Euronews

Euro Balkans News Sh.p.k acquired the broadcasting rights under the well-known European logo, EuroNews and with licensing from the Authority of Audiovisual Media in 2019, it began broadcasting as EuroNews Albania.

In response to MOM, the company states that the television is a direct franchise of “Euro News” S.A in Lyon, France, and "meticulously applies its independent editorial policies, the EuroNews Editorial Charter, Code of Ethics, and Code of Conduct, as well as operating fully in respect of fundamental freedoms and human rights".

The company revealed that it has an editorial board established based on the Franchise Agreement as well as the editorial policies of EuroNews S.A, which consists of: Chairman: Ms. Françoise Champey (representative of EuroNews S.A), members: Mr. Peter Barbas (representative of EuroNews S.A), and Mr. Franko Egro (representative of EuroNews Albania).

The television is informative and broadcasts 16 hours live, along with a series of shows focused on politics and current affairs in Albania. On the "About Us" page, EuroNews Albania states that it broadcasts 6 "live" News Editions in a European format and has dedicated correspondents throughout Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Brussels, ensuring comprehensive coverage of the most important events in the country, region, and EU.

The flagship show of the television is called "Now" and is hosted by moderators such as Erla Mehilli, Esmeralda Mulaj, Sidorela Gjoni, Bruna Çifliku, Ilir Kazaferi. There is also a program called "Review" hosted by Jonida Shehu and Inside Albania hosted by Alice Taylor along with weekend programs.

The company states that there is no viewership data available due to the absence of such a service.

Key facts

Audience Share

XX.XX%

Ownership Type

Private

Geographic Coverage

Local (Tiranë, Durrës)

Content Type

Free-to-air (digital)

Passive Transparency

upon request, ownership data is easily available from the company/channel

3 ♥

Media Companies / Groups

INTER MEDIA GROUP LTD

Ownership

Ownership Structure

Euro Balkans News Shpk is owned by INTER MEDIA GROUP Shpk, where Vasil Mero holds 67% of the shares and Theodhor Çami holds 33%.

Voting Rights

Only shareholders have the right to vote.

Individual Owner

Media Companies / Groups
Facts

General Information

Founding Year

2018

Affiliated Interests Founder

Inter Media Group

entered the media market in Albania back in 2016, when it acquired Tok Media, the owner of Radio In and a television station with the same name. Initially, the company had shareholders Vasil Mero with a 30% ownership stake and Miesseco LTD, an offshore company registered in Cyprus, owning 70% of the shares.

Within 2016, the offshore company Miesseco LTD acquired all the shares, becoming the sole owner until October 2018, when it sold a 33% ownership stake to businessman Theodhori Çami for 330 lekë. In April 2019, Miesseco LTD also sold the remaining shares to businessman Vasil Mero. This year (2019), the company changed its name to INTER MEDIA GROUP Shpk.

Since then, Çami and Mero have been the sole shareholders of the company with ownership stakes of 33% and 67%, respectively, even though they exchanged shares between each other. An attempted purchase of 60% of the shares by the Kastrati Group was cancelled.

In 2018, the company established Euro Balkans News Shpk and acquired broadcasting rights under the well-known European logo EuroNews. With licensing from the Authority of Audiovisual Media in 2019, it began broadcasting as EuroNews Albania.

Responding to MOM, the company states that the television is a direct franchise of "Euro News" S.A in Lyon, France, and "meticulously applies its independent editorial policies, the EuroNews Editorial Charter, Code of Ethics, and Code of Conduct, as well as operating fully in respect of fundamental freedoms and human rights."

The company also states that it is a 100% shareholder of "Tok Media" Shpk, which owns "In Radio" with a broadcast license on the 105.7 frequencies. It holds a 40% stake in "Inter Active Media" Shpk, which owns "IN TV". Additionally, the same company owns "La Strada" Shpk and "City Wings" Shpk, both focused on outdoor advertising services.

Vasil Mero has 67% of the shares and Theodhori Çami owns 33% of the company.

Affiliated Interests Ceo

Jonida Gjoka

serves as the administrator of Euro Balkans News company. In her LinkedIn profile, Gjoka listed a degree in finance and corporate governance. She is one of the early collaborators of the company and has previously worked as a financial professional at In TV. The company's extract states that Gjoka has limited powers of administration and for any financial transaction exceeding the value of 1,000 euros (or the equivalent sum in lekë), the signature of partner Theodhori Çami is required for it to be considered valid.

Affiliated Interests Editor-In-Chief

Qamil Xhani

has been the Editor-in-Chief at EuroNews Albania's Newsroom since 2022. Xhani began his career as a journalist in print media in 2005 and has held positions as Deputy Editor-in-Chief and Editor-in-Chief of "Koha Jonë" newspaper. He also serves as the Vice President of the Albanian Section of the Association of European Journalists since October 2019.

Affiliated Interests other important people

Ben Blushi

Although not officially mentioned in any position within the company, the former minister and former Member of Parliament from the Socialist Party, has a leading role at EuroNews Albania.
During a media meeting of the Euronews TV branches in Europa held in Tirana in August 2023, François Chignac, Editorial manager branded affiliates Euronews/Africanews at EuroNews Group S.A, thanked Blushi, shareholder Theodhor Çami, and Bjorn Xhokaxhi for what he called the success of the television in Albania.
Blushi has a career as a journalist, politician, and writer. He began his career as a journalist after the 90s. In 1999, he entered politics and was appointed Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in the government of Prime Minister Fatos Nano. From 2003 to 2005, he served as Minister of Decentralization and Local Government.
He was a member of the Albanian Parliament as an elected representative from the Socialist Party from 2001 to 2017. In 2016, due to conflicts with Prime Minister Edi Rama, he broke away from the socialists and founded the party LIBRA, which failed in the next elections and was dissolved. In 2018, Blushi became the General Director of Top-Channel. Despite his previous conflicts with the Prime Minister, he was accused by opposition media of having pro-government stances in the television he directed.
The leak of salary data for over 600 thousand Albanians for January 2021 put Blushi in the media spotlight, as he was shown to have a salary of 24 million lekë, or around 245 thousand dollars, making him the highest-paid person in Albania. Blushi denied receiving that salary and claimed his payment was 24 times smaller. In a second release where April 2021 salaries were published, Blushi's salary was reported as 16.8 million lekë, or around 165 thousand dollars.
Blushi was also accused in the media of having ties with a controversial group of businessmen involved in waste incinerator concession contracts, as his wife Eva Blushi was a co-shareholder in the company "United Services Group" EAD established in Bulgaria, alongside Mirel Mërtiri and Klodian Zoto, who were declared wanted by the Special Prosecution Office and are facing trial in absentia for corruption. Eva Blushi was a shareholder from 2019 to June 2022. The company was reported as closed in April 2023. A lawyer of Blushi denied the accusations and stated that the publishers would be sued for defamation.
According to media reports, Blushi assumed a leadership role at EuroNews in the summer of 2022.

Contact

Rruga “Rezervat e Shtetit” Tirana, Albania

Tel: +355698701852; +355 69 705 5225

Email: jonida.gjoka@euronews.al, marketing.sales@euronews.al

Website: euronews.al

Financial Information

Revenue (in Mill. $)

1.91 Mln..$ / 216 Mln.. Lek

Operating Profit (in Mill. $)

-1.13 Mln..$ /-128 Mln.. Lek

Advertising (in % of total funding)

Missing Data

Market Share

3.6%

Further Information

Meta Data

The ownership structure and financial statement are publicly available on the Albanian National Business Registry. The financial data provided are for 2022. The Central Bank's average exchange rate for 2022 was used to convert the amounts into USD. Audience share for Top 10 TV stations was provided by Idra Media, for the period of 8 May 2022 to 8 May 2023. The data did not include Euronews. EuroNews replied to the information request made by MOM team in August 2023. The company states that there is no viewership data available due to the absence of such a service.

  • Project by
    BIRN ALBANIA
  •  
    Global Media Registry
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    Funded by European Union
  • Funded by
    BMZ