Inhabitants: 10.36 million (2021)      
Households: 3.84 million (2021)      
Average household size: 2.5 people (2021)    
Religions: Roman Catholic (79.51%)      
Big cities: Lisbon (2.04 million inhabitants in the metropolitan area), Porto (237,000) 
Form of government: parliamentary republic      
President: Marcelo Nuno Duarte Rebelo de Sousa (since 2016)
Head of the government: Prime Minister (Primeiro-Ministro) António Costa (since 2015)
EU accession: 1986
Unemployment rate: 5,8% (2022); 15,4% (2013)      
national debt in 2013: 117.7% of GDP (2019)    
Budget balance relative to GDP: -2,4% (2021); -5,9% (2013)     

Digital advertising spending: 632.5 million euros (2022)     
Television viewing time per inhabitant: 260 minutes per day (2021)    
Large media and communication companies: Cofina, Global Media Group, Impresa, Media Capital, NOS, Sonaecom, MEO (Altice Portugal)

Introduction

In April 2011, Portugal became the third country after Greece and Ireland to apply for financial aid from the European Union. The heavily indebted, traditionally poorest country in Western Europe was on the verge of bankruptcy and sought refuge under the multi-billion euro bailout package provided by the EU and the IMF. The consequences of the financial crisis included harsh social cuts that the population had to endure; a drastic drop in advertising that affected all media outlets; and structural reforms (liberalization of labor law, strengthening of fiscal administration, tax reform, and staff reductions in the public sector), which were then successfully implemented (source: German Federal Ministry of Finance). Even though Portugal has since stabilized, youth unemployment remains a major problem at almost 18.5 percent (as of 2023). Added to this are the high cost of living relative to income, which particularly affects young people. Accordingly, it is hardly surprising that the average household size of 2.5 people (as of 2021) is high compared to other European countries. Many young people cannot afford to move into their own apartment, which is why it is not uncommon for young adults over the age of 20 to still live with their parents.

The overall economic situation remains tense even at the beginning of the 2020s. Portugal needs capital and investment from abroad. For example, from Angola. And this is little known here: the very special relationship, the close ties between Portugal and its former, centuries-old colony in South West Africa. It is said that one will hardly find a Portuguese today who does not have a friend or relative in Angola. An estimated 100,000 Portuguese live in Angola, the continent's largest oil producer (also with significant diamond deposits), the self-proclaimed "new African superpower." Many, especially younger Portuguese, are looking for work in the country experiencing an economic boom, most in the capital Luanda, the most expensive city in the world for expatriate workers (ahead of Moscow, Tokyo, and Hong Kong). Portuguese is the sole official language here.

And now the Angolans, who have become enormously wealthy, are coming and doing what their crisis-ridden former colonial power could only wish for: they are investing. On a large scale, in banks, telecommunications, oil and natural gas operators. And in Portuguese media. They are buying shares in newspapers, cable channels, and entire media conglomerates. It is also called reverse colonization, or a curious reversal of fortunesThe problem: When it comes to press freedom, the major investor from Africa has always performed poorly. In 2015, for example, Angola ranked 123rd (out of 180) in the press freedom rankings of "Journalists Without Borders," one place behind Afghanistan. In the years that followed, the country saw its first notable improvements. In 2022, the country ranked 99th. Nevertheless, these "shady investments" ensure that newspapers and radio stations refrain from overly critical reporting on Angola so as not to upset their donors. Observers speak of self-censorship.

Historical Foundations

First of all, we should remember the first Portuguese newspaper, if only for the sake of its remarkable and very unusually long title: in 1641 the “Gazeta, em que se relatam as novas todas, que ouve nesta corte, e que vieram de várias partes no mês November 1641” (“Newspaper reporting all the news that was heard at this court at various times in the month of November 1641”) was published.

The Carnation Revolution in April 1974 – the non-violent abolition of the Estado Novo, the authoritarian Salazar dictatorship – was certainly the most pivotal historical event of the 20th century for Portugal, as well as for the Portuguese media. Until 1974, all media were subject to censorship; freedom of the press was then guaranteed for the first time – at least in theory – in Article 38 of the 1976 Constitution (two years after the revolution). In fact, the first years after the 1974 uprising were marked by revolutionary turmoil and political instability. None of the elected, provisional governments were able to guarantee complete freedom of the press. Non-partisanship on state television, for example, was unthinkable in those early years of democracy.

All media were subordinated to the goals of the respective government, for example during the Gonçalvismo in November 1975 (under the communist Prime Minister Vasco Gonçalves), and even more so under the subsequent moderate VI provisional government: From then on (until the early 1990s) the state monopoly of the public RTP-Portuguese Radio Television, on the radio a member of the state broadcasting group Portuguese Radio Broadcasting (RDP) and the Catholic Radio Renascença (RR) duopoly that existed until the mid-1980s.

More far-reaching changes only began after a stable conservative majority government under the conservative Prime Minister Cavaco Silva (now the President of Portugal) came to power in 1987 (one year after joining the EC in 1986). There was an economic boom, increased advertising spending, relatively independent newspapers such as O Independente and Public were founded. Public opinion grew increasingly resistant to the concentration of state power in the media—large parts of the banking, insurance, and media sectors had been nationalized after the 1974 revolution. The press, radio, and television: everything was still under state control.

However, following the political, economic, and technological developments of the 1980s, it became clear that a certain opening of the media markets was imminent. Initially, in the radio sector, also due to the normative force of fact. By the middle of the decade, a very large number of illegal (regional) stations had already exploded. Finally, in 1989, 310 of them were granted a frequency. In 1991, the two most important state-owned daily newspapers were privatized: News Journal and News DiaryThe controversial buyer, however, was the major media group Lusomundo, which was said to have close ties to the government.

Then came the significant innovation of Cavaco Silva's media reform: In June 1989, the National Assembly passed a constitutional amendment, paving the way for private television; two nationwide TV broadcasting frequencies were to be allocated. The Catholic Church was the first to come forward, with a natural right to its own channel, without participating in the bidding process. It cited former Prime Minister Sá Carneiro, who was said to have expressed this view in the late 1970s. However, the new television law of July 13, 1990, did not address this. The Church felt disadvantaged, and serious turmoil erupted in Parliament, fueled by sharp comments from the church. Radio Renascença.

All this did not help, the church (or the organization close to it) Independent Television (TVI)) had to apply for one of the two frequencies as usual. Two other candidates competed after the rules for the bidding process were established on April 2, 1991: Sociedade Independente de Comunicação (SIC) of the entrepreneur and conservative former Prime Minister Pinto Balsemão and TV1 Rede Independente. Ten months later, on February 6, 1992, the result: SIC received its third nationwide channel, and the church-affiliated TVI its fourth. In retrospect, it can be seen that the politicians in power, after decades of dictatorship, censorship, and complete control over the state broadcasters, were very unsure about how to deal with free media and could only help themselves with a deficient television law. The public was also only concerned with who would be awarded the two new channels; key issues such as financing, programming balance, and national television production were ignored. The result: nothing prevented the private broadcasters from taking the easy route with cheap imported products.

In addition, the Television's wife abolished the broadcasting fee – without first investigating whether the advertising volume of the Portuguese TV market could even support four nationwide television channels. RTP, in particular, inevitably ran into financial difficulties, had to compete for ratings and advertising budgets, and de facto became another private broadcaster. However, RTP was never profitable, just as it could hardly fulfill the traditional functions of public broadcasting anymore, and probably didn't need to either.

The Catholic Church, which has always played a significant role in the Portuguese media (with hundreds of regional newspapers, dozens of local radio stations and especially the nationally receivable, successful RFM and Radio Renascença) was awarded the fourth frequency, TVI. The most important shareholders of the “Christian-inspired” private channel were Radio Renascença, the Union of Mercy, Editorial Verbo and Company of Jesus (all directly/indirectly connected with the church). In addition, with the CLT (Luxembourg) and Antena 3 (Spain) nor international investors. The whole thing lasted for five years, but then the church leaders realized that operating a television station would exceed their management capacity and financial resources. In 1997, TVI was sold to its current owner, the Media Capital Group.

The first Portuguese cable TV project was launched in 1992 on the island of Madeira, two years later in continental Portugal under the name TV CaboSatellite television was first offered in 1998, IPTV (Smart TV from Optimus Clix) in 2006, and digital terrestrial DVB-T only went live in 2009, with only the four major analogue broadcasters. It's safe to say that the introduction of new broadcasting standards in Portugal has always been somewhat delayed (color television was introduced on March 10, 1980).

Also worth mentioning are the new players that appeared around 2005. On the one hand, the already mentioned newly rich, financially strong investors from Angola (which did not always meet with a positive response, especially from observers of press freedom) or the Ongoing Strategy Investments group, which since its re-foundation in 2004 has strategic focus increasingly focused on telecommunications, media and technology (Ongoing, for example, now holds 23% of the media group Impresa).

media companies and corporations

In addition to the state and the Catholic Church, there are six (rather smaller in European comparison) media groups that control virtually the entire print and TV business.

Table I: Basic data of Portugal's most important media groups in 2022

media group	founding year	Employees	Revenue	Profit
Cofina SA	1995	391	€76.04 million	€3.59 million
Global Media Group (formerly Controlinveste)*	2005	n/a	€35 million	n/a
Company	1991	1.170	€185.06 million	€1.65 million
Media Capital	1992	1.416	€149 million	€15 million
MEO (Altice Portugal)	1994 (as Portugal Telecom)	7.673	€2,630 million	n/a
NOS	1994 (as PT Multimedia)	1.900	€1,600 million	€218.38 million
Sonaecom	1994	332	€17.86 million	€78.39 million

COFINA Cofina is the leading Portuguese print media group. The group's portfolio includes the high-circulation tabloid daily newspaper Correio da Manhã (daily circulation approximately 80,000), the free newspapers Metro and Destak, the country's leading sports daily Record, and the business paper Jornal de Negócios. Cofina also publishes the weekly magazine Sábado, the TV guide TV Guia, the Flash! Society magazine, the women's magazine Máxima, and the Portuguese editions of the fashion magazine Vogue and the men's magazine GQ. Cofina also operates the cable channel Correio da Manhã TV ("cmTV") and several successful online portals. The connection with Angola is rather insignificant. In 2022, the group's revenue amounted to EUR 76.04 million.

GLOBAL MEDIA GROUP (until January 2015 Controlinveste) operates in the press, radio, and internet sectors, including the respected daily newspapers Diário de Notícias and Jornal de Notícias, the sports newspaper O Jogo, and the radio station TSF, primarily known as a news and information channel. Controlinveste, as it was then, was founded in 2005 by Portuguese media entrepreneur Joaquim Oliveira, who, following the restructuring and renaming of the group, holds 27.5% of the shares. Another shareholder (27.5% today) is an Angolan investor group led by Antonio Mosquito. In 2022, the group generated revenues of €35 million.

In the center of IMPRESA The eminent Portuguese journalist and politician Francisco Pinto Balsemão, Prime Minister from 1981 to 1983 and great-great-grandson of the Brazilian Emperor Peter I, born in 1937, is the founder of the weekly newspaper Expresso in 1972, which is now nothing less than Portugal's leading media outlet. The print portfolio included the news magazine Visão until 2018, which was eventually sold to Trust in News, a company led by Luís Delgado. The IMPRESA Group also owns the television station SIC, Portugal's first private broadcaster, founded in 1992. The group's revenue in 2022 was €185.06 million.

MEDIA CAPITAL, "One of the leading media groups in the Iberian market," it has operated TVI (TVI Ficção, TVI International, TVI África) since 1993, the second private television station in Portugal, various radio stations, and Plural Entertainment, the leading telenovela and entertainment producer (primarily for the Portuguese and Spanish markets) with offices near Lisbon, in Miami, Buenos Aires, and São Paulo. The majority shareholder of Media Capital, with almost 95%, is the multi-billion dollar Grupo Prisa (Madrid), the largest media company in the Ibero-American market. Media Capital's revenue in 2022 was €149 million.

Founded in 1991 as TMN (Telecomunicações Móveis Nacionais). MEO MEO Portugal is now the country's largest mobile operator and also offers fixed-line telephony, broadband internet, and television. MEO Portugal is part of the Altice Group, a multinational telecommunications company headquartered in the Netherlands. MEO is an IPTV, fixed-line, mobile, and internet service provided by MEO (formerly known as PT Comunicações), a subsidiary of Altice Portugal (formerly known as Portugal Telecom). Through MEO, Altice generated revenues of €2,630 million in Portugal in 2022.

NOS is a leading Portuguese telecommunications, media, and entertainment group. The company was founded in 2013 and was created from the merger of two large Portuguese companies, ZON Multimédia and Optimus. NOS offers a wide range of services, including fixed-line telephony, broadband internet, television, and mobile communications. The company operates a fiber optic network that enables it to offer fast, high-bandwidth internet. It is present throughout Portugal and provides services to both residential customers and businesses. In addition to telecommunications services, NOS is also active in the media sector. The company owns and operates several radio stations, including RFM, a popular commercial radio station with a wide range of music, and Grupo Renascença Multimédia, which includes the stations Renascença, RFM, and Mega Hits, among others. NOS is also involved in various print media. These include newspapers such as "Público," a nationally renowned daily, and "Jornal de Notícias," one of Portugal's oldest newspapers. NOS is also involved in film production (NOS Audiovisuais). With total revenue of €1.6 billion in 2022, NOS is the largest media group originating from Portugal.

SONAECOM, founded in 1994, operates in the telecommunications, media, and information technology sectors. It is a subsidiary of the SONAE Group, one of Portugal's largest conglomerates. In the media sector, Sonaecom owns a significant stake in Controlinveste Media Company, one of Portugal's largest media companies. TSF, a well-known radio station specializing in news and current affairs, is also part of Sonaecom's media portfolio. Sonaecom is also active in the telecommunications sector and operates the mobile operator NOS. NOS offers mobile services, landline telephony, broadband internet, and television. The company has established itself in Portugal through innovative services and the deployment of a fiber optic network. Sonaecom is also active in information technology. It offers IT solutions and services for companies and is involved in the creation and development of start-ups. Sonaecom has positioned itself as a major player in the media, telecommunications, and IT sectors in Portugal.

Press

The press market in Portugal is characterized by diversity, a strong focus on digital media, and occasional political influence. The country offers a wide range of newspapers and online media, allowing people to access current information and diverse political perspectives.

Portugal has a rich tradition of newspaper publishing, and several daily newspapers play an important role in the Portuguese press landscape. Prominent names include Público, Diário de Notícias, Jornal de Notícias, and Correio da Manhã. These newspapers provide comprehensive coverage of national and international issues, including politics, business, culture, and sports. Each newspaper has its own political slant and target audience, thus covering a broad spectrum of opinions and viewpoints.

With the rise of the internet and increasing digitalization, the Portuguese press market has changed significantly. Online media is now an integral part of the media landscape. Portals such as "Observador," "Sapo," and "Jornal Económico" have gained popularity, offering current news, analyses, and opinion pieces in digital format. These platforms reach a wide audience and allow readers to access information quickly and easily.

One of the challenges facing the press market in Portugal is adapting to digitalization. Newspapers are struggling with declining circulation figures as many people read their news online. This has led to a diversification of revenue streams, as newspapers increasingly pursue digital subscriptions and advertising revenue.

Another issue affecting the Portuguese press landscape is political interference. As in many other countries, there is a risk that political actors will attempt to influence the media landscape or advance their own agenda. Media concentration is a problem, as some companies own multiple media organizations and can therefore potentially promote a particular political orientation.

However, the Portuguese government has made efforts to protect press freedom and diversity of opinion. There are laws and mechanisms in place to ensure media independence. Portugal has also created a legal framework that protects journalists and allows them to carry out their work without restrictions.

Despite these challenges, the press market in Portugal remains vital and dynamic. People have access to a wide range of news sources and political viewpoints, both in print and digital formats.

Television

public television
The broadcasting company Radio and Television of Portugal (RTP) operates the two nationwide digital terrestrial broadcasters RTP1 and RTP2. RTP also hosts the news channel RTP Information (cable/satellite) and Lusophone regional channels (RTP Açores, RTP Madeira). RTP1 (regular broadcast in 1957) is the first Portuguese television channel, the flagship channel of the public RTP group, with its typical full-service programming of news, talk shows, sports, and Portuguese/international fiction (2022 audience share: 10.8%, 10 ...

As part of the restructuring and austerity measures agreed upon with the EU/IMF, the Portuguese government announced plans for a (partial) privatization of RTP in the summer of 2012; the public broadcaster threatened to become another victim of the financial crisis. The entire company management resigned in protest at the beginning of September 2012. In January 2013, the plans, which were controversial throughout Europe, were postponed to avoid further harming the already weakened private sector (the advertising market had shrunk by 46% in previous years).

Private television
Together with RTP1, these two private terrestrial full-service channels dominate the market. SIC (Sociedade Independente de Comunicação) was the first private broadcaster to go on air in October 1992 and is part of former Prime Minister Francisco Balsemão's IMPRESA media group. The SIC program is based on telenovelas (Portuguese, Brazilian), as well as news and popular US series with subtitles (2022 audience share: 16.7%). The program profile of TVI (Independent Television), founded a few months after SIC in February 1993, is not significantly different: a usual soap/reality mix, news, some US series and movies, a lot of talk shows (market share in 2022 of 15.7%).

Pay TV
The fact that there are few channels available via antenna explains the above-average popularity of pay TV offerings for Europe: in 2022, almost 4.5 million Portuguese people subscribed to some form of pay TV.

Table II: Market shares of the largest TV channels in Portugal in 2022

	transmitter	organizer	Market share in percent
1.	SIC	Company	16,7
2.	TVI	Media Capital	15,7
3.	RTP1	RTP	10,8
4.	CMTV	Cofina	4,8
5.	CNN Portugal	Media Capital (under license from Warner Bros. Discovery and CNN Global)	3,1
6.	SIC News	Company	2,3
7.	Fox	Fox Networks Group Portugal (Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International)	1,9
8.	Canal Hollywood	AMC Networks International; Iberia (Spain); NOS (Portugal)	1,7
9.	Globo	Fox Networks Group Portugal (Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International)	1,7
10.	Fox Movies Portugal	Fox	1,3

Source: Dinheiro Vivo/Universal McCann

radio

Even though the percentage is declining, one in eight Portuguese people is still Catholic, and the Catholic Church plays a major role in Portugal, especially on the radio. Radio Renascença ("RR," Radio Rebirth, first broadcast in 1936) also looks back on a rich tradition. The banned song "Grandola, Vita Morena" was played here at midnight on April 25, 1974, which is now considered the signal for the start of the Carnation Revolution. The high-rated church broadcasting group Renascença Group also include the very successful RFM (for the younger audience), Rádio Renascença and Mega Hits (charts).

The private broadcasters from Media CapitalGroup is the second largest player in the radio market, primarily Radio Comerçial (Portuguese station with the largest reach in April 2023, with 26.3% of the audience) with typical mainstream programming. Cidade FM (hits for 15-24 year olds), M80 (music from the 70s, 80s, and 90s), and the news channel TSF (Television Broadcasting).

The public RTPRadio stations are called Antena 1 (the former "national station" founded in 1935, featuring a full program with current affairs and primarily Portuguese music), Antena 2 (culture, classical music, since 1948), and Antenta 3 (youth station, outside the mainstream, founded in 1994). A look at current ratings rankings shows that public broadcasting cannot compete with the commercial stations' listener appeal, ranking significantly lower.

Table III: Largest radio station groups, market shares April 2023

	transmitter	organizer	Market share in percent
1.	Commercial Radio	Media Capital	26,3
2.	RFM	Renascença Group	25,9
3.	M80 Radio	Media Capital	9,8
4.	Radio Renascença	Renascença Group	6,9
5.	Antenna 1	RTP	5,0
6.	City FM	Media Capital	4,0
7.	TSF	Global Media	3,2
8.	Mega Hits	Renascença Group	2,3
9.	Antena 3	RTP	1,9
10.	Radio Observador	Observador On Time, SA	1,1

Source: Market

Internet

With 82.3 percent of internet users, Portugal lags significantly behind its neighboring country Spain (93.9 percent in 2021), but this relatively high figure reflects the country's increased relevance in recent years. In 2012, the share of internet users was only 59 percent.

Among the most popular websites among Portuguese people are the search engine Google (ranked 1) and the video portal YouTube (ranked 2) from the US media giant Alphabet Inc. The US company Meta Platforms, Inc. is also strongly represented with Facebook (ranked 3) and Instagram (ranked 5). Also strongly represented is the news portal "Sapo" (ranked 4), distributed by Altice Portugal (MEO).

Table IV: The ten most visited websites in Portugal, June 2023

Rank	Webpage:	Description	Parent company
1.	Google.com	Search engine	Alphabet Inc.
2.	YouTube.com	Video portal	Alphabet Inc.
3.	Facebook.com	Social network	Meta Platforms, Inc.
4.	Sapo.pt	News	Altice Portugal
5.	Instagram.com	Social network	Meta Platforms, Inc.
6.	Google.pt	Search engine	Alphabet Inc.
7.	Iol.pt	News	Media Capital
8.	Record.pt	sports news	Edisport, SA
9.	Twitter.com	Social network	Twitter Inc.
10.	Live.com	email, web portal	Microsoft Corporation

Source: similarweb.com

Regulations

The Entidade Reguladora para a Comunicação Social (ERC) is the main media regulator in Portugal. It is responsible for maintaining and promoting press freedom, diversity of opinion, and media quality. The ERC monitors compliance with rules and regulations for television, radio, newspapers, magazines, and online media. Meanwhile, the Autoridade Nacional de Comunicações (ANACOM) is the national regulatory authority for telecommunications and postal services in Portugal. It is responsible for regulating broadcasting, telecommunications networks, and frequency spectrum, among other things.

Other regulatory authorities include the National Data Protection Commission (CNPD) and the General Directorate of Books, Archives and Libraries (DGLAB). The DGLAB is the Directorate General for Books, Archives and Libraries in Portugal. It is responsible for promoting access to information and preserving cultural heritage in the media sector.

Portugal no longer has broadcasting fees in the traditional sense. In 2020, the broadcasting fee system in Portugal was reformed and replaced by a new financing model. Since then, the public broadcaster RTP (Radiotelevisão Portuguesa) has been financed from the general state budget. In addition, a media levy of just under €3 is levied, which is included in the monthly electricity bill and is aimed at financing the entire media landscape in Portugal.

Sources/Literature

• Dinheiro Vivo/ Universal McCann: Market shares of the largest TV stations in Portugal, 2022.
• European Audiovisual Observatory: Yearbook 2014, Strasbourg 2014.
• Hans Bredow Institute (ed.): International Handbook Media 2009.
• Helena Sousa, Sandra Marinho: Media Network Policy in Portugal. A Case Study Approach, University of Minho, 2002.
• Helena Sousa: The liberalization of media and communications in Portugal, London 1999.
• Market test: Results of the second wave 2023 of the Bareme Radio study, April 2023.
• PwC: Global Entertainment and Media Outlook: 2013-2017.
• Similarweb: The ten most visited websites in Portugal, June 2023
• Statista: Pay TV subscribers in Portugal 2021-2022, 2023.