Please find below our findings for our Republic of Cyprus Media Ownership report for 2024:
Alpha
The TV channel Alpha Cyprus and online news portal Alpha News Live are owned by the company Alpha Television Cyprus Limited, which has been under the ownership of the Papaellinas family since April 2018. In March of this year, the shareholding structure changed to the following individual family members: Georgios Theodotou (50%), Christina Dimadi Loizou (25%) and Andreas Papaellinas (25%).
The Papaellinas family, headed by Andreas Papaellinas, are also owners of the Papaellinas Group, which includes supermarket chain Alphamega Hypermarkets, as well as holdings in cosmetics, pharmaceutical, and consumer brands. Georgios Theodotou and Christina Dimadi Loizou are grandchildren of Andreas Papaellinas.
Antenna Group
TV station Ant1 Cyprus, Ant1 radio station and the Ant1Live online news portal are owned by Antenna Limited. Shares in this company are held by Christakis Christofides (21%), Andreas Phellas (21%), Ero & Loukis Papaphilippou (20.04%) Maria Phillippou Lefkati (11.8%), Stelios Malekos (10.56%) Loukis Papaphillippou (4.8%), Costakis Koutsokoumnis (3%), Ioannis Athienities (2%), Charoulla Christofidou (2%), Marios Koutsokoumnis (1.5%), Stavros Athienitis (1%) and Ntinos Lefkaritis, Nikoletta Iakovidi, Dimitra Iakovidi, Stella Iakovidi and Costakis Loizou holding less than 1%.
Ant1 founder Loukis Papaphillipou died in 2021 and Costakis Koutsokoumnis, the former president of the Cyprus Football Association, died in 2018, yet both remain shareholders in Antenna Limited, according to records from the Cyprus corporate registry.
Cyprus Mail
The Cyprus Mail newspaper and online news portal are owned since 2019 by Neo Cymed Publishing Limited. The company was owned by Andreas Neocleous, the founder of the law firm Andreas Neocleous & Co LLC, until his death in 2021. The current sole shareholder is Neocleous’ widow, Amalia Neocleous.
By the time Cyprus Mail announced to its staff the new ownership, multiple articles had disappeared from the legacy paper’s website, including coverage of the 2017 conviction of Andreas Neocleous & Co LLC and the law firm’s current owner Panayiotis Neocleous for “bribery and transactions indicating corruption” in connection with former Deputy Attorney General of Cyprus Rikkos Erotokritou. Panayiotis Neocleous was pardoned by then- President Nicos Anastasiades in 2018.
Digital Tree Media
Launched in 2012 with the acquisition of online sports outlet Kerkida, the Digital Tree Media Group has expanded to include OffsiteNews, Brief, FastForward, AvantGarde, MyLife, Proper Property, radio stations Klik and Choice FM, and a video recipe social media page called Kitchen Island. The group also has holdings in digital marketing, media production, and web development sectors.
Digital Tree Media Ltd is owned by Digital Tree Epublishers Limited, whose shareholders include the companies, Invelopment Partners Limited (30.6%), Muscatino Limited (9.8% , Tedano Holdings Limited (3.5%) and individuals Theodoros Middleton (41.35%), Tasos Anastasi (4.7%), Theofanis Dimitriou (4%), Stavros Stavrou (3.2%), Michalis Mylonas (1.95%) and Roy Papatheodorou (0.8%).
Stavros Stavrou is the current president of the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Invelopment Partners Limited, which in addition to media is invested in the food and beverage industry and the tech sector, is owned by Theodoros Middleton (30%), Invelopment Business Services Limited (30%), Stavrou (30%) and Papatheodorou (10%).
The sole shareholder of Muscatino Limited is Vasilis Zertalis and Tedano Holding Limited is fully owned by Georgios Middleton.
Only controlling (Class A) shares have been included.
Sigma / Dias Group
Dias United Publishing Company is the owner of weekly newspaper Simerini, radio station Radio Proto, magazines OK, Check In, Economy Today, Madame Figaro, and websites ILoveStyle and CheckInCyprus. It is also the parent company of Sigmalive Limited, which owns the Sigmalive online news portal.
The TV channel Sigma, which operates from the Dias office building and shares its corporate address, is owned by Sigma Radio T.V. Public Limited.
Sigma Radio T.V. Public Limited and Dias United Publishing Company share resources and management, but have different boards of directors, the companies told CIReN.
According to information provided by Dias, major shareholders (above 5%) include Costas Hadjicostis (29.79%), Rea Andronikou (14.04%), Petros Kyriakides (10.57%), Nicolaos Hadjicostis (8.05%), Christiana Kalli (5.71%). Dias has a total of 179 shareholders, according to the company.
The shareholders who hold above 5% of Sigma Radio and TV Public Limited are, according to the same source, Chrysanthos Tsouroullis (19.82%), Nicolaos Hadjicostis (16.17%), Christos Panagiotou (14.89%), Elena Ioannou Skoura (10.42%), and Christina Papadopoulou (8.55%). This company has 144 total shareholders.
IMH
The IMH group is a corporate events and media organization that owns several publications, including magazines InBusiness and Gold, websites Reporter, Omada and Cyprus Business News, and radio station SuperFM. The brands are owned by the company IMH C.S.C. Limited, which is owned by Georgios Michail (51%), Maria Ioannou (41%), and Daphne Roditou Tang (9%).
Maria Ioannou is the wife of Constantinos Ioannou, one of the founders of IMH, who is currently serving as Minister of Interior of Cyprus. He was also the Cypriot Health Minister from 2018 to 2021.
Kanali 6
The Kanali 6 radio station is owned by the company Diavlos Business Information Services Ltd (ΔΙΑΥΛΟΣ ΕΠΙΧΕΙΡΗΣΕΙΣ ΠΛΗΡΟΦΟΡΗΣΗΣ ΛΙΜΙΤΕΔ), which is owned by Lella Mavreli (25%), Marios Papadopoulos (11.5%), Panicos Schoinis (11.5%), Panicos Petridis (6%), Petros Livanios (4%), Eftichia Ilia (4%), Giorgos Nikolaides (4%), Evi Katsounotou (2.5%), Michalis Pourgourides (2.5%), Charalambos Panagiotou (1%) and Achilleas Aimilianou (1%).
Kathimerini Cyprus / SPP Digital Media
SPP Media Ltd owns the websites 24News, 24Sports, WizGuide, the magazines Must and Beautiful People, and radio stations Love FM and DeeJayRadio.
SPP Media Ltd also owns 50% of Kathimerini Cyprus newspaper, while the other 50% is ultimately owned by Themistoklis Alafouzos, the owner of Kathimerini Greece.
SPP Media Ltd is ultimately owned by Dimitris Lottides and Christis Lottides. The latter is married to Maria Stylianou-Lottidou, the Cyprus Commissioner for Administration and Protection of Human Rights.
Haravgi / Dialogos
The Haravgi newspaper is owned by Telegraphos Publishing Company Ltd, which is majority owned by Commercial Company Ammochostos Emora Ltd (ΕΜΠΟΡΙΚΗ ΕΤΑΙΡΙΑ ΑΜΜΟΧΩΣΤΟΥ ΕΜΟΡΑ ΔΗΜΟΣΙΑ ΛΤΔ), which is owned by 1251 minority shareholders with only Katerina Neofytou (7.47%) holding more than 5% of the company.
Minority stakes in Telegraphos are held by Nasos Koukos (0.2%), Constantinos Christoforou (0.2%), Giorgoulla Parmakkis (0.2%), Christalla Antoniou (0.2%), Marios Panagi (0.2%) and Chrysanthos Zannettou (0.2%), Varnavas Charalambous (0.2%) and Artemiou, Pieri and Partners LLC (0.07%). Zannettou is the Vice Mayor of Famagusta.
The website Dialogos is owned by Dialogos Media Services Ltd, whose shareholders include Chrysanthos Zannettou (14.3%), Chrysostomos Pashiardis(14.3%), Theocharis Karamanos (14.3%), Theocharis Chari (14.3%), Marios Panagi (14.3%), Stephos Stephanou (14.3%) and Christalla Antoniou (14.2%). All hold positions with the left-wing AKEL party.
MC Digital Media
The MC Digital Media was founded in 2013 and owns the online news portal Cyprus Times, financial portal Eurokerdos, sports websites Protathlima and ShootandGoal, and lifestyle and entertainment websites including LadyTimes, Showbiz, CyprusFantasy League and WowKids. The company also publishes the magazines Eurokerdos and Protaseis. MC Digital Media Ltd is owned by Loizos Dimitriou (51%) and Evi Marangou (49%).
Omega
Omega Channel Ltd owns of the Omega TV channel, the OmegaNews online portal, and the Supersport FM radio station. The company’s shares are held by Ioannis Hasikos (50%), Socrates Hasikos (25%) and Dimosthenis Chrysomylas (25%).
S. Hasikos, who died in 2019, had served as Cyprus’ Interior Minister (2013-2017) and Defence Minister (1999-2003 and 2014). His son Ioannis Hasikos was named Managing Director of Omega Channel in 2021.
Phileleftheros
Phileleftheros Public Company Limited owns Phileleftheros newspaper and online portals In-Cyprus, Philenews, Goal, and Like, as well as magazines Downtown, Goal News, TV Mania and Philgood. The company’s shareholders include Nicos Chr. Pattichis (59.99%), Mirto Markides (34.99%), Marianna Evgeniou Markidou (5%), Myrna Demetriou (0.005%), Miranta Onoufriou (0.005%), Myrna Selipa (0.005%) and India Olymbia Pattichis (0.005%).
Pattichis is executive chairman of Phileleftheros and Markides is the paper’s CEO. They are grandchildren of the newspaper’s founder, Nicos Pattichis.
Politis
Politis newspaper and online media portal are owned by Arktinos Publications Limited (ΕΚΔΟΣΕΙΣ ΑΡΚΤΙΝΟΣ ΛΙΜΙΤΕΔ). The company is owned by the paper’s founder and publisher Giannis Papadopoulos (99.9%), with a minority stake held by Katerina Papadopoulou (0.01%).