State Funds Worth USD 40 Million Awarded to Pro-government Media in 2022

A total of HUF 19.6bn (roughly US$ 50m) of the taxpayers’ money was spent by the government on public service announcements in 2022. Of that amount, HUF 16.6bn (some US$ 42m) was awarded to media outlets closely aligned with the governing party. The figures were reported by Átlátszó, an independent media outlet in Hungary, using officially reported data.

The amount includes a 15% fee taken by the intermediary media buying agency. Newspapers offered a 30%-45% discount of the list price whereas the discount in the case of television stations rose to 75%.

Photo: Atlatszo