Kurdish News Network

Kurdish News Network, generally abbreviated as KNN, is a Kurdish-language news television network serving audiences in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and the wider Kurdish-speaking public. The network was founded in 2008 by Nawshirwan Mustafa, who was the leader of the Change Movement, a Kurdish political party. KNN is operated by Wusha Corporation and is based in Sulaymaniyah, one of the principal media and political centers of Iraqi Kurdistan. The network's identity is built around continuous news coverage in Kurdish, supplemented by reporting and analysis on Iraqi, Kurdish, regional, and international affairs. Its programming extends beyond rolling headlines: listed formats include business and markets coverage, newspaper reviews, sports, weather, interviews, debates, parliamentary reporting, and commentary. This range gives KNN the profile of a general news broadcaster rather than a single-format bulletin channel. Its coverage is designed to combine immediate reporting with discussion of political, economic, and social issues relevant to Kurdish audiences. KNN emerged during a period of rapid expansion and increasing political importance for Kurdish media in Iraq. Television networks in the Kurdistan Region became important platforms for party-linked viewpoints, public debate, and scrutiny of regional and Iraqi institutions. The network's founding connection to the Change Movement is therefore part of its historical and institutional context, although the available reference material does not provide a detailed account of its editorial governance, ownership structure, financing, or political positioning beyond that association. Its regular schedule includes core news programs covering major Kurdish and international stories, shorter headline summaries, and specialist formats. Business and Markets address financial developments, stock markets, and commodities; Press reviews newspaper front pages; Parliament reports on the Kurdish Parliament; and Interview, Debate, and Comment provide space for guests, arguments, and perspectives from thinkers, innovators, and public figures. Sport and Weather broaden the service's daily utility for general viewers. The network's primary geographic base is Sulaymaniyah, while its subject matter is relevant across the Kurdistan Region and to Kurdish-speaking viewers beyond Iraq. The official website has been described as offering Kurdish- and English-language access, although the available material does not establish the current scope of its digital publishing, distribution arrangements, audience size, or broadcast technology. No reliable financial, listing, or workforce information is provided in the supplied sources. KNN is therefore best characterized as an Iraqi Kurdish news-media brand whose principal distinguishing features are its Kurdish-language television service, broad current-affairs programming, Sulaymaniyah base, and association with Wusha Corporation.

Kurdish News Network was established in 2008 in Iraqi Kurdistan by Nawshirwan Mustafa, the leader of the Change Movement. The network's creation placed it within the expanding Kurdish media environment of the period, when television broadcasting served as an important means of political communication and public information across the Kurdistan Region. KNN was subsequently operated by Wusha Corporation and based in Sulaymaniyah. The network's service is centered on Kurdish-language news television. Its programming covers major Kurdish and international stories, while also providing recurring formats devoted to business, financial markets, press reviews, sport, weather, interviews, debate, parliamentary affairs, and commentary. This mix indicates an intended role as a broad daily news service rather than a channel limited to breaking-news bulletins. KNN's subject coverage includes regional political institutions and the Kurdish Parliament as well as wider Iraqi, Middle Eastern, and international developments. Its interview, debate, and commentary formats create room for direct discussion with notable individuals, thinkers, innovators, and opinion leaders. Business and Markets extend the channel's coverage into economic information, including stock-market and commodity developments, while Sport and Weather serve routine general-audience needs. The network's institutional history remains closely connected to its founder's political background, but the supplied reference material does not establish a complete chronology of editorial changes, ownership transfers, leadership appointments, audience growth, distribution agreements, or major programming expansions. It also does not provide verified financial information or detailed corporate records. The official website has been identified as providing Kurdish and English access, but the available sources do not document the current extent of its online services. KNN's established profile is consequently that of a Sulaymaniyah-based Kurdish news television network operated by Wusha Corporation. Its historical significance in the available material derives from its 2008 foundation, its connection to the Change Movement, and its role in delivering a broad Kurdish-language news and current-affairs schedule to viewers in Iraqi Kurdistan and beyond.

1. 2008Kurdish News Network founded

   Nawshirwan Mustafa founded Kurdish News Network as a Kurdish-language news television network in Iraqi Kurdistan.

   Source

A Kurdish-language general news broadcaster focused on Kurdish, Iraqi, regional, and international current affairs, with a schedule combining breaking news, specialist reporting, interviews, debate, and public-affairs programming.

• NewsTelevision news

  The network's main news service covers leading Kurdish and international stories. It forms the core of KNN's general-news offering and provides viewers with regular updates on political, regional, and global developments.

• Business and MarketsBusiness and financial news

  These specialist formats address financial developments, world stock markets, and commodity prices. Together they extend KNN's schedule beyond political reporting and provide economic information for viewers interested in markets and business affairs.

• PressPress review

  Press presents a review of newspaper front pages, offering a concise overview of how selected publications frame the day's leading stories and issues.

• Interview, Debate, Parliament and CommentCurrent affairs

  This group of public-affairs programs provides interviews with notable individuals, head-to-head debates, reporting on the Kurdish Parliament, and discussions with thinkers, innovators, and opinion leaders. The formats give KNN an analytical and conversational dimension alongside its standard news bulletins.

• Sport and WeatherGeneral-interest television

  Sport reports on leading sporting stories, while Weather provides forecasts. These services complement KNN's political and economic coverage and support its role as a daily general news channel.

1. Kurdish News Network
2. Kurdish News Network official website