that changes in media consumption among younger generations must be evaluated in light of the growing prevalence of alternative digital services. Dr. Güler noted that thanks to platforms such as Spotify and YouTube, young people can directly access the music and content they enjoy, and that this has transformed traditional radio listening and television viewing habits.

Güler noted that RTÜK conducts comprehensive studies to identify media usage patterns and emphasized that the evaluation and analysis processes are carried out in-house by the Supreme Council’s experts.

During the meeting, RTÜK Member Dr. Necdet İpekyüz stated that the discussions held and the protocol to be signed would make a significant contribution to further developing and strengthening relations between Türkiye and Croatia.

Noting that the media landscape is undergoing a significant transformation due to rapid developments in technology and artificial intelligence, İpekyüz pointed out that this transformation has also brought about new ethical debates and regulatory needs.

Emphasizing that cooperation among countries and regulatory authorities has become more important than ever—particularly in combatting disinformation, as well as violence, polarization, and hate speech—İpekyüz highlighted the importance of developing joint efforts to address new challenges arising from digital platforms and social media.

Dr. İpekyüz expressed his belief that cooperation between Türkiye and Croatia would yield beneficial results for both sides in terms of media literacy, mutual educational programs, and the sharing of knowledge and experience.

Following the signing ceremony, the AEM delegation examined on-site the VİA+ (Data Inspection and Analysis Platform), RTÜK’s new-generation, AI-powered broadcast monitoring and analysis system.

During the technical presentation to the delegation, it was explained that VIA+ can analyze data from various sources, including live broadcasts, news content, media platforms, and digital broadcasting channels.

It was noted that the AI-powered system possesses capabilities such as text recognition, pattern recognition, facial recognition, keyword detection, and logo recognition. The system can monitor approximately 800 live broadcasts simultaneously and process and store over 300 million video frames. Furthermore, its capacity is scalable depending on the number of channels monitored and recorded, enabling experts to identify and review targeted content not only through keywords, but also through visual and on-screen content.