Mtavari Arkhi

Mtavari Arkhi, whose Georgian name მთავარი არხი translates approximately as “Main Channel,” was a Georgian private television broadcaster established on 17 August 2019 and launched on air on 9 September of the same year. It was headquartered in Tbilisi and became one of Georgia’s prominent privately owned news and current-affairs channels. Its programming included news bulletins, political discussion programs, documentaries, and other locally produced television content. The channel was formed largely by media professionals who had previously worked at Rustavi 2 and subsequently left that broadcaster. Available reference material identifies businessman Zaza Okuashvili as holding a 40% stake and journalist and media executive Nika Gvaramia as holding a 12% stake. The ownership structure also connected Mtavari Arkhi with wider debates about media pluralism, political influence, and the independence of Georgian television news, although the available material does not establish a complete ownership register or identify every shareholder. Mtavari Arkhi distributed its signal across Georgia through terrestrial transmission, satellite services, cable operators, and internet-protocol television platforms. Its principal public role was as a news and political-information outlet, offering an alternative platform within Georgia’s competitive and politically contested television environment. The channel’s positioning centered on current affairs and public debate rather than on a broad entertainment portfolio, although it also carried television series and other non-news content. The broadcaster entered a severe financial crisis in 2025. From 15 February 2025 until its closure, it reportedly stopped producing live programming and aired television series instead. On 28 April 2025, staff were notified that the channel’s services would be permanently suspended. Mtavari Arkhi ceased all broadcasting operations on 1 May 2025 and is now defunct as a television broadcaster. After the television service closed, former members of the channel’s media group began operating MtavariNow, an online news outlet distributed primarily through YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook. The project uses a redesigned circular version of the former Mtavari Arkhi logo. It is treated as a successor online outlet in the available reference material, but the precise legal and ownership relationship between MtavariNow and the former television channel has not been established. The former Mtavari Arkhi website and social-media presences are largely no longer maintained.

Mtavari Arkhi was established in Georgia on 17 August 2019 and began broadcasting on 9 September 2019. The channel was created during a period of intense competition and political contestation in Georgian television news. Much of its staff came from Rustavi 2, giving the new broadcaster an experienced newsroom and production base from the outset. The available reference material identifies Zaza Okuashvili as a 40% owner and Nika Gvaramia as a 12% owner, but does not provide a complete account of the company’s shareholders, corporate governance, or financing. The broadcaster operated from Tbilisi and distributed its signal throughout Georgia through terrestrial and satellite transmission, cable operators, and IPTV services. Its editorial and programming identity emphasized news, political talk shows, current affairs, and documentaries. It also carried television series and other general programming. Through this mix, Mtavari Arkhi functioned primarily as a national television news brand while retaining the scheduling flexibility of a general private channel. The channel’s broadcast life ended during a financial crisis in 2025. Live programming production reportedly stopped on 15 February, after which the station aired television series until its final shutdown. On 28 April, staff were informed that the suspension would be permanent. Broadcasting ended on 1 May 2025, making Mtavari Arkhi defunct as a television operation. After the shutdown, former members of the channel’s group developed MtavariNow, a social-media-based news outlet operating mainly through YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook. Its visual identity uses a redesigned circular form of the Mtavari Arkhi logo. The successor project preserves part of the former channel’s digital and journalistic presence, but the available sources do not clarify whether MtavariNow is a legally continuous entity, a subsidiary, or an independent initiative by former staff. The former broadcaster’s website and other official accounts are mostly inactive or redirected.

• 2025

  Live production ends

  [1]Mtavari Arkhien.wikipedia.org

  From 15 February 2025, the channel reportedly stopped producing live programming and relied mainly on television series until closure.

• 2025

  Broadcast operations cease

  [1]Mtavari Arkhien.wikipedia.org

  Mtavari Arkhi permanently ended television broadcasting on 1 May 2025 following a financial crisis.

• 2025

  MtavariNow emerges as an online news outlet

  [1]Mtavari Arkhien.wikipedia.org

  Former members of the channel’s media group began publishing news through social platforms under the MtavariNow name.

• 2019

  Channel established

  [1]Mtavari Arkhien.wikipedia.org

  Mtavari Arkhi was established on 17 August 2019 in Georgia.

• 2019

  Television broadcasting begins

  [1]Mtavari Arkhien.wikipedia.org

  The channel began airing on 9 September 2019.

A Georgian private broadcaster positioned around news, current affairs, political debate, and locally produced television content, with a later transition by associated former staff toward social-media-first news publishing.

• Television news · 2019

  News programming

  News bulletins and related reporting formed a central part of Mtavari Arkhi’s television identity. The programming served Georgian viewers with domestic political and current-affairs coverage before the channel stopped live production in 2025.

• Current affairs · 2019

  Political talk shows

  Political discussion programs were among the channel’s principal formats, reflecting its broader positioning as a news and public-affairs broadcaster. Specific program titles and launch dates are not established in the supplied reference material.

• Factual television · 2019

  Documentaries

  Mtavari Arkhi also presented documentary content alongside its news and political programming. The available sources do not identify individual documentary series or production dates.

• Online news · 2025

  MtavariNow

  MtavariNow is an online news outlet launched by former members of the Mtavari Arkhi media group after the television channel closed. It publishes mainly through YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook and uses a redesigned circular version of the former channel’s logo. Its legal relationship with Mtavari Arkhi is unclear.

• 2025

  Shift from television broadcasting to online newsStrategy

  Background

  A financial crisis led to the end of live programming and ultimately to the closure of the television channel.

  Action taken

  After broadcasting ended, former members of the channel’s group moved news activity primarily to YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook under the MtavariNow name.

  Aftermath

  Mtavari Arkhi became defunct as a television broadcaster, while a related online news presence continued under a different name.

  Source

1. 1Mtavari Arkhien.wikipedia.org
2. 2Mtavari Arkhi official websitemtavari.tv