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Entity Type: Domestic Media Company

Future Media Group

Groupe Futurs Médias (GFM) was established in 2003 by renowned musician Youssou NDOUR with the mission to “bring something more to the media space in Senegal.” Under the current leadership of Director General Birane NDOUR, GFM has evolved into what it claims is “the first media group in the country and even West Africa” and “the largest employer in the private media sector.” The group’s expansion began with Radio Futurs Médias (RFM) in 2002, followed by the newspaper L’Observateur (2003), Télévision Futurs Médias (TFM) in 2010, and its digital platform igfm.sn in 2013. GFM continued diversifying with specialized channels including TFM Religion (2016), King FM (Senegal’s first digital radio station), a media library, L’OBST` TV (2017), and Record, a sports publication launched in 2017.

Class Editori

Class Editori is an Italian media conglomerate founded in 1986 by Paolo Panerai. The company has been listed on the Italian Stock Exchange since November 30, 1998. Class Editori specializes in financial and lifestyle media, publishing prominent periodicals including MF Milano Finanza, Italia Oggi, Capital, and Global Finance. The company operates television channels Class CNBC (in partnership with NBC Universal), Class TV Moda, and Gambero Rosso HD, along with Radio Classica and the MF Dow Jones News agency. Class Editori maintains partnerships with Chinese state media, including Xinhua News Agency (新華通訊社), with which it has collaborated since 2010 in news exchange and joint events. The company claims to deepen “media exchanges and communication” and “spread the voice of China-Italy friendly cooperation.” Class Editori also operates video information systems through Telesia, broadcasting in major Italian airports and metro systems in Rome, Milan, and Brescia.

Australian News Channel Pty Ltd

Australian News Channel (ANC) is a media company that operates Sky News Australia and related channels. The company was founded in 1995, originally as a joint venture between British Sky Broadcasting, Seven Media Group, and Publishing and Broadcasting Limited (澳洲廣播出版有限公司). Sky News Australia itself launched on 19 February 1996 as Australia’s first domestically-produced television news channel. The company operates several broadcasting services including Sky News Australia, Sky News Extra, Sky News Weather Channel, Sky News Regional, and international services like Sky News New Zealand. News Corp Australia acquired the entire company in December 2016, buying out the original stakeholders who had rejected a News Corp takeover offer of A$20 million in June 2015, with the owners wanting a minimum of A$50 million. The deal was worth approximately A$20 million according to industry sources.

Fairfax Media Group

Fairfax Media was a major Australian media conglomerate that operated newspapers, magazines, radio stations and digital properties across Australia and New Zealand from 1841 until its acquisition by Nine Entertainment Co. in December 2018. Founded when John Fairfax purchased The Sydney Morning Herald, the company expanded to control flagship publications including The Age and The Australian Financial Review. Despite its historical significance in Australian journalism, Fairfax faced mounting financial pressures in the digital era, implementing widespread staff cuts and transitioning to paywalls before ultimately losing its independence. The company’s willingness to engage in media partnerships with Chinese state entities, including signing cooperation agreements with China Daily and China Radio International in 2016, reflected broader industry trends of seeking revenue streams amid declining traditional media revenues.

Nokorwat News Daily

Nokorwat News Daily is a privately owned Cambodian newspaper founded in 2010 by General Kun Kim, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, and Director Touch Kong Kea. The publication claims to print 50,000 copies daily six days a week, with 1,300 copies reportedly distributed free of charge to government offices and coffee shops in Phnom Penh. The newspaper covers a broad range of topics from sports to international news and maintains a national reach despite holding only a 2% audience share. Its digital presence allegedly attracts 20,000-25,000 daily visitors “according to the publication’s own figures.” The newspaper gained attention in 2011 when it filed a criminal infringement lawsuit against Soy Sopheap, founder of DAP Media Center, alleging tampering with correspondence.

United News of Bangladesh

United News of Bangladesh (UNB) is Bangladesh’s first fully digitalized private wire service, founded in 1988 as one of the first news agencies in South Asia. The organization claims to maintain correspondent networks across all 64 districts of Bangladesh and says it serves “over 20 million readers” locally and internationally through its principal partnership with Associated Press (AP), the world’s largest wire service. Originally serving print media subscribers, UNB has adapted to digital transformation by launching its interactive website unb.com.bd, which aggregates both domestic news from its extensive Bangladesh network and international content through its AP partnership. The agency describes itself as Bangladesh’s “most dependable and credible source of news and information,” evolving from traditional print distribution to embrace mobile and internet platforms as electronic media revolutionizes news creation and distribution in an increasingly paperless media environment.

Prothom Alo

Prothom Alo is Bangladesh’s largest-circulation Bengali-language daily newspaper, founded November 4, 1998, and published from Dhaka by Transcom Group’s Mediastar Ltd. The newspaper claims daily readership of 6.6 million for its print edition and 7.6 million across all platforms, with its online portal described on its X profile as “the most visited Bengali website in the world.” Prothom Alo has distinguished itself through investigative reporting on acid attacks, violence against women, and campaigns against drugs and religious terrorism. The publication has faced government pressure, including the 2021 detention of senior reporter Rozina Islam under the Official Secrets Act and a 2007 cartoon controversy that resulted in a supplement ban. Sister concerns include ABC Radio FM 89.2, Prothoma Prokashon publishing house, and several magazines covering science, politics, and youth topics. The newspaper organizes Bangladesh’s Mathematics Olympiad and won the 2025 “Best in South Asia” award from the International News Media Association.

The Daily Star

The Daily Star is Bangladesh’s largest circulating English-language daily newspaper, founded by Syed Mohammad Ali on January 14, 1991, as the country transitioned to parliamentary democracy. As of 2025, Mahfuz Anam served as editor and publisher, with the newspaper owned by Mediaworld Limited, where Transcom Group holds major shares. The BBC described it as having a “reputation for journalistic integrity and liberal and progressive views – a kind of Bangladeshi New York Times.” The publication gained popularity for outspoken coverage of politics, corruption, and foreign policy. The newspaper has faced government pressure, including suspended advertisements in 2015 and website blocking in 2018 after reporting an extrajudicial killing. Controversies include Anam’s 2016 admission on ATN News of publishing military intelligence-fed stories during 2007-2008 and Executive Editor Syed Ashfaqul Haque’s February 2024 jailing on child abuse charges following domestic worker Preeti Urang’s death.

Riyadh Daily

Riyadh Daily, published by Al-Yamamah Press Establishment, is the first English-language daily newspaper from Saudi Arabia’s capital. It began as a newsletter in the 1960s before developing into a broadsheet in 1985 and was in circulation until January 1, 2004, when it ceased print publication. The newspaper was later revived as a digital-only publication, relaunching online on January 1, 2017, coinciding with King Salman’s second anniversary as monarch. As a sister publication to the influential Arabic Al-Riyadh newspaper, it maintains a pro-government editorial stance while covering Saudi political, economic, and social developments. Through its website (alriyadhdaily.com), the publication continues to serve English-speaking readers with news about Saudi Arabia and the region.