2M is a television chain that was established in 1989 by the royal-owned business conglomerate ONA. Later, the station was sold to the Moroccan state, namely to a company called Société d’Études et de Réalisations Audiovisuelles (SOREAD). 2M operates a popular television channel and a radio station with the same name. In 2021, 2M was taken over by SNRT as part of a larger plan of the Moroccan government to build a large state-run media conglomerate.
Media assets
2M
Ownership and governance
2M was established in 1989 by ONA, a conglomerate owned by the royal family. Ten years later, it was sold to the state, which controlled 72% of the stake in the station. The royal house owned for a long time some 20% in 2M via Société Nationale d’Investissement (SNI) or Al Mada, a large private Moroccan holding that runs businesses in a variety of industries including banking, telecommunication, energy and food manufacturing. In May 2021, state-owned SNRT bought the full stake in M2, with plans to include the station in a large state-owned media holding that is planned to be called Media Holding Public.
When the consolidation of the media companies into Media Holding Public is completed, we will move 2M’s profile to SNRT. In the 2023 State and Public Media Global List, we already included 2M in the SNRT’s portfolio.
Source of funding and budget
Advertising is 2M’s main source of revenue. For a long period of time, the company that runs 2M, SOREAD had incurred losses. In an attempt to make the Moroccan public and state broadcast operations more efficient, the government announced in May 2021 plans to merge SNRT, 2M and Medi1TV, a privately run station in which the royal house has a stake. By May 2023, SNRT purchased 2M and Medi1TV.
Editorial independence
Although there are no rules of editorial nature imposed on 2M, the broadcaster is known to toe the government’s line. Although it presents a variety of topics, 2M never criticizes the authorities or engages in coverage that displeases the government, according to local journalists and experts. Following the acquisition by SNRT, 2M is even more likely to act as a government mouthpiece, according to local journalists consulted for this report.
2M operates in line with a rulebook, which describes the programming conditions that the station needs to comply with. Yet, this document doesn’t establish the editorial independence of the station.
No independent oversight or assessment mechanism to validate 2M’s editorial independence has been identified.
August 2023