Rustavi 2 (Georgian: რუსთავი 2, romanized: rustavi 2, "Rustavi ori") is a Georgian free-to-air television channel based in Tbilisi, that was founded in 1994 in the town of Rustavi (hence its name).

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Rustavi 2

Country	Georgia
Headquarters	Tbilisi
Programming
Language(s)	Georgian, English
Picture format	16:9 HDTV
Ownership
Owner	Kibar Khalvashi (2019-)
Key people	CEO: Paata Salia
History
Launched	1 June, 1994
Founder	Erosi Kitsmarishvili David Dvali Jarji Akimidze
Links
Website	www.Rustavi2.ge

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It is an associate member of the European Broadcasting Union. Its news service has bureaus and regional reporters in major Georgian cities (Kutaisi, Batumi, Gori, Poti, Zugdidi), as well as the permanent correspondents in Washington D.C., Brussels and Moscow. The independence of the channel was questioned in recent years, with many suggesting that it was biased in favor of the former ruling party UNM.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}

It was formed in 1994 and had been in a strong opposition to Eduard Shevardnadze’s government since then. The channel shut down due to allegedly losing its license a year later. The Georgian authorities made several attempts to shut R2 down. Giorgi Sanaia, Georgia’s most popular TV journalist, who worked for R2, was murdered in July 2001. It has been considered by many as a political murder related with his programme "Night Courier" and investigations of allegations of official corruption. In October 2001, the security police raid on R2 office resulted in public anger and subsequent mass street demonstrations against the government's pressure on independent media forced Eduard Shevardnadze to fire his entire cabinet. By 15 March 2003, to coincide with the launch of its sister channel Imedi TV, Rustavi 2 introduced a new logo which consists of a zig-zagged abstract 2-numeral that is coloured bronze and are made up of gradient effects. Rustavi 2 was the main mass media source used as a tribune by the opposition leaders during the Rose Revolution in November 2003. On 25 December 2009, to celebrate its 15th anniversary, Rustavi 2 adopted a new logo during its Christmas special.

On December 14, 2012, Nika Gvaramia was appointed as the general director of the channel. On July 18, 2019, he was replaced by Paata Salia, who is the lawyer of Kibar Khalvashi, current owner of the channel.

• First logo used from June 1, 1994 to 1996
• Second logo used from 1996 to 2003
• Third logo used from 2003 to December 25, 2009
• Fourth and current logo used from December 25, 2009 to January 27, 2014 January 23, 2017 - Present
• Fifth logo used from January 27, 2014 to January 23, 2017

This article needs to be updated. (July 2009)

Rustavi 2 was originally owned by Erosi Kitsmarishvili, David Dvali, Jarji Akimidze and Nika Tabatadze. In July 2004, 90% of the company's shares was bought by the Batumi-based businessman Kibar Khalvashi, who was forced by then president Mikheil Saakashvili to sell the company, in January 2006, to David Bezhuashvili, member of the Parliament of Georgia and brother of Georgia's Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili. In mid-2006 Rustavi 2, the television company Mze TV and radio station Pirveli Stereo merged into a holding which is currently owned by the Georgian Industrial Group (GIG) and GeoMedia Group. GIG, which owns a 45% share of both stations, is a large company with diversified business interests ranging from coal mining and energy to travel. Davit Bezhuashvili, is a founding member of the group. The GeoMedia group is a relatively obscure company registered in the Marshall Islands.^[7]

On 2 March 2017, the Supreme Court of Georgia declared that the owners of the company were Kibar Khalvashi (60% shares) and Panorama Ltd. (40% shares). On March 3, the company submitted an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, which, in its turn, on 4 March 2017 suspended the Supreme Court decision until 8 March and requested additional documentation.^[8] On July 18, 2019, the European Court of Human Rights found no violation by the Georgian courts in the Rustavi 2 case which lifted the suspension mechanism, thus returning the company back to its owner, Kibar Khalvashi.^[9]

From February 2012 - August 2014, the National Democratic Institute conducted polls which included a question about which media organizations represented the interest of which political factions. A plurality of respondents in each case believed that Rustavi 2 represented the United National Movement (or, in the case of the February 2012 poll, the government, which was at the time controlled by the UNM). The results of the polls which asked this question is summarized below.^[10]

According to Rustavi 2 statement on Self-regulation, an interested person who believes that "Rustavi 2" has violated any ethical standards established by the "Code of Conduct of Broadcasters" and his rights, can appeal to the broadcaster with a complaint and demand a response.^[11]