Former director of Rustavi 2 Nika Gvaramia registers his new channel
By Nika Gamtsemlidze
Monday, August 19
The former director of the TV Channel Rustavi 2, Nika Gvaramia, has already registered his new channel and introduced the heads of the Channel and his partners. The company is registered in the Public Registry under the name of the Main Channel Ltd.
The channel's CEO and 51% shareholder will be Gvaramia himself. The rest (49%) of the television belongs to Kakhaber Anjaparidze. He also owns part of Intermedia plus.
As Gvaramia wrote on his personal Facebook page, the number of shareholders is temporary and the list of investors will be made public soon. He also noted that he hopes that people will help the channel, “which will be an investment in Georgia's Western and Democratic future.”
Irakli Nizharadze, former commercial director of Rustavi 2, will be the commercial director of the newly established channel, while the directors of the channel are going to be Tamta Muradashvili and Dimitri Sadzaglishvili, who are the former lawyers of Rustavi 2.
The company, which is now named the Main Channel, was registered on March 1 of this year under the name of Comedy Channel Ltd. Its owners were Giorgi Japaridze (15%), Ioseb Kurgelia (15%), Kakhaber Anjaparidze (50%) and Comedy + Ltd (20%).
Gvaramia has already received new broadcasting right. Watching the channel after its launch will be available by the home antennas, satellite dishes, internet, and other technologies. With the type of authorization that Gvaramia owns, television can only broadcast entertainment programs.
As Gvaramia says, he will address the Georgian National Communications Commission (GNCC) to modify the authorization so that the channel will be able to broadcast the news and political programs, but “if the right is not granted, we will broadcast the shows anyway.”
Gvaramia decided to open a new TV Channel after Kibar Khalvashi was registered as a 100% shareholder of Rustavi 2 following the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights. After the decision, the establishment of the new channel was also announced by the Formula Creative and former Georgian Defense Minister David Kezerashvili, but GNCC has found some flaws in their request and gave them five days to correct it.
Kezerashvili announced the establishment of the channel from his personal Facebook page, after which the representatives of the Formula Creative confirmed the decision.
Formula Creative is best known for creating one of the most popular Georgian TV shows of all times, “My Wife's Girlfriends”. The company was established in 2007 and since then have created many popular projects, including Channel 3. They also own part of online media outlet, on.ge.
