Profile
Intact Media Group is a large multimedia conglomerate that controls a slew of companies operating broadcasters and publishers. The group was founded by Dan Voiculescu and includes several major television stations, radio stations, as well as newspapers and magazines.
Antena TV Group, one of the country’s leading broadcasters saw an ownership change in July 2023. The daughters of the group’s founder, Dan Voiculescu, transferred their shares to a newly established legal entity called Antena Holding, which now owns just over 83% of the group’s shares. Camelia Rodica Voiculescu and Corina Mirela Voiculescu were before the incorporation the owners of Antena TV Group SA with 43.98% shares and 39.22%, respectively. They are also the owners of the newly emerged Antena Holding SA, with 51% shares-Camelia Rodica and 49% shares-Corina Mirela.
Antena TV Group holds the licences for the television channels Antena 1, Antena Stars, Happy Channel, Zu TV, Antena International and the approval for the on-demand audiovisual media service Antena Play.
Antena 3CNN, which is operated separately through the company Antena 3, will also have Antena Holding as a new shareholder with a stake of 10%.
As a result, Antena Group will have as main shareholder Antena Holding with 83.2% and five others shareholders with smaller stakes: Sabina Mihai (2%), George-Sorin Alexandrescu (2%), Grivco (7.3%), Fundatia Dan Voiculescu (3.9%) and Intact Media Advisors with 0.4%.
Media Camina Group that operates the radio stations (Radio ZU, Romantic FM) also has as the main shareholder Antena Holding with 87% shares. The other shareholders are Grivco (11%) and Fundaţia Dan Voiculescu (2%).
Antena 3 is also the operator of Antena 3 TV regional stations in the country. Its ownership is the following: Camelia Voiculescu (30.6%), Corina Voiculescu (36.3%), Fundaţia Dan Voiculescu (13%), Emanuel Gidea (10%), Antena Holding (10%). Antena 3 is the sole all-news television chain with local stations in Romania. It has regional operations covering the following counties: Antena 3 Brasov; Antena 3 Calarasi and Ialomita; Antena 3 Constanta and Tulcea; Antena 3 Hunedoara, Alba and Caras-Severin; Antena 3 Iasi, Suceava, Bacau, Neamt, Botosani and Vaslui; Antena 3 Arges, Dambovita, Olt and Valcea; Antena 3 Prahova, Dambovita and Buzau; Antena 3 Ialomita, Calarasi, Braila, Buzau and Tulcea; and Antena 3 Mures, Harghita and Sibiu.
Dan Voiculescu is a controversial personality, a former politician and shady businessman who was considered one of the richest men in Romania, with a fortune estimated at €1.5-1.6bn, according to Top 300 Richest Romanian People published by the Capital magazine in October 2009.
He was a collaborator of the Securitate, Romania’s secret police during communist era, information that was publicly released by Romania’s National Council for the Study of the Securitate Archives (CNSAS), affecting his political career at a moment when he was to be appointed Vice-Premier in the Popescu-Tariceanu government. Ultimately he was not allowed to take the position.
Voiculescu has strong links at the highest political levels and has used his media empire to strengthen those productive bonds. He entered politics in 1991 when he founded the Humanist Party of Romania (PUR), which changed its name to the Conservative Party (PC) in 2005. He was a senator from 2004 until 2012 and was elected Vice-President of the Senate of Romania in 2008. In April 2007, the Parliamentary Committee led by him managed, for the first time in post-revolutionary Romania, to suspend an acting president (Traian Basescu).
PC was part of the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Calin Popescu-Tariceanu from December 2004 until the party withdrew in 2006. Voiculescu’s party is believed to have been allowed in the coalition because of the power exerted by Voiculescu family’s Antenna 1 television station, a popular channel with a large audience.
Voiculescu has been accused several times of corruption, money laundering and even blackmail. On August 8, 2014, Dan Voiculescu was found guilty and sentenced to 10 years in prison for money laundering. On July 10, 2017, he was released from prison.The Romanian state recovered roughly €18m from the total damages of €80m that Voiculescu’s money laundering activities led to.
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