Euronews has signed an MOU with the Georgian telco Silknet to launch a news channel and digital platform aimed at a Georgian-speaking audience.
Following last week’s announcement about the future launch of Euronews Serbia and on November 2018 of Euronews Albania, Euronews Georgia will be the Euronews’ third franchise project.
According to the MOU, Silknet, which operates an IPTV platform, will benefit from the brand-awareness and reputation of Euronews. Meanwhile, Euronews will share content with Euronews Georgia to feature alongside the Georgian media’s original content. Euronews Georgia will in particular use Euronews’ European editorial content. In return, Euronews will benefit from content made by the local franchise, in a region of particular news interest.
Commenting on the development, Michael Peters, Euronews’ CEO said: “Just one week after announcing the future launch Euronews Serbia and a few months after doing so for Euronews Albania, we are delighted to announce the signing of an MOU with Silknet in Georgia, in view of launching Euronews Georgia. At Euronews, we have always been 100% committed to delivering impartial news and we have consistently, since our creation in 1993, been recognised as an independent media. We look forward to progressing in our collaboration with Silknet to offer a new high quality media, which will bring international news as well as national news to viewers across Georgia.”
George Ramishvili, chairman of Silknet’s supervisory board, said: “Silknet will be Euronews’ partner in Georgia in developing Euronews Georgia, an independent news channel to broadcast in the Georgian language. This partnership is a great honor for us, but also a great responsibility. The philosophy of this project is to make an information bridge bringing Europe to Georgia and bringing Georgia to Europe. Silknet is a success story. We have turned an outdated dilapidated infrastructure into a high-tech company that offers Georgian customers a full range of telecommunications services. And now we are adding a highest standard international news content through the most-watched European news channel covering world news from a European perspective. I hope that this endeavour will be successful too.”