A total of MVR 27.9 million will be issued to 18 registered media outlets under the Government’s new policy on providing financial assistance to the media from the State budget.

The initiative, one of President Dr Mohamed Muizzu’s key Presidential Pledges, is the first time a Maldivian Government has allocated State budget funds to support registered private media outlets. Applications for the grant opened in August and closed on 7 October 2025.

The Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Information and Arts announced the list of eligible media outlets along with their respective grant allocations. The policy designates 0.1 per cent of projected State revenue for the programme each year.

To qualify, outlets were required to meet eligibility criteria and achieve a minimum score in the evaluation process. Among the conditions are that the outlet must be formally registered and, in the case of broadcast media, hold a valid operating licence.

Sangu TV received the highest allocation, with MVR 3.8 million for its television operations and MVR 1.3 million for Sangu Online, bringing its total to MVR 5.1 million. The second-highest allocation went to Sun Media Group, with SSTV granted MVR 2.9 million and Sun Online MVR 1.3 million. VTV will receive MVR 3 million, while VNews Online is allocated MVR 1.1 million.

President Dr Muizzu first announced the initiative during the transition period following his election victory at the national media roundtable, Media Gunzaru, where he met with industry representatives to discuss challenges and propose sustainable solutions for the sector.