A Ukrainian MP and until recently the owner of NewsOne TV channel (Novyny 24 Hodyny LLC, also known as News 24 Hours), Yevhen Murayev, has announced the sale of the channel to Opposition Bloc MP Taras Kozak.
"Today the corporate rights of NewsOne TV are owned by my comrade and colleague Taras Kozak. I wish him and the staff success and growth," Murayev said on Facebook.
Andriy Portnov, a former deputy head of the presidential administration under disgraced ex-President Viktor Yanukovych, in August 2018 announced that he had signed an agreement to manage NewsOne for three years.
In July 2018, the ownership structure of the TV channel changed: the owner of Novyny 24 Hodyny LLC became a Swiss joint-stock company MW Investment AG, the beneficiary of which is Murayev's father Volodymyr.
As earlier reported, NewsOne TV re-launched in an updated format on 24 August 2015. The channel was included in all major cable networks of Ukraine, broadcasting in analog and digital packages of operators in HD and SD formats.
Novyny 24 Hodyny LLC revenue in 2017 increased by 40.7% to 20.73m hryvnyas, while its net loss increased by 39.2% to 4.4 million.
On 4 October, parliament approved a proposal to use personal special economic and other restrictive measures (sanctions) on the legal owners of NewsOne and 112 Ukraine TV channels.