Rustavi 2 Broadcasting Company (Georgian: სამაუწყებლო კომპანია რუსთავი 2,samauts’q'eblo k’omp’ania rustavi ori), better known as Rustavi 2, is the most successful private television broadcasting company in Georgia. The Rustavi, based in Tbilisi, was founded in 1994 in the town of Rustavi. It is a privately owned free to air terrestrial broadcaster that currently reaches around 85% of the country’s population. The area Rustavi 2 covers outside Georgia via satellite 24-hour broadcasting includes Europe, European part of Russia and the Middle East. Rustavi 2 was first to use digital hardware in Georgia, the first to go on satellite, the first to conduct live foreign transmissions and first to become an Associate member of the European Broadcasting Union. The news service of Rustavi 2 has bureaus and regional reporters in major Georgian cities (Kutaisi, Batumi, Gori, Poti, Zugdidi), as well as the permanent correspondents in Moscow and Washington D.C.. By some critiques, the independence of the station had been questioned, with some claiming it is close to the Georgian government.
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