Pro-government Rustavi 2 had the highest commercial advertising revenue among Georgian TV channels in the second quarter of 2026, overtaking TV Imedi, another pro-government broadcaster sanctioned by the UK in February, for the first time since at least 2021, according to official data from the media regulator Communications Commission (ComCom) reviewed by independent media platform Mediachecker.
According to the data, which do not include financial information from Formula TV, a major opposition-leaning channel, pro-government broadcasters accounted for 74% of the GEL 24 million [USD 9.2 million] in total commercial advertising revenue of TV channels. Formula TV had not submitted its relevant data to ComCom by the time of Mediachecker’s report, with the broadcaster’s lawyer cited as saying that Formula would submit the data to the regulator “in the near future” due to “technical reasons.”
Rustavi 2 received GEL 9.75 million in ad revenue in April-June, followed by Imedi with GEL 8.06 million. Imedi, which came under British sanctions in February, had received the highest commercial advertising revenue among Georgian television broadcasters in each year from 2021 through 2025. It also led in the first quarter of 2026, receiving GEL 10.81 million compared to Rustavi 2’s GEL 7.94 million.
Government-critical TV Pirveli received GEL 1.38 million in commercial advertising revenue during the second quarter, while POSTV, another UK-sanctioned pro-government broadcaster, received GEL 1.18 million. GDS, founded by Bera Ivanishvili, son of Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, received GEL 670,000, while pro-government Maestro TV received GEL 220,000.
Rustavi 2’s largest advertisers during the second quarter included Eurasian Broadcasting Enterprise Limited, reportedly based in England, and Meama Georgia, which each paid the broadcaster more than GEL 500,000. The companies paying more than GEL 500,000 to TV Imedi included Anagi, Meama, and Avenue by Orbi LLC, all based in Georgia.
The figures come amid financial pressures on government-critical broadcasters and restrictions on their access to funding. Under amendments to Georgia’s Broadcasting Law adopted in 2025, broadcasters are prohibited from receiving foreign funding, except for commercial transactions.
TV Pirveli and Formula TV have also faced regulatory and financial difficulties. ComCom recently fined TV Pirveli GEL 5,000, marking the second such fine imposed under the controversial amendments that expanded the regulator’s powers to oversee media content. Formula TV has been similarly fined twice by ComCom over similar alleged violations.
In March, TV Pirveli said its satellite broadcasting had been suspended due to unpaid fees, with the shutdown primarily affecting viewers in regions and remote areas where online streaming and pay-TV services are less accessible.
Formula TV reported in May that its broadcast had been partially suspended for part of its audience due to an outstanding debt to Stereo Plus, an operator that distributes the channel’s free-to-air signal via a digital multiplex to viewers without cable television. The broadcaster said later that month that the disrupted broadcasting had resumed.
The financial difficulties have also affected regional broadcasters. In December 2025, Transparency International-Georgia, a local watchdog group, reported that 17 regional broadcasters had halted operations during 2025 due to financial difficulties.
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