A multi-generational family legacy of foresight and success

Today, Antenna Group is a leading international media, news, content and entertainment organization, providing hundreds of millions of people around the world with responsible, enriching, and balanced content and entertainment. Antenna’s success, however, is underpinned by a rich multi-generational family history, intertwined with the growth and evolution of media globally over the last three decades.

The early years

The origins of the Antenna Group story can be traced back to 1852, when the Kyriakou family founded its global Shipping Group. This venture initiated their journey to owning, operating, buying, and selling a varied fleet of vessels built in the finest shipyards worldwide and adhering to the most rigorous specifications. It marked the foundation of a value-driven, multi-sector and successful global business led by the Kyriakou family for four generations.

In 1988, relying on over a century of experience in international business, the family business broadened into the media sector when Minos Kyriakou created Antenna Group, a media company that has consistently engaged the audience since its inception.

In 1989, the government encouraged the development of privately-owned stations, a decision that allowed Minos Kyriakou to further expand the Group’s media reach. Ant1, its first television channel, carried out a pilot broadcast ahead of the 1989 elections, solidifying its role as an important and trustworthy source of information. 40 days later, it successfully aired its inaugural live amateur show. Over the next decade, Antenna Group gradually expands its footprint throughout Greece and in the United States and Australia, strategically adding content and services to provide compelling entertainment as well as trustworthy news to its viewers.

Reaching worldwide goals and establishing investment success

Antenna’s journey to becoming an international media and entertainment Group began at the dawn of the new millennium. In 2000, the Group acquired Nova Television Bulgaria for $3m, later selling it for $970m in 2008, achieving the highest return on investment ever attained by a European media company to date. From this success, Antenna began its expansion into Southeast Europe. This included the acquisition and restructuring of a number of multiple TV channels and TV stations in Slovenia, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro and Greece.

The impressive investment momentum continued as a specialized team established in London by the Kyriakou family continued to diversify its international portfolio. Early stakes in Spotify, Twitter (X since 2023) and Facebook before they went public reinforced the Group’s reputation for its ability to identify and invest in opportunities with upside potential.

Under the leadership of its Chairman, Theodore Kyriakou, Antenna Group has grown into a strategic international investor attracting world-class partners from Canada to the Middle East, in addition to its own initiatives. This includes organizations such as Fairfax, the prominent Canadian investment firm, as well as MBC, the largest broadcaster in the Middle East and North Africa. Theodore is also an investor and board member of Raine Group, the New York based global merchant bank which focuses on technology, media, telecommunications and sports.

In collaboration with Raine, Antenna has made multiple minority co-investments in global companies, including Imagine Entertainment, Hollywood’s iconic film and television producer, and TelevisaUnivision, the world’s largest Spanish-language media and content organization. Also, as part of its most recent investments, it currently owns and controls Central Eastern Europe Thematic Channels and Village Cinemas, the largest cinema operator in Greece.

Following a successful investment journey, Antenna Group has established Antenna Investments, which is dedicated to the development of its global media ecosystem in the United States and Europe. Also, it owns Antenna Digital Ventures, a leading partner for digital brands looking to expand in Central Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Antenna Digital Venture’s partners are typically high-growth companies with a proven record of customer success in the United Kingdom, the US and Western Europe.

Today. A media, content and entertainment leader

Antenna Group currently has a direct reach of 140 million people through its own platforms, alongside a total audience of 500 million achieved via its international partners.

It owns and operates a diverse portfolio of global media assets in Europe, North America and Australia.

Antenna is a member of K Group, which is also owned by the Kyriakou family. As part of a multi-sector business with over 170 years of global experience, Antenna employs a unique combination of media expertise and trustworthy news coverage, along with K Group’s investing philosophy, which is deeply rooted in history, values, and a long-term vision for high-growth and impactful investments. With this unique business blend, Antenna stands as a dynamic leader in the international media landscape and is poised to expand further through media assets that have strong upside potential and a solid positioning, to fulfil its mission of informing and entertaining people in a responsible, enriching, and balanced way.