Shant TV
Shant TV is a private Armenian television broadcaster founded in Gyumri in 1994 and later headquartered in Yerevan.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Shant TV is a private television broadcasting company in Armenia. Founded by Arthur Yezekyan in Gyumri in 1994, it emerged during a period marked by social tension, economic hardship, and strong public demand for reliable information and locally relevant programming. The station initially concentrated on news and information shows, then expanded its output as its technical capacity and audience developed. The broadcaster began a full six-hour daily schedule in May 1995, creating a regular platform for Armenian-language television programs. During its early years, the company also experimented with related media activities. It launched a private weekly newspaper in 1995 and established a private radio station in 1998. The station faced operational difficulties during the country's energy crisis, including a period in 1995–1996 when transmission was temporarily encoded. Despite those constraints, Shant TV continued building a recognizable presence in Armenian media. In 2001, Shant TV moved from Gyumri to Yerevan, Armenia's capital and principal media center. The relocation supported a more regular broadcasting operation and helped the channel gain wider popularity and audience trust over the following years. Shant TV subsequently broadened its programming beyond news and information. It developed comedy and sketch content, serial dramas, entertainment programs, reality and competition formats, cultural programming, and shows aimed at Armenians living outside Armenia. A notable expansion came in 2003, when the company obtained the rights to produce an Armenian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, described in the reference material as the first internationally recognized television format legally acquired for Armenia. The same year, Shant TV established an online presence and began online broadcasting. It also introduced Car Parade, adding another entertainment-oriented program to its schedule. From 2006, the channel began producing television serials. Between 2006 and 2011 it broadcast a series of competition and talent formats, including Hay Superstar, My Name Is..., X-Factor, Dance Show, Hidden Talent, and So You Think You Can Dance? These programs helped position Shant TV as a broad general-entertainment broadcaster rather than solely a news channel. Other associated programs named in reference material include The Surrogate Mother, Slave of Love, In the Army, In the City, Overview of Abroad, Alien, Ellen's Diary, Armenians of the World, Secret Love, and Vitamin Club. Shant TV also developed digital distribution through Shant News, an online video platform focused on Armenian and international news. By combining television broadcasting with online video, the brand extended its reach beyond conventional terrestrial or cable viewing. The available reference material records the channel broadcasting the romantic drama Vendetta in 2016, but does not provide enough current corporate information to establish its present ownership, financial position, leadership structure, or exact distribution footprint. Shant TV is therefore best characterized as an Armenian private television and media brand with roots in regional broadcasting, a later move to Yerevan, and a programming portfolio spanning news, entertainment, serial drama, comedy, culture, and imported or licensed formats.
History
Shant TV was established in 1994 by Arthur Yezekyan in Gyumri, Armenia's second-largest city. Its creation coincided with a period of economic difficulty, social tension, and substantial demand for news and public-information programming. The company therefore began with a strong emphasis on news and information content rather than relying solely on imported entertainment. In May 1995, Shant TV introduced a full six-hour daily schedule of Armenian-language programs. The company also entered adjacent media activities during its first years, launching a private weekly newspaper in 1995 and a private radio station in 1998. A national energy crisis affected operations in 1995–1996, when the station temporarily encoded its transmission. The broadcaster nevertheless continued developing its output and began producing humorous sketches and joke programs in 1997, helping its material reach Armenian audiences beyond the immediate broadcast area. A major organizational change occurred in 2001, when Shant TV moved from Gyumri to Yerevan. The relocation placed it closer to Armenia's political, cultural, and advertising center. The station began regular broadcasting in Yerevan and, according to the available reference, built popularity and audience trust over the next several years. Shant TV broadened its format portfolio in 2003. It secured the rights to produce an Armenian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, a significant development for Armenia's television industry because it represented the legal acquisition of an internationally recognized format. In the same year, the company went online and started online broadcasting. It also introduced Car Parade, illustrating the channel's increasing interest in entertainment and lifestyle programming. Beginning in 2006, Shant TV added television serials to its output. Between 2006 and 2011, it aired a sequence of talent, dance, reality, and competition programs, including Hay Superstar, My Name Is..., X-Factor, Dance Show, Hidden Talent, and So You Think You Can Dance?. These programs complemented a wider schedule of comedy, drama, cultural, and human-interest shows. Named examples include The Surrogate Mother, Slave of Love, In the Army, In the City, Overview of Abroad, Alien, Ellen's Diary, Armenians of the World, Secret Love, and Vitamin Club. The channel continued to use both locally created material and licensed or adapted formats. Armenians of the World, which began in 2011 according to the reference material, reflected the broadcaster's interest in audiences and communities outside Armenia. In 2016, Shant TV showed the romantic drama Vendetta. The company also extended its digital operations through Shant News, an online video platform covering national and international news. The available sources do not establish Shant TV's current ownership, legal corporate structure, present executive team, financial performance, or detailed technical distribution arrangements. Its documented development, however, shows a progression from a regional Armenian information broadcaster to a Yerevan-based general television brand with news, entertainment, serial drama, comedy, cultural programming, licensed formats, and online video distribution.
- 2016
Vendetta broadcast
[1]Shant TV showed the romantic drama Vendetta.
- 2011
Armenians of the World begins
[1]The channel began broadcasting Armenians of the World, a program reflecting its interest in Armenian communities beyond the country.
- 2006
Television serial production begins
[1]Shant TV expanded into television serials.
- 2003
International format rights acquired
[1]Shant TV acquired rights to produce an Armenian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.
- 2003
Online broadcasting begins
[1]The company launched its web presence and began online broadcasting.
- 2001
Relocation to Yerevan
[1]The broadcaster moved from Gyumri to Yerevan and began regular broadcasting there.
- 1998
Private radio station established
[1]Shant TV founded a private radio station as part of its broader media activity.
- 1995
Full six-hour schedule begins
[1]Shant TV launched a full six-hour daily schedule of Armenian television programming in May.
- 1995
Private weekly newspaper launched
[1]The company expanded into print media with a private weekly newspaper.
- 1994
Founded in Gyumri
[1]Arthur Yezekyan founded Shant TV as a private Armenian television company in Gyumri.
Products and positioning
A broad Armenian private television broadcaster combining news and information programming with locally produced entertainment, serial drama, comedy, cultural content, and licensed international formats.
Television broadcasting · 1994
Shant TV broadcast channel
The core Armenian television service, originally centered on news and information programming and later expanded into a general schedule combining current affairs, comedy, serial drama, cultural features, entertainment, and competition formats.
Online news video
Shant News
An online video platform associated with Shant TV that focuses on national and international news. It represents the brand's extension from conventional broadcasting into web-based video distribution.
Entertainment programming · 2003
Licensed and adapted television formats
Shant TV has broadcast Armenian versions or adaptations of recognized international formats, including Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, Hay Superstar, X-Factor, Dance Show, Hidden Talent, and So You Think You Can Dance?.
Brand decisions
2003
Adoption of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?Product launchBackground
Armenian television was beginning to use internationally recognized formats through formal licensing arrangements.
Action taken
Shant TV acquired the rights to produce an Armenian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.
Aftermath
The format was identified in the reference material as the first internationally acknowledged television format legally acquired in Armenia.
2003
Expansion into online broadcastingStrategyBackground
The broadcaster sought to extend access beyond its conventional television distribution.
Action taken
Shant TV launched an online presence and began online broadcasting.
Aftermath
The move established a digital distribution path later complemented by the Shant News online video platform.
2001
Move from Gyumri to YerevanStrategyBackground
The broadcaster had been founded in Gyumri but sought a stronger presence in Armenia's capital and principal media market.
Action taken
Shant TV relocated to Yerevan and began regular broadcasting from there.
Aftermath
The available reference describes increased popularity and audience trust over the subsequent years, but provides no quantified performance data.
Recent events
- 2006
Shant TV expands into television serials[1]
Product generation
The broadcaster began showing television serials, expanding its content mix beyond news and studio entertainment.
- 2006
Shant TV broadcasts talent and competition formats[1]
Product launch
From 2006 through 2011, the channel aired Armenian versions or adaptations of several competition and talent formats, including Hay Superstar, X-Factor, Dance Show, and So You Think You Can Dance?.
- 2003
Shant TV acquires Armenian rights to Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?[1]
Product launch · Other
Shant TV obtained rights to produce an Armenian version of the internationally known game-show format, described as the first legally acquired internationally recognized television format in Armenia.
- 2003
Shant TV launches online broadcasting[1]
Product launch
The company established an online presence and began distributing its programming through online broadcasting.
- 2001
Shant TV moves to Yerevan[1]
Other
The broadcaster relocated from Gyumri to Yerevan and began regular broadcasting there, supporting broader audience development.
- 1995
Shant TV begins a full daily broadcasting schedule[1]
Product launch
The station introduced a full six-hour daily schedule of Armenian television programming in May 1995.
- 1994
Shant TV is founded in Gyumri[1]
Other
Arthur Yezekyan founded Shant TV in Gyumri, establishing a private Armenian television company during a period of high demand for information programming.
Shant News develops Shant TV's online news presence[1]
Product launch
Shant TV launched Shant News, an online video platform focused on international and national news.
Sources3 sources
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