Antenna Group or ANT1 Group, is a media company in Greece and currently the largest Greek media company. It was established on 2 August 1989 by Minos Kyriakou. Today, his son, Theodore Kyriakou, heads up a media empire whose operations include broadcasting, radio, publishing, digital, educational services, telecommunications, and a record label. At the cornerstone of the company is ANT1 TV, one of the largest and most successful private television networks in Greece.
ANT1 Group has also expanded its operations abroad, launching international feeds of ANT1 TV for Greek audiences abroad. It now operates stations serving North America, Europe, and Australasia, securing a high-profile North American headquarters near Times Square in MidtownManhattan, as well as acquiring a regional feed of ANT1 Cyprus.
History
On 2 August 1989, Antenna TV S.A. was established, which was the main unit of the group, after starting in 1988 with Antenna 97.1 (now Easy 97.2).
At the end of that year, the group, through the aforementioned company, founded and launched the TV station of the same name, ANT1, one of Greece's first private networks and one of the highest rated for many years.
ANT1 Group expanded yet again, this time internationally launching ANT1 Satellite in 1993 and ANT1 Pacific in 1997. ANT1 Satellite was the first Greek network to broadcast to audiences in North America while ANT1 Pacific brought the 'best of' ANT1 TV to Australasia.
In subsequent years, ANT1 Group has expanded its business beyond the broadcasting world, including launching Audiotex (initially as a telecommunications company and later as a multimedia software development services company), Daphne Communications S.A. (publishing company), Heaven Music (recording label) and ANTEL (wireless transmission).
In March 2011, Dish Network renewed a multi-year contract with Antenna Group for Greek programming,[1] includes future launch of Antenna Prime, featuring live soccer and classic Greek shows. The agreement ensures continued carriage of Greek language channels in US.
Antenna Digital Ventures is the investing arm of Antenna Group focusing on setting up digital start ups in the regions the group operates. Antenna Digital Ventures has launched three start-up companies, Pricefox with Samlino Group, Stargram and Jukebooks.
