ComCom Issues First Fine Against Formula TV Under Content-Regulating Media Laws
The Communications Commission (ComCom), Georgia’s state media regulator, has fined opposition-leaning Formula TV GEL 2,500 [USD 934] over alleged breaches related to “personal opinions,” “impartiality,” and “balance,” marking the first such known fine issued under the content-regulating provisions introduced through April 2025 amendments to broadcasting laws.
The measure follows earlier verbal warnings issued to broadcasters over similar alleged breaches and comes amid a recent pledge by ComCom to more proactively enforce content-regulation laws.
The regulator said its monitoring of the Formula’s April news programs identified breaches of legal requirements against the “dissemination of personal opinions by anchors and journalists,” as well as violations of rules on “impartiality and balance.”
“The violations identified by the Commission included assessments and comments made by journalists and anchors in news programs, which constituted reporting ongoing political and social issues based on the broadcaster’s personal attitude,” the regulator said in a May 21 statement.
According to the ComCom, Formula TV also violated balance requirements in an April 22 report on patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The regulator said that “only parents’ position was presented, while the alternative explanation or comment from the Ministry of Health was not included in the report,” arguing that viewers “were not provided with all relevant viewpoints related to the issue.”
“Since Formula TV had already received a written warning within the past year for a similar violation, the Communications Commission imposed the minimum fine of GEL 2,500 on the broadcaster in accordance with the Georgian Law on Broadcasting,” the regulator said.
While ComCom did not cite specific examples in its statement, Formula TV said on Facebook that the regulator found the channel in violation over the use of phrases such as “Georgian Dream’s SSSG [State Security Service],” “[Bidzina] Ivanishvili’s government,” “pro-government Rustavi 2,” and “the regime’s court,” among others, which the Commission considered to reflect subjective attitudes in news coverage.
The fine comes amid growing concerns over stricter media oversight following controversial April 2025 amendments to the broadcasting law that expanded the regulator’s authority over broadcasters’ content. Critics have long accused the Communications Commission, currently chaired by the former ruling party lawmaker, of acting in line with the ruling Georgian Dream party’s interests.
In its latest decision, ComCom on April 8 issued written warnings to four TV channels, including pro-government Imedi TV and POSTV, as well as government-critical TV Pirveli and Formula, citing “violations of principles of impartiality” under the country’s Law on Broadcasting. The move followed ComCom’s warning that it would take a more proactive approach to enforcement while criticizing the UK’s decision to sanction Imedi and POSTV for “Russian disinformation.”
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