An Infoadex report collected by the Solidaridad union has brought to light that the Public Administration has become the main source of financing for the media in Spain, surpassing the advertising investment of any private conglomerate. The union led by Rodrigo Alonso points out that “the reality is much more serious.”
The media in Spain have two options, he points out, “live exclusively off the money of their advertisers and private consumers or sell out for easy money from politicians in exchange for being their speakers and not their supervisors. “Almost everyone chooses the second option.”
In Spain, total private advertising reaches 12,214 million euros, broken down so that 54% (6,520 million) is allocated to non-traditional channels such as social networks, influencers and other external media. In this way, a portion of 5,693 million euros remains for conventional media. However, from this last figure40% is consumed in production and intermediation costs, which effectively leaves conventional media with an entry of 3,416 million euros. This amount contrasts notably with the 6.5 billion that these media used to receive before the 2008 crisis, evidencing a notable decrease in the financing available for traditional media.
The eight large media groups “report income of 4,305 million euros in advertising, to which are added 100 million from the six main regional media and 110 million from the twelve most relevant digital media, accumulating a total of 4,515 million euros in billing . To this figure, it is essential to add the income of hundreds of small media outlets that also receive institutional advertising,” the union points out in a note.
«When contrasting this total turnover with the 3,416 million euros from private advertising, An apparent deficit of 1,100 million euros arises to reach the total of 4,515 million. When detailing the institutional advertising contributions for the year 2022, we find that the central government contributes 270 million, the autonomous communities 237 million, the city councils 118 million and the Provincial Councils 98 million. which still leaves 377 million euros to reach the total figure«.
Furthermore, when we consider the contributions of political parties to the financing of the media, according to data from the Court of Auditors during 2022 a total of 53 million were granted, where the PSOE stands out with 22 million and the PP with 19 million. Adding these amounts, 324 million euros of the total of 1,100 would still be unjustified. Contributions from international public organizations, including 17 million from the EU and 2.5 million from the UN, add 19.5 million more to the account.
“The factor that completes the public financing of the media in Spain is the direct aid provided by the Government,” manifests Solidarity. “These subsidies are granted under various concepts such as the digitalization of platforms, the hiring of personnel, support for the distribution of content and the improvement of the radio signal and spectrum.”
In 2022, the total of this direct aid amounted to 315 million euros, a no small figure that plays a decisive role in the financial support of the media. «With this amount we would approach the total figure of 1,100 million, which would definitely be divided between these concepts: 723 million from public institutions through institutional advertising, 53 million from political parties, almost 20 million from international public organizations and 315 million of direct aid through subsidies.
Solidarity denounces the “media mafia” that controls the climate of opinion in Spanish society, which in no way serves to control power as a counterweight, but rather is “its great speaker of lies in exchange for 1,100 million euros.” «No media wants to bite the hand of those who feed it and for this reason Solidaridad denounces that, like UGT and CCOO, they have kidnapped the labor rights of Spanish workers, The media do the same with the right to information and above all with the right of all Spaniards to know the truth of the regime that leads Spain to its disappearance,” he concludes.