Ex-PM Ivanishvili co-hosts TV show

A Tbilisi-based television company has confirmed it plans to launch a talk-show with former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili at the helm. GDS TV said Ivanishvili would co-host the social-educational talk-show, which would begin broadcasting in October if the project was approved.

In a special statement released on Monday, GDS said it did not rule out that after some time Ivanishvili’s project would be handed over to the Georgian Public Broadcaster or any private TV channel.

"As an option it was considered this program could be broadcast on Georgian Public Broadcaster, however that could have given rise to certain questions among society,” the GDS statement read.

"So, upon agreement with the person who came up with idea of this TV program, it was decided work would be done on alternative options. Out of these options, the fastest and easiest way, without giving rise to additional questions, was for the GDS TV company to start working on this project. Therefore, the management of the TV company decided to temporarily change its broadcasting format.”

GDS TV is owned by GDS LLC, which is fully owned by Ivanishvili’s son Bera Ivanishvili.

GDS TV is defined as entertaining, musical television station. From the end of November 2012, its programming net has been added with youth projects of distinctive format on a daily basis.

Ivanishvili stepped down as the country's Prime Minister’s on November 20, 2013.

At the beginning of his political career in October 2011, he said: "I decided to create a party and take that party to the 2012 Parliamentary Elections". 

In a following and more detailed letter, he promised the Georgian people the party would win the elections and he would resign within two to three years after the victory. So he founded political party Georgian Dream and created a coalition with the same name which united many parties that opposed the previous Government. 

Ivanishvili's coalition won the 2012 Parliamentary Elections and he became Prime Minister. He kept his promise and before the October 27, 2013 Presidential Elections he said he would leave his post as the new President was elected.

After his resignation Ivanishvili moved into to the civil sector and vowed to improve public services with a 20-year plan he developed.