Georgia's opposition broadcaster shutting down

Georgia’s leading pro-opposition broadcaster, Mtavari TV, has announced it will permanently shut down May 1, a move that strengthens the Georgian Dream Party’s ability to shape news narratives about political and economic developments in the country. Government critics vow to launch a new channel, but recent legislation gives Georgian Dream officials numerous instruments to frustrate opposition plans, Eurasianet reported.

Mtavari has not produced fresh programming since February, when it halted operations, with top executives claiming it was forced to do so due to a “deliberately triggered financial crisis” by its co-founder, Zaza Okuashvili.

The channel’s top executive, Director General Giorgi Gabunia, has accused Okuashvili of switching sides, abandoning the opposition and joining the incumbents so he can continue to pursue his individual financial interests. 

“There is strong reason to suspect that he is acting in coordination with the illegitimate government, or using this situation as leverage to negotiate with it,” Gabunia claimed, pointing to Okuashvili’s court battle with GD’s founder, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili. 

Nika Gvaramia, another Mtavari co-founder and presently a leading opposition figure, responded to the shutdown announcement on April 28 by defiantly declaring a new opposition broadcaster will be formed.

“Mtavari will close, but a new one will rise,” he said. “It can’t be any other way. I believe it, and I know it.”

For his part, Okuashvili accused Gvaramia and Gabunia of looting the channel and “artificially pushing it to the brink of bankruptcy.” He added that his original intention was to replace the current leadership team; when that proved unfeasible, he opted for closure.

According to the International Republican Institute’s 2023 Opinion Survey, conducted while Mtavari TV was still fully operational, the channel ranked as the second most trusted television station in Georgia. To this day, it retains a strong online readership, with over 1.4 million followers across its social media platforms.