FreeNews TV

FreeNews TV, operated by FreeNews LLC, is an Armenian television channel founded in 2020. Shortly after its establishment, the company competed for a nationwide broadcasting license but was unsuccessful and now broadcasts only within Yerevan. FreeNews actively covers Armenia’s political landscape and is frequently described as affiliated with the ruling Civil Contract party. This association is underscored by the fact that FreeNews director Mariam Margaryan was, until recently, the wife of National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan. A former owner, who exited at the end of 2024, was also known to have ties to Civil Contract and its members.

FreeNews TV is a project of FreeNews LLC, with Hasmik Danielyan listed as the sole shareholder in the State Register of Legal Entities of Armenia. Media reports indicate Danielyan maintains close relations with director Mariam Margaryan. Biographical information about Danielyan is not available in open sources. The MOM Team submitted an information request to FreeNews seeking details about both Hasmik Danielyan and Mariam Margaryan. The company replied that both individuals were out of the country and unable to provide information at that time.

While FreeNews TV received its broadcasting license for the capital in 2021, the outlet’s website had already been operating as a news portal prior to this. Archived web data from at least 2012 confirm that news content appeared online before FreeNews TV’s launch.

Key Facts

Audience Share	Missing data
Ownership Type	Private
Geographic Coverage	Local
Content Type	Free
Data Publicly Available	ownership data is easily available from other sources, e. g. public registries etc.

Ownership

Ownership Structure	FreeNews TV is a project of “Free News” Limited Liability Company, whose sole (100%) owner is Hasmik Danielyan.
Voting Rights	Article 4 of the charter for Free News LLC defines the company’s management structure and voting rights. The charter specifies that the principal governing body is the general meeting of the company’s shareholders, which holds authority over all major decisions concerning management and operations. The director, appointed by the general meeting, is responsible for day-to-day company activities. The director is empowered to carry out transactions on behalf of the company without needing a power of attorney, provided the transaction value does not exceed 25% of the company’s net assets.
Individual Owner	Hasmik Danielyan 100

Media Companies / Groups

FreeNews LLC

Facts

Founding Year	2021
Founder	Hasmik Danielyan Hasmik Danielyan established Free News LLC in 2020 and served as its sole shareholder until May 11, 2021, when Armen Ghalechyan acquired a 51% stake, leaving Danielyan with 49%. Ghalechyan later returned his entire share to Danielyan on December 27, 2024, making her the sole owner again. Notably, Armen Ghalechyan was a member of Yerevan’s Council of Elders from the ruling My Step Alliance between 2018 and 2023. On April 1, 2021, Danielyan founded Mer Lurer LLC, where she maintains full ownership. Mer Lurer LLC is registered at the same address as Free News LLC and, according to the State Revenue Committee, is involved in advertising distribution. No detailed operational information is available, and the company is temporarily suspended. Since December 23, 2022, Danielyan has also been the sole shareholder of Natural Products LLC, which engages in the cultivation of stone fruits based on reporting from the State Revenue Committee. Additionally, Danielyan held the position of acting director at the Vilen Shatvoryan Charitable Foundation from August 5, 2020, to July 10, 2024. The foundation, as disclosed in beneficial ownership declarations, is controlled by Ukrainian-Armenian Vilen Shatvoryan, who previously served as a national deputy in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine during its 7th convocation.
CEO	Mariam Margaryan Mariam Margaryan has been the director of Free News LLC since its establishment. She is the former wife of Alen Simonyan, the Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia. Margaryan owns FMF Group LLC, which was founded in September 2019. According to the State Revenue Committee, the activity of FMF Group LLC is related to advertising distribution. Since January 21, 2025, Mariam Margaryan has acquired a 50% stake in K-Vibes LLC, which was founded by Tereza Arzumanyan on October 17, 2024, who currently owns the other 50%. According to the State Revenue Committee, the company is engaged in food service activities.
Other Important People	Alen Simonyan Alen Simonyan currently serves as President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia and is a prominent member of the ruling Civil Contract party. He is the former husband of Mariam Margaryan, director of Free News LLC. Simonyan’s media career began with City FM radio station (2006–2007), followed by roles as a producer and director at TV5, Yerkir Media, and Armenia TV from 2007 to 2012. Between 2013 and 2018, he was editor-in-chief and founder of Ararat Media Group LLC, which operated the news website araratnews.am and the magazine Ararat. Simonyan is frequently in the public eye for his statements concerning the Armenian media landscape and journalists, which have sparked recurring attention and debate. Armen Ghalechyan From May 2021 to December 2024, Armen Ghalechyan held a 51% majority ownership in Free News LLC. Ghalechyan was elected as a member of Yerevan’s Council of Elders representing the My Step Alliance in 2018 and served until September 2023. In 2022, he was a candidate for the Oversight Commission of the Civil Contract party. Armen Ghalechyan’s brother, Arman Ghalechyan, currently serves as Deputy Head of Yerevan’s Kanaker-Zeytun administrative district. In 2015, Armen Ghalechyan was registered as a sole proprietor; however, this registration was terminated within the same year. Public records indicate that neither Armen Ghalechyan nor individuals registered at the same address hold shares in other companies.
Contact	Alexander Myasnikyan ¼ 0025 Yerevan Armenia info@freenews.am +374 98 777706 freenews.am

Revenue	Missing Data
Operating Profit	Missing Data
Advertising (in % of total funding)	Missing Data
Market Share	Missing Data

Headlines	Dark clouds over "Free News." The Ministry of High-Tech Industry is in a "combative" mood. 2024.02.05, 168.am, accessed on 25.07.2025 The Television and Radio Commission (TRC) has fined "Free News" and "Yerkir Media" TV stations. 2022.08.23, infocom.am, accessed on 25.07.2025 The Deputy Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister "publishes," and the website led by the wife of the Speaker of the National Assembly republishes. 2021.10.04, infocom.am, accessed on 25.07.20
Meta Data	FreeNews TV’s website does not include an “About Us” section, preventing direct identification of the company’s ownership, director, or editorial staff. Biographical details for these individuals are similarly absent from public sources. To confirm this information, MOM Team relied chiefly on external resources such as media reports, the State Register of Legal Entities of the Ministry of Justice, and other official databases. The annual financial statement for Free News LLC is not published in a dedicated or prominent part of the FreeNews.am website. Instead, it appears within the “Official” section, which primarily hosts official notices and documents. Within this section, only a document pertaining to the 2020 financial statement could be located, and it was presented solely as images. MOM Team contacted FreeNews TV via email, requesting replies to questions regarding biographical data for management and access to the company’s annual financial statement. The outlet responded that its director and founder were currently out of the country and therefore unable to provide the requested information at this time.
Sources	State Register of Legal Entities of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia, accessed 04․08․2025 The Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Armenia, accessed 04․08․2025 The State Revenue Committee of the Republic of Armenia, accessed 04․08․2025 The National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, accessed 04․08․2025
Documents (PDF)	Free news LLC profile (Armenian) Link File Free news LLC Beneficial ownership declaration (Armenian) Link File Free news LLC CEO (Armenian) Link File Free news LLC owners (Armenian) Link File Free news LLC charter (Armenian) Link File MOM request to FreeNews TV (Armenian) File FreeNews TV response to MOM request (Armenian) File