Financial Sources of the Georgian Dream Party Online Media Ecosystem
Key findings
- The online media ecosystem affiliated with the political party Georgian Dream consists of at least 25 information agencies that are directly or indirectly connected to the party. These outlets systematically receive organized financial support through two parallel channels: regular direct funding from Georgian Dream and allocations from state budget resources.
- According to financial declarations submitted to the Anti-Corruption Bureau and the State Audit Office, between 2019 and 2025, Georgian Dream paid a total of 1,503,708 GEL to 22 online media companies or organizations. Over the past two years, payments have been made almost on a monthly basis, both during and outside election periods, indicating a stable and long-term cooperation between the party and these outlets.
- Among the media agencies funded by Georgian Dream, the largest recipient (222,612 GEL) was Prime Time LLC, owned by Giorgi Kutateladze and Tamar Pkhakadze.
- Online media outlets linked to Georgian Dream also receive state budget revenues, primarily through simplified public procurement. Between 2019 and 2025, these contracts amounted to 1,159 in total, with a cumulative value approaching 4.3 million GEL.
- Based on an analysis of simplified procurement contracts, local self-government units (46%) and the state budget (33%) were the main sources of funding for these online media companies. An additional 4% came from the governments of the Autonomous Republics of Adjara and Abkhazia, while 17% originated from public institutions’ own revenues.
- The company Pirveli LLC, which owns the Newshub information agency, has actively participated in public tenders in 2024–2025, with a 100% success rate. As of September 18, 2025, the company had won 32 tenders totaling 2,617,744 GEL.
- The editorial policies of the funded media outlets align with the ruling party’s narratives. They amplify Georgian Dream’s messages, produce or disseminate propaganda content, and, in some cases, actively engage in coordinated campaigns against opposition parties. Between 2020 and 2025, Newshub’s Facebook page (Pia.ge - News until November 25, 2020) published 1,721 political ads worth more than 25,400 USD, most of which promoted Georgian Dream’s political agenda.
- The consistent financing of loyal media outlets amid restrictions on independent media demonstrates that Georgian Dream’s goal is to replace independent online media with party-controlled agencies within its own communication ecosystem.
1. Introduction
Media pluralism and an independent information environment are essential prerequisites for the functioning of a democratic state - both of which have been significantly undermined in Georgia in recent years. The political landscape of the country has changed dramatically due to legislative and institutional decisions adopted by Georgian Dream, which have exerted serious pressure on independent online media. Amendments to the Law on Grants, initiated by the ruling party, restricted independent media organizations’ ability to receive funding from international donors. This measure, along with similar constraints imposed on civil society organizations, has had a direct and damaging effect on the financial sustainability of critical media. At the same time, Georgian Dream has actively sought to limit media freedom through legislative initiatives such as the “Foreign Agents Registration Act” (FARA) and the Law on “Transparency of Foreign Influence.” These developments have placed independent online media in an existential crisis, while the ruling party applies a completely different approach toward online media outlets directly or indirectly affiliated with it.
Online media agencies connected to Georgian Dream enjoy stable and diversified financial support. One channel consists of direct payments from the party for “informational services” and “political advertising,” ensuring almost monthly revenue streams for pro-government media. The second channel involves state or subnational budget funding, provided mainly through simplified procurement contracts. Thus, a system has been formed in which the same media outlets receive both party and public funds, securing their long-term sustainability, while independent media lack comparable opportunities.
This report identifies 25 online media agencies and their owning companies, organizations or individuals that have received systematic funding from Georgian Dream in recent years. It also analyzes the budgetary sources of their income and the editorial policies of these outlets. The practices described likely represent part of a broader government policy aimed at eliminating independent online media and replacing it with a pro-GD ecosystem aligned with party narratives.
2. Activities of online media agencies associated with the Georgian Dream party
The online media ecosystem associated with Georgian Dream consists of at least 25 information agencies. The limited liability companies (LLCs), non-entrepreneurial (non-commercial) legal entities (N(N)LEs), and individual entrepreneurs owning these agencies receive monthly payments from Georgian Dream - both during and outside of election periods - for information services or advertising on their websites.
Some of these agencies are interlinked through shared owners and directors. For example, the companies owning Newspress and NSP.ge - InfoNews LLC and NSP.ge LLC - are both owned by the same individual, Aleksandre Chubinidze. Furthermore, certain online media companies or organizations operate multiple information outlets. Among them, a single media holding is formed by IPress.ge, IBusiness.ge, IRegions.ge, and IMtavroba.ge, all owned by Tamar Lepsveridze through her companies IRegion LLC and Tavisupali Gazeti+ LLC. Kvira+ LLC, owned by Ketevan Khositashvili, controls two agencies - the information and analytical portal Kvira and the regional Kvira. Kartuli Azri LLC, owned by Giorgi Mamatsashvili, owns both Kartuli Azri and Reportiori agencies.
Table 1. Online media agencies associated with the Georgian Dream and their owners and managers
The activities of these agencies in favor of Georgian Dream are not limited to the placement of advertising banners on websites. The materials they publish on their websites and social media pages/accounts align closely with the main narratives disseminated by Georgian Dream. Consequently, these media outlets devote most of their attention to amplifying the messages of the ruling party’s representatives. In some cases, certain agencies produce propagandistic content themselves; in others, they replicate narratives disseminated by other propaganda outlets and pro-GD experts.
Representatives of several of the aforementioned media outlets are openly engaged in activities supporting Georgian Dream and opposing other political groups. Notably, the Chair of the Board of the N(N)LE Kavshiri Presa - Sakartvelo, which owns the agency For.ge, Rozeta Jghamaia, and another board member, Giorgi Iakobashvili (a member of the Board of Trustees of the Georgian Public Broadcaster), together with Ia Metreveli and Ioseb Manjavidze, co-founded the organization Davasrulot (“Let’s Finish”) on 7 August 2020. During its presentation on 12 August 2020, the movement declared its goal to “end the United National Movement” in Georgia.
It is noteworthy that the establishment of this organization occurred only a few days after Facebook’s Ad Library became operational in Georgia (4 August 2020), which significantly restricted the opaque and anonymous advertising campaigns previously conducted on the platform in favor of Georgian Dream and against the opposition. As later revealed by the monitoring of the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED), Davasrulot was listed as the payer for political ads on Facebook pages that had previously run anonymous discreditation campaigns against opposition parties. According to Meta’s Ad Library, between August and November 2020, at least 908 advertisements, worth a total of USD 11,816, were placed on the pages affiliated with Davasrulot (“Davasrulot”, “Archive • არქივი”, “Political Observer”, “Political Observer / Politikuri Motvaltvale”, and “Supposedly Fabricated Protocols”).
Screenshot from Facebook post by Politikuri Motvaltvale
English translation: The radical opposition is trying to provoke a revolution in the country!
Screenshot from Facebook post by Davsrulot
English translation: Let’s finish the “Natsis” (United National Movement)
Some online media outlets, similar to pro-government TV channels Imedi and PosTV, have also actively conducted advertising campaigns on social media in favor of Georgian Dream. Among them, from 4 August 2020 to 20 September 2025, the Facebook page Newshub.ge – ნიუსჰაბი (known as Pia.ge – ახალი ამბები until 16 February 2024) published 1,721 political advertisements, totaling at least USD 25,435. The majority of these ads reflected statements by Georgian Dream, its representatives, and individuals affiliated with the party. In recent periods, this page has also published advertisements discrediting the European Union, aligning with narratives promoted by Georgian Dream and its associated figures.
Screenshot from Facebook post by Newshub.ge
English translation: You are afraid of the truth - Levan Machavariani silenced a “TV Pirveli” journalist.
Screenshot from Facebook post by Newshub.ge
English translation: “Shalva Papuashvili - The essence of the Georgian law “On Family Values” is:
- A man must not become a woman, and a woman must not become a man. Sex is a biological reality, not a product of human imagination.
- The state must recognize marriage only between a man and a woman.
- Only biological sex must be indicated on an ID card, not a product of a person’s imagination.
- Propaganda of LGBT and incest in kindergartens, schools, and the media must not be allowed.
Why does Brussels demand the complete abolition of the Law “On Family Values”?
- A man must be able to become a woman, and a woman must be able to become a man. Sex must be determined not by biology but by human will.
- The state must allow marriage between a man and a man, a woman and a woman.
- An ID card must indicate whatever sex a person wishes.
- LGBT and incest propaganda must be allowed in kindergartens, schools, and the media.”
3. Payments Made by Georgian Dream
Between 2019 and 2025, Georgian Dream systematically financed online media agencies associated with the party, with the scale of funding increasing significantly over the past year. According to financial declarations submitted to the Anti-Corruption Bureau and the State Audit Office, during 2019-2025 the party paid a total of 1,503,708 GEL to 22 online media companies, organizations, or individual entrepreneurs. Over the past two years, payments were made almost monthly - both during and outside of election periods - demonstrating that a long-term and stable cooperation had been established between the party and these agencies. The funds were declared as expenses for information services or advertising.
Note: *Data for 2025 is presented based on financial declarations for the January-September period.
Source: Anti-Corruption Bureau.
Among the agencies financed by Georgian Dream, the largest revenue was received by Prime Time LLC, owned by Giorgi Kutateladze and Tamar Pkhakadze. According to the financial declarations of Georgian Dream, this company received 222,612 GEL for information services and advertising placed on the online media platform primetime.ge. Other agencies that received significant amounts include Kvira+ LLC, owned by Ketevan Khositashvili; IRegion LLC, owned by Tamar Lepsveridze and Davit Ninikashvili; Perveli LLC, owned by Ilia Mikelashvili; and others.
Source: Anti-Corruption Bureau.
4. Funds received from the budgets of the state, autonomous republics, and municipalities
4.1. Simplified procurement
A second major source of income for pro-government online media outlets consists of funds received from the budgets of the state and subnational entities, primarily through simplified procurement procedures. Various public institutions - including ministries, governments of the autonomous republics, municipal bodies, and subordinate agencies - regularly sign contracts with media outlets linked to Georgian Dream.
According to data available in the unified electronic system of the State Procurement Agency, between 2019 and 2025 the total number of such contracts reached 1,159, with their aggregate value amounting to 4,267,483 GEL, 1,671 EUR, and 344 USD.
Through simplified procurement, the largest amount of budgetary funds was received by LLC Perveli, the owner of the information agency Newshub (formerly Pia.ge), totaling approximately 830,000 GEL. Other companies distinguished by both the number of simplified procurement contracts and the size of the funds obtained include LLC Tavisupali Gazeti +, the owner of Ipress; LLC Kvira+; LLC Prime Time; LLC Gazeti Rezonansi Plus; and several others.
Table 2. Simplified procurement contracts concluded by companies owning online media affiliated with the Georgian Dream with state, autonomous republic and municipal agencies
Source: State Procurement Agency
The companies and individuals owning the above-mentioned online media outlets demonstrated a largely increasing trend in the receipt of budgetary funds through simplified procurement between 2019 and 2025. It is also noteworthy that the amounts received reached record-high levels over the past two years.
Note: *Data for 2025 is presented for the period January-September.
Source: State Procurement Agency
As of 15 October 2025, between 2012 and 2025, the primary sources of simplified procurement funding for online media companies associated with Georgian Dream were local self-government budgets (46%) and the state budget (33%). Four percent of funding originated from the governments of the Autonomous Republics of Adjara and Abkhazia, while 17% came from the own revenues of public institutions. Less than 1% of the total was covered by mixed sources.
Source: State Procurement Agency
The main purchasers of services from online media companies and organizations associated with Georgian Dream were the bodies of Tbilisi Municipality, along with legal entities and limited liability companies established by it. The total value of the contracts they signed amounted to approximately 520,000 GEL. Among purchasers financed from the central budget, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture and its subordinate agencies stood out, with expenditures totaling 397,672 GEL. Other major purchasers included the Central Election Commission of Georgia, the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development (along with its subordinate agencies), and other state institutions.
Source: State Procurement Agency
Beyond Tbilisi, from 2019 to 2025, 59 other municipalities also procured services from companies and individuals owning online media linked to Georgian Dream, with their contracts collectively valued at 1,634,627 GEL. The largest contract was concluded by the Kutaisi Municipality (94,888 GEL), followed by Dedoplistskaro (56,687 GEL), Samtredia (51,314 GEL), Bolnisi (49,236 GEL), Kazbegi (45,687 GEL), Ninotsminda (45,330 GEL), Dmanisi (44,891 GEL), Oni (44,414 GEL), Poti (43,300 GEL), Ozurgeti (41,819 GEL), and others.
In addition to central government and local self-government bodies, the governments of the autonomous republics also served as funding sources for online media associated with Georgian Dream. Among them, the agencies of the Government of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara carried out simplified procurements worth 141,267 GEL, while the Government of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia conducted procurements totaling 80,781 GEL.
4.2. State Tenders
The owner of Newshub, Perveli LLC, stands out in particular for having significantly increased its revenues not only through direct party payments from Georgian Dream and budgetary simplified procurements but also through funds received from the state budget via public tenders. This trend has been especially notable during 2024-2025.
According to data from the State Procurement Agency, as of 18 September 2025, during the years 2024-2025, the company won 32 tenders with a total value of 2,617,744 GEL. Remarkably, the company’s tender success rate reached 100%. The majority of these contracts concerned information support services, which state institutions systematically procured. Among the largest purchasers through these tenders was the Central Election Commission of Georgia, followed by various ministries and subordinate agencies. The ten largest purchasers also included the Embassy of Georgia in the Republic of Cuba, the Administration of the Parliament of Georgia, and the Administration of the Tbilisi City Council.
Source: State Procurement Agency
Conclusion
The analysis of the data reveals that an institutionalized scheme of party-government media financing has taken shape in Georgia, whose financial sustainability is ensured by resources obtained both from Georgian Dream and from the state budget. This model establishes a dual dependency: on the one hand, media outlets are directly dependent on the ruling party’s financial support; on the other hand, they rely on procurements conducted by public institutions. It is particularly noteworthy that peaks in funding coincide with election periods, indicating that these resources are directly employed to strengthen political communication, public relations, and propaganda. The model developed by Georgian Dream represents a policy of strategic substitution aimed at the gradual displacement of independent online media and their replacement with pro-government outlets aligned with party narratives. This process substantially undermines media pluralism and the prospects for democratic development in the country.
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