TV Imedi owner Irakli Rukhadze has announced his decision to step away from the television company, saying that the most reasonable solution under the current circumstances is to part ways with the channel.
Based on a statement distributed by TV Imedi, the channel will receive new owners: Prime Media Global, along with Imedi’s current Director General Maka Lomidze and her deputies.
“It was not an easy decision to find a new owner for Imedi,” Rukhadze said, explaining that both he and his business partners had reached the conclusion that continuing ownership of the television channel no longer aligned with their core business interests.
Rukhadze recalled that, in 2018, at the request of the family of the late businessman Badri Patarkatsishvili, he agreed to purchase Imedi despite reservations, emphasizing that separating media from politics in Georgia had always been particularly challenging. He stated that the group’s primary objectives were to ensure political stability and to minimize direct interference in the channel’s editorial policy.
Rukhadze claims that Imedi’s mission was never unconditional support for Georgian Dream, though backing the ruling party against the United National Movement was, in his words, an “easy decision,” citing human rights, rule of law, and democratic governance concerns.
He said that over the past seven to eight years, the group largely achieved its goals, adding that Imedi played a significant role in the political landscape and that risks of destabilization and war had substantially decreased. However, Rukhadze stressed that television ownership does not represent an economic interest for his business group and, on the contrary, creates additional challenges for its core investment activities.
Following lengthy consultations, the partners decided to exit Imedi. “This decision is extremely difficult for me personally,” Rukhadze noted, highlighting his more than 20-year emotional and professional connection with the channel and its staff.
Under the new ownership structure, Prime Media Global will acquire 50% of TV Imedi, while the remaining 50% will be transferred to Maka Lomidze and her four deputies. Rukhadze expressed confidence in the new management and wished success to the channel, its team, and the country as a whole.
A separate statement was also released by Ilia Mikelaishvili, owner of Prime Media Global, who said the company intends to preserve Imedi’s existing editorial policy.
Prime Media Global was registered in 2019. According to the latest extract from Georgia’s Public Registry dated January 23, 2026, the company is fully owned and managed by Mikelaishvili, who also holds 100% ownership stakes in several other media-related companies.
Maka Lomidze remains the current Director General of TV Imedi.
Image source: Netgazeti
