Shoghakat TV

Shoghakat TV was an Armenian television channel based in Yerevan and operated by the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the central administrative institution of the Armenian Apostolic Church. The channel served both as a communications outlet for the church and as a broader cultural and public-affairs broadcaster. Its programming presented the activities of Armenian Apostolic dioceses, church events, religious teaching, Armenian history, civilization, culture, nature, public life, and other subjects intended for a general audience. The channel's institutional roots went back to 1995, when a small television studio was established in the building of the Araratian Pontifical Diocese. The initiative was associated with Karekin II, who at the time was serving as primate vicar of the diocese and later became Catholicos of All Armenians. This early studio provided the production base from which the later television operation developed. Shoghakat TV received an official Armenian broadcasting license in 2002 and began terrestrial broadcasting in November of that year. Its original purpose was to document and communicate the work of the church's dioceses while supporting the public preaching and cultural mission of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Over time, the channel broadened its output beyond strictly devotional material. It produced and aired documentaries and programs concerning religion, history, civilization, public and economic issues, national and ecclesiastical events, nature, notable people, sport, entertainment, concerts, and films. The channel also carried material produced domestically and abroad. Other Armenian television companies could obtain Shoghakat productions, and from 2004 some of its programs were made available through Public Television of Armenia, extending their reach to Armenian communities outside the country. According to the referenced account, Shoghakat TV reached more than one million viewers in Yerevan and many regions of Armenia. Its distribution and content model therefore combined a national television presence with a diaspora-oriented cultural function. Rather than positioning itself only as a niche church broadcaster, it used religious identity as an institutional foundation for a wider public-service and cultural programming portfolio. The station was located in Yerevan's Shengavit District. Mania Ghazaryan was identified as its executive director. The channel remained associated with the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin throughout its operation. In October 2025, the Armenian government announced the withdrawal of funding for the channel. Officials presented the move in the context of reducing public expenditure, while commentary also connected the decision to tensions between the governing Civil Contract party and the Armenian Apostolic Church. A decision to liquidate the company was reportedly taken on 25 December 2025, and Shoghakat TV ceased broadcasting on 1 January 2026. It is therefore a defunct media brand rather than an active television service.

Shoghakat TV developed from a small television studio established in 1995 inside the building of the Araratian Pontifical Diocese. The studio was initiated during the period when Karekin II was serving as primate vicar of the diocese. Its creation provided the Armenian Apostolic Church with a means of producing audiovisual material about diocesan work, religious life, and church-related public activity. The operation became a formally licensed television channel in 2002, when Armenian authorities granted it a broadcasting license. Shoghakat TV began broadcasting terrestrially in November of that year. It was owned and operated by the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and was designed initially to explain and promote the activities and preaching of the Armenian Apostolic Church. The station's role was not limited to worship or explicitly devotional programs: it also functioned as a cultural and educational broadcaster. Its output included documentaries and programs about civilization, history, religion, nature, public figures, spiritual and cultural values, and Armenian national and ecclesiastical events. The channel also aired films, concerts, sports, and entertainment. The referenced description attributes approximately three dozen authorized programs to the station, indicating a relatively broad schedule for an institutionally focused broadcaster. Shoghakat productions could be supplied to other Armenian television companies, and from 2004 some programming was shown by Public Television of Armenia. This distribution helped the station reach Armenian audiences beyond its own broadcast footprint, including viewers in the diaspora. The channel was based in the Shengavit District of Yerevan and reportedly reached more than one million residents in Yerevan and much of Armenia. Its combination of church ownership, national cultural subject matter, and general programming gave it a hybrid identity: it was a communications instrument for the Armenian Apostolic Church, but also a television producer and distributor serving wider public audiences. Mania Ghazaryan was identified as the executive director. The channel continued operating until a funding dispute and restructuring process brought its existence to an end. In October 2025, the Armenian government announced that it would withdraw funding for Shoghakat TV. Government explanations emphasized the reduction of public spending and waste. Other observers interpreted the decision in light of political tensions between the governing Civil Contract party and the Armenian Apostolic Church, although the cited material does not establish a formal finding of wrongdoing. A company liquidation decision was taken on 25 December 2025. Shoghakat TV then closed on 1 January 2026, ending more than two decades of licensed broadcasting. The brand is consequently preserved as part of the history of Armenian religious and cultural television rather than as an active broadcaster.

• 2026

  Channel closed

  [1]Shoghakat TVen.wikipedia.org

  Shoghakat TV ceased operations on 1 January 2026.

• 2025

  Government funding withdrawal announced

  [1]Shoghakat TVen.wikipedia.org

  The government announced in October that funding for Shoghakat TV would be withdrawn.

• 2025

  Liquidation decision adopted

  [1]Shoghakat TVen.wikipedia.org

  A decision to liquidate the company was reportedly taken on 25 December.

• 2004

  Programming reached Public Television of Armenia

  [1]Shoghakat TVen.wikipedia.org

  Shoghakat productions became available through Public Television of Armenia, supporting access among Armenian audiences outside the channel's direct broadcast area.

• 2002

  Broadcasting license granted

  [1]Shoghakat TVen.wikipedia.org

  Shoghakat TV received an official broadcasting license from Armenian authorities.

• 2002

  Terrestrial broadcasting began

  [1]Shoghakat TVen.wikipedia.org

  The channel began broadcasting on air in November 2002.

• 1995

  Diocesan television studio established

  [1]Shoghakat TVen.wikipedia.org

  A small television studio was opened in the building of the Araratian Pontifical Diocese, creating the production foundation for the later Shoghakat TV operation.

A church-operated Armenian public-interest broadcaster combining religious communication with national cultural, historical, educational, and general-interest television.

• Television channel · 2002

  Shoghakat television broadcasting

  The core offering was a licensed Armenian television channel broadcasting from Yerevan. Its schedule combined church communications and religious instruction with documentaries, cultural and historical programs, public-affairs coverage, films, concerts, sports, and entertainment. The service operated terrestrially and also extended its reach through program-sharing arrangements with other Armenian broadcasters.

• Television production

  Shoghakat productions

  Shoghakat produced films and programs addressing Armenian Apostolic Church activities, religion, history, civilization, nature, national events, cultural life, and broader spiritual values. These productions could be acquired or carried by other Armenian television companies, and some were distributed through Public Television of Armenia for wider domestic and diaspora access.

• 2025

  Government funding withdrawalStrategy

  Background

  In October 2025, the Armenian government announced that it would stop funding Shoghakat TV. The channel was operated by the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, and the decision occurred amid wider political criticism and tension involving the Armenian Apostolic Church.

  Action taken

  The government withdrew financial support, citing efforts to reduce public expenditure and waste.

  Aftermath

  A company liquidation decision followed on 25 December 2025, and the channel closed on 1 January 2026.

  Source

• 2025

  Liquidation of the broadcasting companyOther

  Background

  After the announced withdrawal of government funding, the company's continued operation became unsustainable or otherwise subject to institutional winding-up.

  Action taken

  The company adopted a liquidation decision on 25 December 2025.

  Aftermath

  Broadcasting ended on 1 January 2026, making Shoghakat TV a defunct channel.

  Source

1. 1Shoghakat TVen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Shoghakat TV official websiteshoghakat.am