Textbook cases of media capture and media concentration

In Hungary, the state has been the biggest advertising spender for years, and this trend continued in 2021. Now, the top-3 spenders of the local market are all state entities (the Office of the Prime Minister, the National Lottery Company, and the Hungarian Tourism Agency), with a combined ad budget of 120 million Euros last year. 

In Poland, state-owned oil company Orlen bought leading media group Polska Press from its German owner. With this move, the state made an important step toward its long-time goal of “re-Polonizing” the media. Polska Press has 20 regional dailies, 50 weeklies and internet portals with approximately 16 million users. 

Last but not least, 2021 was marked by one of the largest mergers and acquisitions of the Bulgarian media history. United Group, the leading telecoms and media provider in South-Eastern Europe completed the acquisition of Bulgaria’s largest media company Nova Broadcasting Group. As United Group had already acquired the country’s biggest telecommunications company and a major newspaper group, it got the potential to create Bulgaria’s biggest media conglomerate, raising serious concerns about media concentration in the local market.

Published: May 8, 2023

BÖBE BARSI
EDITOR OF THE CANNUAL REPORT
bobe.barsi@wecan.net
Over the past 10 years, Böbe worked for media and brands alike. She contributed to magazines, news sites, and corporate publications, and published stories and conducted research in English, Spanish, German, and Hungarian. She gained experience also on the agency side, first working for clients like IKEA, Airbnb and Telenor, and later being the communications manager of weCAN, a position she held for nearly 5 years. She currently works as a communications expert and editor in Berlin, contributing to international projects like the present report.

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Textbook cases of media capture and media concentration

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