International Media Investments (IMI)

International Media Investments, now branded simply as IMI, is an Abu Dhabi-headquartered media investment and operating company. It owns The National, the prominent English-language news outlet it acquired in 2016 from the state-owned Abu Dhabi Media, and operates a portfolio of regional news and business brands including Al-Ain News and CNN Business Arabic. In November 2024, the company shortened its brand to “IMI” and introduced a refreshed identity.

IMI also controls Sky News Arabia, which is assessed separately by SMM owing to its distinct brand, operations and editorial structure. Historically, Sky News Arabia operated as a joint venture between IMI and Sky. During the 2025/26 cycle, that structure changed: Sky and IMI ended the joint-venture arrangement, with IMI assuming full strategic and operational control of Sky News Arabia while Sky retained a multi-year brand-licensing relationship. IMI also holds a minority stake in the pan-European channel Euronews, which is majority-owned by Alpac Capital, a Portugal-based investment group, and falls outside the scope of the State Media Monitor database.

Media assets

Publishing: The National, Al Roeya

Online: Al-Ain News

Television: CNN News Arabic

Ownership and governance

IMI is a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Media Investment Corporation (ADMIC), an investment vehicle controlled by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a senior member of the Abu Dhabi ruling family who serves as UAE Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court under President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. This ownership places IMI within the Abu Dhabi ruling family’s media and investment architecture, even though it operates as a commercial media business rather than a government department.

IMI’s leadership changed during the cycle. Rani R. Raad was appointed Chief Executive Officer in September 2023, succeeding Nart Bouran, and also served as President and Operating Partner of RedBird IMI, the joint venture with RedBird Capital. External reporting in 2025 indicated that Raad would step down from IMI, and current public materials no longer identify him as CEO. IMI’s current official leadership page lists Ali Al Hammadi as Chief Operating Officer, Khaled Alhasan as Chief Financial Officer, Hassan Sharif as Chief of Staff, Mina Al-Oraibi as Editor-in-Chief of The National, and other senior executives, but does not list a current chief executive.

During the 2025/26 cycle, IMI’s international investment activity continued through RedBird IMI. In March 2026, RedBird IMI and Banijay Group announced an agreement to combine All3Media with Banijay Entertainment, creating a major global production group to be jointly owned by Banijay Group and RedBird IMI, following RedBird IMI’s 2024 acquisition of All3Media. These developments expanded IMI’s indirect exposure to global content production but did not create independent editorial-governance safeguards for its own regional news outlets. There is no independent editorial-governance structure across IMI’s wholly owned regional outlets that would separate ownership, strategy and editorial authority from the ruling-family-controlled investment structure.

Source of funding and budget

Based on SMM-retained review of financial information for this report, IMI’s operations are primarily sustained through commercial revenue, particularly advertising, sponsorship, content activity, brand partnerships and investment returns. The company does not operate as a budget-funded government department and does not rely on a formal public subsidy model. However, its ownership by a ruling-family investment vehicle gives it privileged access to government-aligned advertising, institutional relationships and strategic state-linked opportunities.

IMI does not publish audited public accounts, so detailed revenue figures, profit-and-loss data and asset-level funding arrangements are not independently verifiable. The absence of public financial disclosure limits assessment of the extent to which its outlets depend on state-linked advertising, institutional partnerships or owner support.

Editorial independence

Although no formal government editorial directives are publicly documented, IMI’s outlets have long been seen as closely aligned with Abu Dhabi state interests. The National was launched with ambitions to deliver high-calibre, Western-style journalism, recruiting experienced journalists from the US and UK, but over time settled into a more cautious editorial posture. Despite professional reporting on international affairs, business and regional developments, it avoids sensitive political topics, particularly those concerning Emirati leadership, domestic governance and UAE strategic interests.

Al-Ain News and CNN Business Arabic similarly operate within the boundaries of UAE-permissible discourse. Sky News Arabia, assessed separately by SMM, has also faced renewed scrutiny during the cycle over its editorial line, including criticism related to its coverage of Sudan and the subsequent restructuring of the Sky-IMI partnership.

There is no publicly available editorial charter guaranteeing the independence of IMI-owned outlets, and no external oversight mechanism exists to monitor or validate editorial autonomy within the company’s wholly owned holdings. The absence of transparent safeguards or pluralistic governance reinforces long-standing concerns that IMI’s publications serve soft-power and image-management objectives, within a broader UAE federal framework of media, cybercrime and online-content legislation that constrains critical journalism.

AI and digital policy

SMM found no evidence that IMI has published a dedicated public AI governance or editorial-use policy as of mid-2026.

IMI describes itself as a technology-oriented and digitally focused media group, and its public materials emphasise digital storytelling, immersive experiences, investment activity, asset management, media strategy and business development. Its current executive team includes a Chief Technology Officer whose background spans enterprise data, analytics, machine learning, artificial intelligence and cloud-based technologies. IMI’s brands operate through digital publishing, video, social platforms, newsletters and podcasts, while RedBird IMI extends the group’s exposure to international production and content technology.

Classification rationale

IMI is classified Captured Public/State-Managed (CaPu), a classification maintained from prior SMM cycles. Its outlets are privately held and commercially operated rather than government bodies, but IMI is owned through ADMIC, the investment vehicle of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, one of the UAE’s most senior officials and a member of the Abu Dhabi ruling family. Control therefore runs to the state through ruling-family ownership. Its flagship outlets align with official positions and avoid sensitive domestic scrutiny, and no independent statutory or oversight mechanism safeguards editorial autonomy.

The 2025/26 cycle brought important changes, including IMI’s full strategic and operational control of Sky News Arabia, continued international expansion through RedBird IMI, and the Banijay-All3Media combination. These developments deepened IMI’s media reach and investment profile but did not alter the determinants of control. IMI therefore remains in the CaPu category for 2026.

June 2026