Alsat-M
In its beginnings, "Alsat-M" was the Macedonian part of the regional project "Alsat", which was envisioned as a television station operating in three countries (Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia) and broadcasting via satellite. As a satellite television, "Alsat" from Tirana was broadcasting a 24-hour program to ten million subscribers as early as 2003. However, the regional project did not succeed, leaving "Alsat-M" as the sole media outlet that broadcasts only in the North Macedonia.
"Alsat-M" television was the first bilingual television initiative in North Macedonia, which started broadcasting programs in Albanian and in Macedonian languages on the same channel. It became recognizable for its practice of having a single team of journalists and editors of various ethnicities preparing the newscast. The journalists’ contributions were translated into both languages and broadcasted separately, first in Albanian and later in Macedonian. The television also used its attempts to bridge ethnic and language barriers in Macedonian media operations as its marketing strategy.
A key decision-maker in television since its foundation has been the Velija family, first its founder Vebi, and then his son Ferik Velija.
Audience Share
Missing Data
Ownership Type
Private
Geographic Coverage
National
Content Type
Free content
Media Companies / Groups
CBC Alsat-M
Ownership Structure
"Alsat-M" is owned by two people Ferik Velija and Imihane Velija, who each own 0.07% of the ownership of the television and the legal entity "VE VE GROUP DOO", which has a share of 99.86%. The majority owner of "Ve Ve Group" is Imihane Velija with 88%; she is the mother of Ferik Velija. The remaining 12% of shares in "Ve Ve Group" are held by Ferik’s wife Zana Velija. Velija Family holds 100% control over the media outlet "Alsat-M".
Individual Owner
General Information
Founding Year
2004
Affiliated Interests Founder
The founder of "Alsat-M" television, has often been described as one of the Balkans' most powerful businessmen of ethnic Albanian origin. He was born in the Gostivar village of Gradec, and he developed his business not only in North Macedonia, but also in the surrounding countries. His most well-known company was the "VeVe Group" consulting firm, which provides services in the fields of energy, environment and project management. "Alsat" was his project that was envisioned as a regional satellite television that would cover the areas of the Balkans with a significant Albanian population. The television station began operations in Albania and began broadcasting in North Macedonia in 2004. Vebi Velija was also known as the founder and president of the "Velija Foundation" for culture, the president of the “Association of Industrialists and Investors of Albania”, and a member of the regional initiatives of "SEKI" and the business advisory body of the “Stability Pact”. In addition to this, he was a member of the “National Labor Council” of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy of Albania and a member of the Supervisory Board of the Agency for the Promotion of Foreign Investments in Albania. He died in 2009, at the age of 61.
Affiliated Interests Ceo
Is the son of the founder of the television Vebi Velija. After his father’s passing, he took over management of the media company. He also inherited the management of the main business of the Velija family, the consulting company "VeVe Group", which provides services to government institutions and significant corporations in the energy, transport, environment, and other sectors in North Macedonia and in other countries in the region. He has been involved in his father's family businesses since 1992 and continued to run them fully after Vebi Velija’s death in 2009.
Affiliated Interests Editor-In-Chief
Has been the editor-in-chief of "Alsat-M" television since 2015. He began his journalistic career at the Albanian television station "TeleNorba" in Tirana and joined "Alsat-M" in 2006 as a journalist and editor. Apart from being a journalist, he has also worked as a translator and as a professor of philosophy.
Contact
Address: blvd. Krste Petkov Misirkov , TC Mavrovka 1000 Skopje
еmail: alsat@alsat-m.tv
phone: +389 2 3216070
website: alsat.mk
Financial Information
Revenue (in Mill. $)
2.78 Mln $ /162.98 Mln. MKD
Operating Profit (in Mill. $)
59.898 $ / 3.51 Mln. MKD
Advertising (in % of total funding)
2.4 Mln $ /140.9 Mln. MKD (86.45%)
Market Share
11.57%
Further Information
Meta Data
The ownership structure and the financial reports are based on data recived from Central registry of the Republic of North Macedonia. The documents were received on 28.06.2023 based on a government decision from 2017 for free access for investigative journalists. The financial information is for 2022. For the calculation of the amounts in US dollars, the average exchange rate for 2022 from the National Bank of the Republic of North Macedonia was used.
