BELGRADE / LUXEMBOURG – United Group, a multinational media conglomerate which owns some of the last major media outlets in Serbia that are not under the influence of the government, stated on 19 February that it was reorganising its media operations, placing most of its Balkan media outlets under the newly-founded Adria News Network (ANN). Most of these outlets previously operated under the United Media, whose director, Aleksandra Subotić, has been dismissed.
Serbian televisions N1 and Nova S, daily Danas and weekly Radar, among others, are now operating under the new board of the ANN and the chief news executive, Brent Sadler. These media outlets have provided the bulk of reporting critical of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party in recent years, and have thus been under consistent attacks by the highest state officials and pro-government media.
The announcement has raised concerns in the Serbian public, which has, for a long time, suspected that the Serbian government had made a deal with the majority owner of the United Group, BC Partners, to curtail the critical reporting of these media outlets. Both Serbian officials and BC Partners have denied these speculations.
Nevertheless, in August 2025, the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) released an audio recording of a telephone conversation between the United Group CEO, Stan Miller and Director of the state-owned Telekom Srbija Vladimir Lučić, in which they spoke about the dismissal of Aleksandra Subotić, CEO of the United Group-owned United Media.
The two men stated in the recording that Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić is seeking the dismissal of Aleksandra Subotić. This step has now been realised, according to KRIK, a Serbian media portal which broke the story on 21 February.
In the conversation, Miller mentions the President of Serbia, saying that he understands that the President is upset, but also asks for a little more time to dismiss Subotić.
“I have to make a company in Serbia very small, if you understand what I am saying. To tear it up. It takes time, and I think we understand that. We need to get to the banks so we can act fast. I understand the President called you and he’s very upset, I understand that, but I need to find the time to do it quickly, quickly”, Miller said.
United Group was founded by a Serbian businessman, Dragan Šolak, who has been under constant attacks by the ruling Serbian parties in the past years as well. Since 2019, Šolak has been a minority owner of United Group, while the majority owner has been the British International investment firm BC Partners.
In early 2025, United Group sold some of its most valuable assets in Serbia, including the telecommunication company SBB. Some of the assets were sold to Serbian Telekom, which was previously a rival to United Group on the Serbian telecommunication market.
Media outlets owned by United Group were not sold to any other company, as is now falsely claimed by pro-government outlets in Serbia. However, in June 2025, Dragan Šolak and his associate were dismissed from their positions within the United Group by the decision of the majority owner, BC Partners.
This step has raised concerns that the Serbian government is having behind-the-scenes deals with BC Partners over the future of the media outlets. These speculations were only intensified after the leaked recording of the Miller-Lučić call was released in August.
United Group claims that reorganisation is meant to protect editorial independence
In a press release on 19 February, United Group stated that the new framework means that news operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia will report to Adria News Network, with its own governance, a fully independent board and an Editorial Council composed of senior international media professionals.
“Adria News Network brings together a diversified portfolio of established and award-winning television, print and digital media outlets, including N1, Nova S, Vijesti and Danas. Operating for over a decade – 28 years in the case of Danas – these outlets serve a collective market of more than 16 million people and employ over 1,000 journalists and staff. News assets in Greece and Bulgaria do not sit within this structure”, it said.
According to the United Group, “following extensive analysis of global best practice in governance, market conditions and long-term sustainability provided by world-class firms, this framework was identified as the most effective way to protect editorial independence in practice, while providing stability, transparency and resilience for the business”.
The press release quotes United Group CEO Stan Miller as saying: “The introduction of a new governance framework and reporting lines under Adria News Network will strengthen and formalise editorial independence of the news assets. This ensures a future in which journalistic freedoms will continue to be protected and insulated from Group management, shareholder and external influence”.
Heads of media outlets in Serbia: “This is the implementation of the Lučić-Miller plan”
Meanwhile, the heads of United Group media outlets in Serbia told N1 that the decision to appoint a new management seems to be the implementation of a plan discussed in the last year’s leaked telephone conversation by the CEOs of United Group and the state-controlled Telekom Serbia.
Speaking live on N1 on 19 February, the station’s Program Director Igor Božić said he thinks that the reorganization of those media outlets is the implementation of a plan discussed between Vladimir Lučić and Stan Miller.
Nova S TV News Director Slobodan Georgiev said that Aleksandra Subotić was obviously the target. Both said that if the new management wants editorial independence, it should defend its media outlets from attack by what they called “various powerful figures,” and also clarify the budgets.
“We were told today that additional editorial independence will be ensured, and I welcome that. I urge the people who have been appointed to come and meet all of us and hear what journalists and editors have to say. I think that is the key point. If they want to ensure our editorial independence, they should clearly state that they will defend their media and journalists, who are constantly under attack from various powerful figures in this region,” Georgiev said.
“Brent Sadler has been given a free rein to choose his team”
Under the new organisation, Brent Sadler, an experienced British journalist who was originally a part of N1 and helped set up the television in 2014 before leaving in 2019, has been appointed as Chief News Executive.
Serbian media reported that Sadler, who left N1 and later criticised the alleged influence of Dragan Šolak on its editorial policy, has been given free rein to bring whoever he wants onto his team, which he has done by selecting advisers and board members with whom he has had particularly close personal ties since the time he served as president of the Serbian-Lebanese Business Council.
“One of the main roles on Sadler’s team, according to our information, will be held by Lebanese journalist May Chidiac, a former Lebanese cabinet minister who set up media freedom organizations. Sadler is a frequent guest at her events, but beyond her significant media career in the Middle East, her friendship with him qualifies her for the new role”, N1 reported.
In addition, it was reported that Sadler had also decided to engage Rani Raad, a media executive of Lebanese origin who for several years served as CEO of International Media Investments (IMI), owned by the Abu Dhabi Media Investment Corporation under the control of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
“The engagement of Raad, who managed a media portfolio that is part of the UAE’s state soft-power strategy, is concerning given the strong political and economic ties between the Serbian authorities and the UAE, as well as President Aleksandar Vučić’s close relationship with the Zayed family”, N1 wrote.
