The Syrian Arab Publishing and Distributing Company is a privately held media conglomerate that operates several prominent outlets, most notably Sama TV and the Al-Watan newspaper. The company has long played a central role in Syria’s pro-regime media ecosystem, serving as a loyal amplifier of government messaging throughout the civil war and into the post-war transition.
Following the collapse of the Assad regime, Al-Watan resumed regular publication in January 2025, publishing mostly on its website and Telegram channel. Its tone remains conservative, though more careful in framing political events. Sama TV returned to broadcasting on satellite platforms in April 2025, largely airing apolitical entertainment content and coverage of post-conflict reconstruction.
Media assets
Television: Sama TV
Publishing: Al Watan, Al-Iqtissadiya
State Media Matrix Typology
Ownership and governance
The company is owned by Rami Makhlouf, a maternal cousin of former President Bashar al-Assad and once regarded as the most powerful businessman in Syria. His name appeared prominently on the UK’s consolidated list of financial sanctions targets, with the last confirmed update referencing him in May 2022. Makhlouf’s business empire extended across a wide range of sectors, including telecommunications, real estate, finance, and aviation. At his peak, The Financial Times estimated that he exercised influence over as much as 60% of the Syrian economy.
Following the collapse of the Assad regime in December 2024, the status of Rami Makhlouf’s holdings, including this company, has come under intense scrutiny. While much of his business empire was reportedly frozen or placed under investigation by the transitional authorities, there is no public confirmation to date that the Syrian Arab Publishing and Distributing Company has been formally dissolved or placed under state control.
The transitional government’s Media Oversight Commission, established in May 2025, has stated that investigations are ongoing into media companies connected to sanctioned individuals but has not yet moved to restructure or revoke licenses.
Source of funding and budget
No audited financial information has ever been made publicly available regarding the company or its media outlets. Prior to the fall of the regime, Syrian exile journalists and analysts consistently reported that the company benefited from direct government subsidies, as well as preferential treatment in licensing, advertising, and distribution. However, the precise share of public funding within its operational budget remains unknown.
Since early 2025, transitional government officials have launched investigations into media assets linked to sanctioned individuals, including Makhlouf, but have yet to publish findings. Whether Sama TV and Al-Watan continue to receive any form of public financing under the transitional administration is unclear as of June 2025.
Editorial independence
The company’s media arms — most visibly Sama TV and Al-Watan — have long adopted an unambiguously pro-government editorial stance, often echoing the Assad regime’s talking points with little to no deviation. Their reporting historically focused on portraying opposition forces as extremists, discrediting foreign media coverage, and glorifying state-led military and infrastructure campaigns.
There are no known statutes or regulatory mechanisms in Syria, either past or present, that enforce editorial independence or hold private media accountable to impartial standards. Despite the regime change, Al-Watan and Sama TV continue to operate, though their coverage has become more muted, cautiously aligning with the transitional government’s national unity discourse — while avoiding direct criticism of former regime elites.
July 2025