Khabar Agency

The Khabar Agency (Kazakh: "Хабар" Агенттігі; Russian: Агентство «Хабар») is a major media outlet in Kazakhstan. It was established in 1995, known originally as the National Television News Agency. It is currently one of the largest networks in the country, and broadcasts daily in Russian and Kazakh. Additionally, Khabar runs the satellite channel Kazakh TV, which is potentially available across Europe and Asia. It features programming in Russian, Kazakh, and English.

Khabar annually hosts the Eurasian Media Forum, which attempts to bring together journalists and political figures to “facilitate the professional development of the Eurasian media and promote international public understanding of Eurasian issues”

Since 1 January 2016 Khabar has been an associate member of the EBU.

Ownership

The ownership of Khabar has at times not been completely clear. Dariga Nazarbayeva, daughter of Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev, founded and controlled the company. She officially stepped down as company chairwoman during her bid for parliament in 2004. However, she still retained close ties to the agency and continued to organize the Euraisan Media Forum. Her husband, Rakhat Aliyev, confirmed that the couple still held shares in Khabar, along with several other media outlets. He was, however, quick to deny direct ownership, and attacked those who claimed otherwise.