Acun Ilıcalı

After TV8/Exxen broadcast matches containing virtual advertisements for betting sites not authorised in Turkey, Istanbul prosecutors charged Acun Ilıcalı and several platform executives. The indictment sought prison sentences, but the court acquitted the defendants on 2 June 2026, with judicial and press sources reporting insufficiently certain evidence of criminal intent to promote the sites.

Attribution

Accused

Course of the proceedings

1. Formally charged — Formal charge before the current outcome

In 2025, Hull City was sanctioned by the EFL following late payments linked in particular to transactions with Aston Villa, while another payment owed to Manchester City had to be settled to avoid an additional sanction. The club initially received restrictions on paying transfer fees for three transfer windows; on appeal, the sanction was reduced to two windows, with the third suspended subject to conditions. The restrictions were still apparent in its recruitment strategy in early 2026.

State of the evidence

Documented

After Southampton were excluded from the Championship play-offs for spying on training sessions and Middlesbrough were reinstated in the final, Hull City had to change opponents at very short notice. On 23 May 2026, Acun Ilıcalı announced that his legal team would take action if Hull lost, describing the situation as "unbelievable" and citing sporting fairness. Hull ultimately defeated Middlesbrough and secured promotion.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

In July 2026, Acun Ilıcalı challenged in court the termination of a stadium box contract at Fenerbahçe that he said he had prepaid for several seasons, following Aziz Yıldırım's return as club president. Turkish media reported on 19–20 August 2026 that a court had provisionally ordered the box to be returned to Ilıcalı and prevented its transfer to a third party during the period covered by the measure.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Protagonist is the complainant

RTÜK again sanctioned TV8 in January 2025 over Survivor segments broadcast a few days earlier, finding that certain scenes and attitudes could encourage or normalise violence. This was a decision separate from the 2021 sanction, based on new broadcasts and a new regulatory procedure.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility

In May 2024, Hull City dismissed Liam Rosenior after finishing the season in seventh place, three points short of the play-offs, although the coach had been shortlisted for manager of the year and had signed a new three-year contract only months earlier. Acun Ilıcalı took responsibility for the decision, explaining that their visions for the future were no longer aligned.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

Not applicable

Attribution

Direct responsibility

During the governance battle surrounding Fenerbahçe, Aziz Yıldırım made very serious allegations against Acun Ilıcalı, concerning in particular his past relationships. Ilıcalı denied the claims, filed a criminal complaint and sought 10 million TL in damages. Yıldırım was subsequently questioned as a suspect in the resulting case.

State of the evidence

Allegations

In April 2021, RTÜK sanctioned TV8 after examining several episodes of Survivor broadcast between January and March. The regulator found that scenes of arguments, threats and aggressive behaviour contributed to normalising or encouraging violence.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility

Composer Necdet Koyutürk's heirs filed a complaint with prosecutors against a production company linked to Acun Ilıcalı, alleging that Papatya had been used in a programme without sufficient authorisation, with altered lyrics and without payment of the claimed royalties. The complaint was publicised as another intellectual property dispute involving the Acun Medya ecosystem.

State of the evidence

Documented

In a copyright dispute concerning Arnavut Kaldırımı, the courts ruled in favour of Demet Sağıroğlu and Görol Ağırbaş following several unauthorised uses of the song in Acun Medya programmes. Reports from 2020 indicate compensation of 55,200 TL for each claimant, plus interest over several years.

State of the evidence

Documented

A January 2018 RTÜK decision sanctioned TV8 following a December 2017 performance by girls aged approximately 7 to 11 on Yetenek Sizsiniz Türkiye. The majority cited child protection and sexualisation or exploitation of the performance, while a dissenting opinion challenged that interpretation.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility

In January 2018, RTÜK sanctioned TV8 over a Yetenek Sizsiniz Türkiye segment using the expression "Allah Baba", on grounds of offending national and spiritual values. The majority imposed a fine and programme suspension; regulator members challenged the interpretation and proportionality of the sanction.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility

RTÜK found that a Survivor segment broadcast on TV8 incorporated a Kinetix-sponsored prize into the programme, with Acun Ilıcalı explicitly presenting the brand and prize. The regulator classified the arrangement as integrated advertising contrary to the applicable rules and imposed a 192,510 TL fine on the broadcaster.

State of the evidence

Documented

In March 2016, RTÜK sanctioned TV8 following a segment of Yetenek Sizsiniz Türkiye involving young children, criticising in particular their highly adult appearance, competitive pressure and elements considered commercial exploitation. The regulator found that the broadcaster had not adequately protected minors.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility

In 2016, a majority of RTÜK sanctioned TV8 over its presentation of a sema performance in an entertainment programme. The decision prompted internal opposition within the regulator, with dissenting members challenging the analysis that led to the sanction and recalling, in particular, the cultural dimension of sema.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility

RTÜK sanctioned TV8 in September 2014 over an edition of O Ses Çocuklar, finding that certain elements of the programme could harm minors' physical, mental or moral development. The administrative decision imposed a fine on the broadcaster, then controlled by Acun Ilıcalı's media group.

State of the evidence

Documented