Five sole proprietorships control more than 350 media licenses in Ukraine: who holds the record?
5 June 13:39
According to data from the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting and the Register of Media Entities, there are currently nearly 7,000 active media licenses in Ukraine. There are also record-holders: one individual owns 119 media outlets, and the largest company holds 71 media licenses. These figures were published by Opendatabot, reports "Komersant Ukrainian"
There are currently 6,995 valid media licenses in Ukraine, not counting suspended ones. Most of them belong to Ukrainian companies and individuals, and only 42 belong to foreign TV channels and radio stations.
In total, there are 3,160 media owners listed in the Registry, 10 of whom are foreign.
The most striking finding of the study is that just five individual entrepreneurs collectively hold over 350 media licenses.
Who is the record-holder among sole proprietors?
Ihor Trill is the record-holder among sole proprietors in terms of the number of active media licenses—he holds 119 licenses. Opendatabot notes that he is the founder of the publishing house “Diana Plus,” which has been producing print newspapers and magazines for over 20 years.
Second place goes to Taras Khotymchuk with 85 licenses—the founder of the regional weekly Tviy Vybir, as well as the t1.ua portal.
Also in the top five are Oksana Tanasychuk (53 licenses), who is also associated with the Diana Plus publishing house, Andriy Lobachov (49)—owner of the Kuzia publishing house, which specializes in children’s educational publications—and Pavlo Khotymchuk (46), who owns the weekly “You and Me, and the Whole Family” and others.
Among companies, the figures are slightly more modest. Thus, the largest holder of media licenses is the Art-Kompleks Publishing House with 71 licenses. The company has specialized in crossword puzzles and children’s publications for over 25 years.
It is followed by Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv with 61 licenses, which publishes university bulletins and specialized publications for students.
Next is Editorial Systems with 53 licenses. The company specializes in publishing regional newspapers on various topics.
In fourth place is Ivan Franko National University of Lviv with 50 licenses, which also publishes university bulletins and specialized publications.
Rounding out the top five is Public Broadcasting with 45 licenses. The company brings together national television channels (including “Pershyi,” “Suspilne Culture,” “Suspilne Sport”), radio stations (“Ukrainian Radio,” “Radio Promin,” “Radio Culture”), and digital platforms.
Which media dominate in Ukraine
More than half of all registered media outlets in Ukraine are print media. According to Opendatabot, this amounts to 1,675 entities, or 46.3% of all registrants.
Online media account for 870 entities (24%), and audiovisual service providers account for 309 (8.5%).
The registry also includes 286 radio broadcasters using the radio frequency spectrum, 162 linear television broadcasters, and 141 television broadcasters using the radio frequency spectrum.
Types of licensed media:
| Print media | 1,675 | 46.3% |
|---|---|---|
| Online media | 870 | 24.0% |
| Audiovisual service provider | 309 | 8.5% |
| Radio broadcasting using the radio frequency spectrum | 286 | 7.9% |
| Linear television broadcasting | 162 | 4.5% |
| Television broadcasting using the radio frequency spectrum | 141 | 3.9% |
| Linear radio broadcasting | 102 | 2.8% |
| On-demand audiovisual media | 60 | 1.7% |
| Other | 14 | 0.4% |
The study also notes that media licenses are held not only by traditional newsrooms or publishing houses. Media owners include Energoatom, Epicenter K, ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih, as well as well-known media services: MEGOGO holds 11 licenses, and VBET Ukraine holds 10.
Where most media are registered
The highest concentration of media owners is in the Kyiv region. There are 1,107 companies and sole proprietorships registered there that own media outlets, which is approximately one-third of all owners in the country.
Next are Lviv Oblast (207 entities), Odesa Oblast (200), Kharkiv Oblast (170), and Dnipropetrovsk Oblast (164).
Among foreign media outlets, broadcasters from the United Kingdom, Gibraltar, and the United States appear most frequently.
