Hoxha Family

The Hoxha family controls one of the largest media conglomerates in Albania, Top Media, which consists of Top Channel and Top News televisions, Top Albania Radio, Top Gold and My Music radios, paid distributor DigitAlb as well as several other companies. Top Media was founded by Dritan Hoxha, often dubbed as a ‘pioneer of digital media’ in the region. After Dritan Hoxha's death, his widow Vjollca Hoxha and their four children, Lorela, Sara, Redia and Itan inherited his companies. However, Vjollca kept a low public profile until 2015, when she took over the administration of Top Channel TV and filed a lawsuit against two of its shareholders, Albert Sino and Aurel Baci, who she accused of acquiring the stake in the company illegally. The legal saga ended in January 2023, when the High Court recognized the heirs of Dritan Hoxha as the sole owners of the company.

In February 2023, Vjollca Hoxha passed the baton to her daughter, Lorela, who took over the management of Top Channel. In addition to Top Channel television, the Hoxha family owns 42.82% of the shares of the pay per view platform DigitAlb, 80% of Top Albania Radio, the online portal Gazeta-Shqip.com, SARAS publishing house. Vjollca Hoxha also owns 17% of the shares of the newly founded IT Company, Kudopay in a partnership with Stela Gugallja – a controversial businesswoman of the concession for the construction of a waste incinerator with the Albanian government. Gugallja is accused by the Special Prosecutor’s Office of corruption and is facing trial in absentia.

With a 22-year history in the audiovisual market and the public battles fought by its late owner Dritan Hoxha with former right-wing Prime Minister Sali Berisha, Top Channel created the perception of a TV station close to the current Prime Minister Edi Rama. However, the relationship between Rama and Top Channel have also had their ups and downs. In a series of tweets in November 2022, Rama accused Top Channel of seeking “illegal favors” from his government. The Prime Minister also presented a document in which Top Channel seems to propose to the Agency for Agricultural and Rural Development fifty promotional TV shows for a total payment of 12 million ALL. "This is an example of how media blackmail works. 120 million lek is requested from AZHBR to show Albanians everywhere how well rural Albania is doing," wrote Rama in his Twitter account. A few hours later, Top Channel described Rama's statements as "a series of attacks" which, according to the television, came "after some disturbing chronicles for the public".