United Media (UM), a leading media company in South-Eastern Europe, has become the owner of the Belgrade Danas daily and its website, the company said on Friday.

After necessary permits by the regulatory bodies, UM was allowed to take over the daily, which existed since 1977.

The United Media said that the first print outlet in Serbia would be in the company portfolio, joining 45 TVs, five of which with national frequencies, 15 websites, magazines, and radio stations.

„Danas daily has been resisting all pressures for two decades and is an example of professional and independent journalism. I’m pleased that it became a part of United Media, within which N1 and Nova S TV channels already operate. In difficult and challenging times, as nowadays, true and timely informing of the public is of key importance, and that is the basic motive by which all our media are guided. Danas will continue to be what its audience is used to – the daily where they can read the most important news, which asks questions, analyses situation, opens space to a civilised dialogue; the outlet which respects the highest professional standards and doesn’t yield to sensationalism,“ Aleksandra Subotic, the United Media CEO, said.

She recalled that free media are of the utmost importance for the development of any society.

„In Serbia, we face the state’s influence which doesn’t support the media freedom. On the one hand, it uses the state Telekom to suffocate independent media; on another, new media under the authorities’ control are being created. In such an atmosphere, the people have limited access to news and truth, and it seems even more important to preserve the media freedom,“ Subotic added.

She said that Danas daily could serve as an example to everyone how to, despite threats, blackmail and pressure, remain consistent with the truth, how a media house and journalists with integrity look and how credibility has been built and maintained for many years.

The United Media company, with the headquarters in Luxembourg, has been operating in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Croatia for years and has recently entered the Bulgarian market. It employs 2,600 people.

The media operating within the United Media are N1 website and TV, Nova S TV and its portal, Sport Klub, Grand Production, children’s TVs Pikaboo and Vavoom, music IDJ channel, Cinemania, Hunting and Fishing channel and the science Brainz TV.