Doğan Holding


Doğan Şirketler Grubu Holding A.Ş. is amongst the biggest conglomerates in Turkey operating in the energy, media, industry, trade, insurance and tourism industries. Founded by Aydın Doğan who still is a major shareholder, the company is led by his daughter Begümhan Doğan Faralyalı. The main operating activity of the Holding is to invest in various sectors via associates, to provide all necessary support to its subsidiaries and joint ventures in order to develop their activities.

Group companies

Electricity generation

  • Galata Wind Energy
  • Aslancık HEPP
  • Boyabat HEPP

    Petroleum products retail

  • Aytemiz Petrol

    Industry & trade

  • Çelik Halat : manufactures steel wires
  • Ditaş Doğan : manufactures automotive parts
  • DDT/Doğan Trading: involved in trading of printing paper
  • Sesa Ambalaj: manufactures packaging materials
  • Kelkit Besi: involved in cattle ranching
  • Neta Havacılık: involved in private aviation

    Automotive & mobility groups

Doğan Trend: Distributor and retailer of prominent cars, motorcycles, outboard marine engines & electrified mobility brands. The group also offers operational leasing, new & used car sales as well as servicing operations.
Brands represented by Doğan Trend as of 2022 November:
The company operates with more than 70 dealers & service points across country.

Finance & investment

  • DYBank/D-Investment Bank
  • Doruk Finansman
  • Doruk Factoring
  • Öncü GSYO

    Internet & entertainment

  • Radio Slowturk
  • Dream FM
  • Radio Dreamturk
  • Hepsiburada
  • hepsiemlak.com
  • Kanal D Romania
  • Doğan Publishing
  • DMC / Doğan Music Company
  • Doğan Burda
  • D&R

    Real estate Investment

  • Trump Towers Istanbul
  • Milta Bodrum Marina
  • DoubleTree by Hilton Bodrum Marina Vista
  • Milpa

    Media division sale

Doğan Media Group was a Turkish media conglomerate, part of the Doğan Holding conglomerate. The company was established in 1997 to bring together Doğan's media properties. These include the Posta, Hürriyet, and Radikal newspapers, the television channels Kanal D and CNN Türk, and the Doğan News Agency. It also operated Doğan Kitap, a major book publisher, and Doğan Music Company, a major music label. Doğan also operated print facilities and media distribution, for other newspapers and magazines as well as its own.
From 1979 to 2011, Doğan Media Group owned Milliyet and Vatan.
In August 2014, Doğan Holding announced its plan to take over Doğan Media Group with all its assets and liabilities and absorb it. The takeover was completed on 26 August 2014 and Doğan Media Group was dissolved. Doğan Holding chairperson Begüm Faralyalı said the merger would lead to a 'more simple management'.
On 22 March 2018, Doğan Holding announced to KAP of their intentions to sell their media division to Demirören Group for $1.1 billion price. The sale has been criticized due to Demirören Group's close ties with the government. On April 5, 2018, the division was sold to Demirören group.

Properties

Newspapers

  • 1979–2011: Milliyet
  • 1994–2018: Hürriyet
  • 1995–2018: Posta
  • 1995–2018: Fanatik
  • 1996–2016: Radikal
  • 1996–2007: Gözcü
  • 2002–2011: ''Vatan''

    Television

  • 1994–2018: Kanal D
  • 1995–2000: Eko TV
  • 1996–2018: Euro D
  • 1999–2018: CNN Türk
  • 1999–2003: Süper Kanal
  • 2005–2011: Star TV
  • 2006–2011: Euro Star
  • 2007–2018: Kanal D Romania
  • 2008–2012: TNT Turkey
  • 2008–2018: Cartoon Network
  • 2011–2018: NBA TV
  • 2012–2018: TV2

    Radio

  • 2005–: Slow Türk
  • 1994–2018: Radio D
  • 2001–2018: CNN Türk Radio
  • 2006–2012: Radio Moda
  • 2024-: Dream Türk Radio
  • 2024-: Dream FM

    Digital platform

  • D-Smart
  • D-Smart Avrupa

    Lawsuits and accusations

POAS privatization controversy

On Sept 3, 1998, the Petrol Ofisi privatization tender ended with Akmaya-Orteks Group offering US$1.160 billion, Doğuş Holding-Garanti Bank USD 1.150 billion, Türkiye İş Bankası-Bayındır Holding-Park Holding-PUIS Grubu USD 1.110 billion.
The Privatization Board of Turkey however preferred Türkiye İş Bankası-Bayındır Holding-Park Holding-PUIS consortium. This was later cancelled by the court and Doğan Holding won the next bidding process. The case involved serious corruption allegations, with then-Vice Prime Minister Mesut Yılmaz and then-State Minister Isin Celebi accused of abuse of power and Aydın Doğan of manipulating the public opinion through his media network.

Tax fraud charges

On Sept 8, 2009, Doğan Yayin said tax authorities wanted companies it controls to pay a total of TL3.76bn in unpaid taxes and penalties – equivalent to more than four-fifths of the combined market value of Doğan Holding and Doğan Yayın. The fine was issued after an earlier tax penalty of more than $500 million was leveled against the group in February for tax irregularities connected to the sale of a 25 percent stake in its television unit to German publisher Axel Springer SE.
Three weeks later, Turkey's largest media group Doğan Yayin said it was officially notified of an increase in a tax fine to 4.8 billion lira. The Halkali Tax Office had sent notifications to Doğan Yayin, stating movable and immovable properties provided as a guarantee by the firm could be sold at the end of the legal process.
Some said that the tax fraud charges were an effort to censor criticism of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Manipulation of tax court electronic distribution system

Doğan's financial specialists and attorneys reclaimed their case file a number of times to ensure that it would not be put into the electronic distribution system to determine which court the case will be heard in. According to claims, Doğan's financial experts spent eight hours in the Tax Court on October 2, 2009, to ensure their case was handed over to a specific preferred court.

SPK accusations

On September 28, 2009, Turkey's Capital Markets Board SPK, accused Aydın Doğan, Imre Barmanbek, Hanzade Doğan Boyner and Ali Riza Temuroğlu for deliberately causing financial losses to Hürriyet Gazetecilik and Doğan Gazetecilik. It claimed that Doğan Holding purchased paper and publishing supplies at higher producer/seller unit prices from offshore companies—Sortal Trading Company Limited and Shawcliff Trading Limited—instead of direct producers. This, the SPK contends, cost Hürriyet Gazetecilik and Doğan Gazetecilik TL 33.12 million, excluding the interest. The SPK reported that it would take the case to court.