Yaban TV

Yaban TV is a Turkish specialist television channel established in 2006 through a partnership between journalist and wildlife sportsman Ufuk Güldemir and Melih Meriç. Its editorial focus is the relationship between people, outdoor pursuits, wildlife, and the natural environment. The channel presents itself not simply as a sports broadcaster, but as a platform for the adventures of people who pursue their passions in the wild. Its programming covers a wide range of outdoor activities, including fishing, ethical hunting, shooting, archery, diving, off-road driving, sailing, mountaineering, rafting, horseback riding, paragliding, and related disciplines. It also broadcasts material about agriculture, animal husbandry, gardening, pets, wildlife, and nature. This breadth places Yaban TV between a documentary channel, an outdoor-sports service, and a specialist lifestyle network. Reference material describes it as Turkey's most-viewed documentary channel and notes that it received recognition from several institutions, including the Turkish Journalists Association, although specific audience figures, award dates, and award titles are not identified here. Yaban TV developed beyond linear broadcasting into a broader outdoor-oriented network. In 2009, the organization established or brought together Yabanstore, Yabanmama, Yabantur, Yaban Publishing, and Yaban Academy. These activities extended the brand into retail, pet nutrition, tourism, education, and publishing. Yaban Academy offers instruction in activities such as archery, shooting, off-roading, wildlife photography, ethical hunting, recreational fishing, diving, and horseback riding. Yabantur organizes wildlife and nature trips, while Yabanstore sells its own products and distributes internationally known outdoor brands through stores and a wider Turkish sales network. Yabanmama is associated with dog food formulated around breed characteristics, living conditions, and nutritional needs. The network has also pursued institutional and community relationships. Reference material describes cooperation with more than 1,500 federations, clubs, associations, and other organizations in and around Turkey, as well as participation in competitions, activities, and social-awareness initiatives. It states that more than 150 social-society projects reached members through the Yaban TV platform and that the wider network could engage more than 150,000 members. These figures are reported claims from the reference material rather than independently verified audience or membership data. Conservation and responsible outdoor recreation are central to Yaban's stated identity. Its Hundred Percent Nature Vision frames people, fauna, flora, and ecosystems as an interconnected whole. The principles emphasize ethical participation in outdoor sports, respect for living species and their habitats, biodiversity protection, sustainable use of natural resources, wildlife management, scientific research, public education, and cooperation with public institutions, universities, and civil-society organizations. The organization has been associated with projects involving recreational angling, invasive species, damaging freshwater fishing methods, and wildlife conservation. It also supported the ITU Ufuk Natural History Museum at Istanbul Technical University's Maslak campus and served as a major sponsor of the Turkish Cynological Federation, the country's representative to the Fédération Cynologique Internationale, according to the supplied reference material. In 2014, Yaban transferred all merchandise royalty rights to Azel Outdoor Inc. The reference material further identifies Azel as the organization operating or owning the commercial rights connected with Yaban Academy, Yabanstore, Yabanmama, and Yabantur, while excluding Yaban Publishing. The precise present-day corporate structure, ownership, broadcast distribution, headquarters, and operating status are not established by the available material. Yaban TV is therefore best understood as a specialist Turkish outdoor-media brand whose broader identity combines television, commerce, education, tourism, community coordination, and conservation advocacy.

Yaban TV was founded in Turkey in 2006 by journalist and wildlife sportsman Ufuk Güldemir and Melih Meriç. From its beginning, the channel was designed around wildlife, nature, and outdoor life rather than general entertainment or conventional sports coverage. Its programming scope included fishing, ethical hunting, shooting, archery, diving, off-road driving, sailing, mountaineering, rafting, horseback riding, paragliding, and other outdoor disciplines. Agriculture, animal husbandry, gardening, and pet subjects were also included, giving the service a broad rural and nature-oriented identity. The channel described its broadcasting mission as presenting the adventures of people who pursue their passions in the wild. This positioning connected practical outdoor activity with documentary storytelling and environmental awareness. Reference material characterizes Yaban TV as Turkey's most-viewed documentary channel and says it received awards or recognition from multiple organizations, notably the Turkish Journalists Association. The available source does not provide enough detail to verify individual audience measurements or enumerate the awards. In 2009, Yaban developed into a wider commercial and cultural network. Its associated activities included Yabanstore, Yabanmama, Yabantur, Yaban Publishing, and Yaban Academy. Yabanstore operated as an outdoor retail and distribution business, selling Yaban products and distributing established international brands. The supplied material describes shops in Turkey, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, and Northern Cyprus, together with approximately 300 sales points in Turkey. Yaban Academy provided courses in archery, shooting, off-roading, wildlife photography, ethical hunting, amateur fishing, diving, and horseback riding. Yabantur organized wildlife and nature tours, while Yabanmama offered dog food developed around breed-related nutritional requirements. Yaban also cultivated a large institutional network. It reportedly worked with more than 1,500 federations, clubs, associations, and related bodies in and around Turkey, collaborating on competitions, activities, and public-awareness projects. The brand's screen was used to communicate more than 150 social-society activities, and the wider network was described as reaching over 150,000 members. These quantities should be treated as organizational claims because the reference material does not provide an independent methodology. Conservation became a formal part of the group's identity through its Hundred Percent Nature Vision Document. The statement presents humanity and the natural world as an integrated system and calls for sustainable balance, ethical outdoor sports, respect for species and ecosystems, protection of endangered wildlife, responsible resource use, scientific research, public education, and cooperation with government bodies, universities, and non-governmental organizations. Yaban participated in or supported initiatives concerning recreational angling, invasive species, harmful freshwater fishing techniques, and wildlife protection. A 2013 chukar-partridge feeding campaign was organized with Turkey's Ministry of Forestry and Water Works and involved environmental and nature organizations, according to the supplied source. The group also supported the ITU Ufuk Natural History Museum at Istanbul Technical University in Maslak, Istanbul, named for founder Ufuk Güldemir. It was described as a major sponsor of the Turkish Cynological Federation, which works on purebred-dog protection and the international promotion of Turkish breeds. A 2014 agreement conveyed all Yaban merchandise royalty rights to Azel Outdoor Inc. The source identifies Azel as responsible for the commercial rights and operations associated with Yaban Academy, Yabanstore, Yabanmama, and Yabantur, while excluding Yaban Publishing. The available references do not establish the channel's current ownership, headquarters, distribution arrangements, financial performance, or whether all related businesses remain active. Yaban TV's documented historical significance lies in its attempt to unite specialist television, outdoor commerce, education, tourism, community organization, and conservation under one Turkish brand.

• 2014

  Merchandise royalty rights transferred to Azel

  [1]Yaban TVen.wikipedia.org

  An agreement conveyed Yaban's merchandise royalty rights to Azel Outdoor Inc.

• 2013

  Chukar-partridge feeding campaign

  [1]Yaban TVen.wikipedia.org

  Yaban organized a chukar-partridge feeding initiative with Turkey's Ministry of Forestry and Water Works and participating nature organizations.

• 2009

  Yaban Group expands beyond broadcasting

  [1]Yaban TVen.wikipedia.org

  Yabanstore, Yabanmama, Yabantur, Yaban Publishing, and Yaban Academy were established or incorporated into the broader Yaban network.

• 2006

  Yaban TV founded

  [1]Yaban TVen.wikipedia.org

  Ufuk Güldemir and Melih Meriç established Yaban TV as a channel dedicated to wildlife, nature, and outdoor sports.

A Turkish specialist outdoor and nature-media brand combining wildlife broadcasting with outdoor sports, responsible recreation, conservation activity, education, retail, tourism, and pet-related products.

• Television channel · 2006

  Yaban TV

  The core Yaban service is a Turkish specialist television channel covering wildlife, nature, outdoor sports, rural activities, pets, and environmental subjects. Its outdoor programming spans fishing, ethical hunting, shooting, archery, diving, off-road driving, sailing, mountaineering, rafting, horseback riding, and paragliding.

• Outdoor education · 2009

  Yaban Academy

  Yaban Academy provides practical instruction in outdoor pursuits. The documented course areas include archery, shooting, off-roading, wildlife photography, ethical hunting, amateur fishing, underwater diving, and horseback riding.

• Outdoor retail · 2009

  Yabanstore

  Yabanstore sells Yaban-branded merchandise and imports or distributes products from internationally known outdoor brands. Reference material describes retail locations in Turkey, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, and Northern Cyprus, along with a larger network of Turkish sales points.

• Pet nutrition · 2009

  Yabanmama

  Yabanmama is associated with dog food made using a Yaban-owned formula intended to reflect the nutritional requirements, living conditions, and common characteristics of different dog breeds.

• Nature tourism · 2009

  Yabantur

  Yabantur organizes wildlife and nature tours intended to give participants direct experiences of outdoor environments and wildlife-related travel.

• 2013Chukar-partridge feeding campaign

  Turkey

  Yaban organized a feeding campaign for the chukar partridge in cooperation with Turkey's Ministry of Forestry and Water Works. Nature and environmental organizations also participated or provided support.

  Outcome. The reference reports broad participation but does not provide a quantified conservation outcome.

  Source
• Hundred Percent Nature Vision

  Turkey

  Yaban published a principles document promoting ethical outdoor sports, biodiversity protection, sustainable resource use, wildlife management, scientific research, public education, and cooperation across civil society and public institutions.

  Outcome. The document provided the stated environmental and social-responsibility framework for the Yaban Group.

  Source

• 2014

  Transfer of merchandise royalty rights to Azel OutdoorM&A

  Background

  Yaban arranged a change in the commercial rights structure for merchandise connected with the brand.

  Action taken

  The merchandise royalty rights were conveyed to Azel Outdoor Inc.

  Aftermath

  Azel became the identified operator or rights holder for several related commercial activities, including Yaban Academy, Yabanstore, Yabanmama, and Yabantur.

  Source

• 2009

  Expansion into a multi-business outdoor networkStrategy

  Background

  Yaban sought to extend its specialist television identity into commerce, education, tourism, publishing, and pet products.

  Action taken

  It established or added Yabanstore, Yabanmama, Yabantur, Yaban Publishing, and Yaban Academy.

  Aftermath

  The move created a broader Yaban network linking media with outdoor participation and related consumer services.

  Source

1. 1Yaban TVen.wikipedia.org