Poland’s public broadcaster has launched a new Georgian-language news service as part of a broader push to expand its international media presence across Eastern Europe
and the South Caucasus.
The new platform, called 'VT Sakartvelo News', began broadcasting on Monday. It is available via satellite through the Belsat channel, as well as online on YouTube and Facebook.
The service is operated by Georgian journalists working from a newsroom in Warsaw, with additional reporting contributed directly from Georgia. According to the broadcaster, the goal is to combine local perspectives with editorial production based in Poland.
The project is part of the foreign-language media division Vot Tak, run by Poland’s public broadcaster Telewizja Polska (TVP). The unit has been expanding rapidly: a Romanian-language service was launched in February, followed by an Armenian-language outlet, 'VT Hayastan News', in March.
TVP says these initiatives are intended to strengthen access to independent reporting in countries across the South Caucasus and Eastern Partnership region, promoting what it describes as balanced coverage aligned with public broadcasting standards.
“We do not take sides in the political disputes of the countries we broadcast to,” said Jerzy Sałodki, head of the Vot Tak editorial team.
The broadcaster also points to early audience growth as justification for the expansion. Its Moldovan service reportedly reached 1.9 million online users and 5.5 million views in just a few months, while the Armenian-language outlet quickly gained additional distribution through a rebroadcast agreement with a popular local radio station.
The Georgian launch fits into a wider strategy shaped with support from Poland’s foreign ministry. The long-term aim is to build a network of services covering all countries in the European Union’s Eastern Partnership programme, with a Kazakh-language platform already in development.
The expansion reflects the broader role of Polish public media, which—similar to other European public broadcasters—combines domestic programming with international outreach projects. Belsat, originally created to serve Belarusian audiences, has been one of its most visible foreign-language initiatives and now serves as a distribution channel for new regional services.
TVP says further language editions may follow as part of its ongoing effort to increase its presence in neighboring information spaces. Photo by Adrian Grycuk, Wikimedia commons.