Euronews
European centrist, EU-aligned; ownership now tied to Orbán-linked investors
Background
Euronews launched on January 1, 1993, from studios near Lyon, France, founded by a consortium of ten European public broadcasters (EBU members) as a multilingual alternative to CNN after that network's dominance during the 1991 Gulf War. It initially broadcast in five languages and was explicitly designed to cover world events from a European vantage point. In 2015, Egyptian telecom billionaire Naguib Sawiris acquired a 53% controlling stake, raising early questions about editorial direction. In 2017, NBCUniversal purchased a 25% minority stake for roughly €25 million, a partnership that was later unwound. The most consequential change came in July 2022, when Alpac Capital—a Portugal-based investment firm—bought out 88% of the network; subsequent investigative reporting by Direkt36, Le Monde, and Expresso revealed that roughly €45 million of the purchase price came from Hungarian state-linked capital funds with ties to PM Viktor Orbán's government, raising concerns about covert political influence over a nominally independent pan-European outlet. In late 2024 the network fired its CEO and installed Claus Strunz, a former executive at Germany's tabloid Bild known for his support of the far-right AfD, prompting strikes by journalists and calls from the International Federation of Journalists for a European parliamentary inquiry. The same period saw nearly 200 layoffs—the third major redundancy round in six years—and significant cuts to non-English language programming. Euronews also receives grant funding from the European Commission through a Framework Partnership Agreement, a dual funding structure that critics say creates conflicts between its EU financial ties and its Orbán-linked ownership. Media Bias/Fact Check rates it Left-Center; AllSides rates it Center.
Sources
- Euronews – Wikipedia
- New Euronews Owner, Alpac Capital, Linked To Hungarian PM's Adviser – RFE/RL
- Exposed: Orbán's Inner Circle Linked to Acquisition of Major European TV Network – VSquare
- Secret documents reveal that Orbán's people were behind the purchase of Euronews – Direkt36
- Euronews: public-interest journalism in jeopardy – Social Europe
- Euronews: A Network in Crisis – Balkan Free Media Initiative
- Euronews announces almost 200 layoffs – Nieman Journalism Lab
- Europe: Job carnage and threat to independence at Euronews – IFJ
- Euronews – Bias and Credibility – Media Bias/Fact Check
- Euronews Media Bias – AllSides
- French journalists' union calls for parliamentary inquiry into Euronews takeover – EFJ
- NBC Universal buys 25% share in Euronews – Broadband TV News
Profile compiled 2026-06-26; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.