Media Union Obieqtivi was founded in August 2010. Secretary General of Alliance of Patriots of Georgia (APG), Irma Inashvili was co-founder of the TV channel. Since 2014 she has not been involved in the channel’s management.
According to the channel’s license documents, on July 11, 2013, Media House Obieqtivi Ltd. and Media Union Obieqtivi applied to the Georgian National Communications Commission (GNCC) with a request to transfer private broadcasting licenses #B62 and #B114 from Media House Obieqtivi Ltd. to Media Union Obieqtivi. GNCC satisfied the request in August 2013. Irma Inashvili is the owner of 28.5% of shares in Media House Obieqtivi Ltd, according to the public registry data for 2013.
Besides television frequency, Obieqtivi also carries out broadcasting via radio frequency and the Internet.
One of the co-founders of the TV channel and member of APG noted in the interview with Palitra TV that the party was founded by the team of Media Union Obieqtivi: “We [Alliance of Patriots] are not a new political union, let me say… This is a team of people, who created Media Union Obieqtivi in 2003.” The party office and television are located in the same building.
According to various surveys, Obieqtivi carries out an anti-western, Turkophobic and homophobic editorial policy. The channel airs Russian language movies and stories with anti-western contents.
Obieqtivi is not included in TVMR Georgia’s TV ratings. According to the Georgian National Communications Commission (GNCC), the TV channel’s commercial revenues accounted for 1.4% of the entire market in 2015. Its revenues from budget-funded ads amounted to GEL 68 616 in 2015 and GEL 52 167 in 2013-2014.
Citing a report from Tbilisi-based Media Development Foundation, European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) recommended the Georgian authorities in its fifth monitoring cycle report “to review their contracts with media outlets and cancel or not renew them in cases where media are known to engage in racist or homo-/transphobic hate speech.”
The TV channel launched its pre-election news programs in May 16, 2016. Media Union Obiektivi was not included in TVMR Georgia TV ratings in 2015. According to the financial declarations published on the website of the Georgian National Communications Commision (GNCC) for the 2016 (January 1 -June 30), among 8 TV Companies which are in lead on media market in terms of revenues, Media Union Obiektivi is the only TV company with highest donation share (31 %).
In 2016 there 16 instance of hate speech by Obieqtivi ancchors and journalists were revealed and most of them (11) were homophobic. Though in 2016 Turkophobia expressed by Obieqtivi anchors has sharply decreased (3), a number of respondents who circulated Turkophobic sentiments through Obieqtivi Channel were highest (47) among monitoring subjects. In addition, the hosts of TV programs did not oppose their respondents and did not indicate that their opinions were discriminative in nature as it is envisaged by the Code of Conduct for Broadcasters.
August 30, 2016 Present- Head of the Board: Irakli Tsilikishvili, Members of the Board: Soso Zaalishvili, Mamuka Gobechia, Zurab Gogishvili
October 9, 2014 - Head of the Board: Irakli Tsilikishvili, Members of the Board: Soso Zaalishvili, Tea Nadiradze, Zurab Gogishvili
June 18, 2014 - Head of the Board: Irakli Tsilikishvili, Members of the Board: Tea Nadiradze, Regan Teloiani, Zurab Gogishvili
August 2, 2010 - Head of the Board: Irakli Tsilikishvili, Members of the Board: Mamuka Gobechia, Irma Inashvili, Regan Teloiani
30.Obieqtivi TV has long pursued an anti-Turkish editorial policy, visible in its talk shows through comments made by presenters and the choice of guests. It also led a campaign against a new mosque in Batumi. Irma Inashvili, founder of Obieqtivi and leader of the Alliance of Patriots party, stated: "First and foremost, they realise that threat which the construction of a new mosque, or to be more precise, erecting a symbol of might of Turkey in the center of Batumi can cause”.
Citing a report from Tbilisi-based Media Development Foundation, European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) recommended the Georgian authorities in its fifth monitoring cycle report “to review their contracts with media outlets and cancel or not renew them in cases where media are known to engage in racist or homo-/transphobic hate speech.”
In 2016 there 16 instance of hate speech by Obieqtivi ancchors and journalists were revealed and most of them (11) were homophobic. Though in 2016 Turkophobia expressed by Obieqtivi anchors has sharply decreased (3), a number of respondents who circulated Turkophobic sentiments through Obieqtivi Channel were highest (47) among monitoring subjects. In addition, the hosts of TV programs did not oppose their respondents and did not indicate that their opinions were discriminative in nature as it is envisaged by the Code of Conduct for Broadcasters.
