Alpac Capital takes control of Serbian independent media outlets

Alpac Capital media ownership Serbia N1 press freedom

Alpac Capital, a Portuguese investment group, has taken control of several prominent independent media outlets in Serbia, including N1 television, Nova S, Nova.rs, the weekly Radar, and the daily Danas. Following the takeover of the Adria News Network (ANN) within the United Group, the new owner, Pedro Vargas Santos David, has been officially registered as the director for all these media entities.

This transition has been marked by the immediate removal of several top executives. Key departures include Brent Sadler from Adria News and N1, Mihailo Jovićević from Nova and Radar, Aleksandra Mitić from Dan Graf (the publisher of Danas), and Janez Živko from Nova S.

Journalist unions and media employees have expressed significant concern regarding the suddenness of these changes and the potential impact on editorial independence. While N1 and other outlets have stated that their editorial policies and professional standards will remain unchanged, critics and unions fear the move could lead to a consolidation of media power and alignment with the current political regime. Some reports have also highlighted potential political connections between Alpac Capital's leadership and figures close to Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

Entities

Adria News Network · Alpac Capital · Alpak Kapital · N1 · Pedro Vargas Santos David · Serbia · United Group

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[● 6 SOURCES] All previous directors of the affected media outlets have been removed. racin.mk · sandzacke.rs · savremenapolitika.com · www.magyarszo.rs · www.klix.ba · +1 more
[● 4 SOURCES] The change in ownership will not affect the editorial policy of TV N1. racin.mk · sandzacke.rs · savremenapolitika.com · www.klix.ba
[● 2 SOURCES] Journalists fear that the changes will continue with the removal of editors to align media with the current regime. szmsz.press · nova.rs
[● 5 SOURCES] Pedro Vargas Santos David has been registered as the director of N1, Nova S, Nova.rs, Radar, and Danas. racin.mk · savremenapolitika.com · www.magyarszo.rs · www.danas.rs · nova.rs
[● 2 SOURCES] The sale of Adria News Network was officially announced on May 29. racin.mk · vesti-online.com
[● 5 SOURCES] Brent Sadler was removed from his position as director of Adria News and N1. racin.mk · sandzacke.rs · savremenapolitika.com · www.magyarszo.rs · www.danas.rs
[● 7 SOURCES] Alpac Capital has taken control of several independent media outlets in Serbia. balk.hu · racin.mk · sandzacke.rs · savremenapolitika.com · www.magyarszo.rs · +2 more
[● 3 SOURCES] Alpac Capital is reportedly connected to figures close to Viktor Orbán and Aleksandar Vučić. balk.hu · sandzacke.rs · www.magyarszo.rs