Hrvatska radiotelevizija (abbr. HRT), or Croatian Radiotelevision, is Croatia's public broadcasting company. It operates several radio and television channels, over a domestic transmitter network as well as satellite. HRT is divided into three joint companies – Croatian Radio (Hrvatski radio), Croatian Television (Hrvatska televizija) and Music Production (Glazbena proizvodnja), which includes three orchestras (Symphony, Jazz and Tamburitza) and a choir.
The founder of HRT is the Republic of Croatia which exercises its founder's rights through the Croatian Government. Croatian Radio (then Radio Zagreb) was founded on 15 May 1926. This date is considered the date on which HRT was founded. Television Zagreb (today Croatian Television) began broadcasting on 7 September 1956. By the law enacted by the Croatian Parliament on 29 June 1990, Radio Television Zagreb was renamed to Croatian Radiotelevision.
HRT operates as a provider of public broadcasting services, and Croatia provides independent funding in accordance with the Croatian Broadcasting Company Law and the State Aid Rules for Public Broadcasting Services. In carrying out its activities, HRT is independent of any political influence and commercial interest.
On 25 May 2012, HRT's archive of the television and radio program and its collection of musical production were given the status of Croatian cultural heritage.
Croatian Radiotelevision is the direct successor of Radio Station Zagreb (Radio stanica Zagreb) that started broadcasting on 15 May 1926, the first radio station to broadcast in the Balkans. The station was initially a private company, before Radio Zagreb was nationalized on 1 May 1940. During the Independent State of Croatia, the station was known as Hrvatski krugoval. After World War II, it began to operate as a state-owned radio station.
At the end of the first year of operation, Radio Zagreb company had a little over four thousand subscribers.
On the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Zagreb Radio Station, on 15 May 1956, the first television programme was broadcast from the transmitter built at Sljeme.