While traditional leading outlets are struggling to survive, a new diversity that reflects the polarised media landscape has emerged online.
Spain: Digitalisation, diversification, politicisation
A number of journalists who were made redundant by other outlets have launched new online platforms (for example ctxt.es, El Español or Info Libre) which are based in Madrid but offer national coverage, in some cases with a distinctive profile and clear political orientation. Regional and local online outlets are mainly read in the sparsely populated interior of the country. Many are self-published and rely on a combination of advertising, subscriptions and donations for funding.
This diversification reflects the party-political changes of recent years. Besides the two mainstream parties, the conservative People's Party (PP) and the social-democratic Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), parties on the left (Podemos, Sumar) and on the right (Vox) now also play a prominent role. The far-right Vox is critical of the media and relies on communication via social networks. Its growing political influence is exposing a polarisation of the media landscape. Leftist outlets (Público, eldiario.es, ctxt.es), as well as left-liberal outlets (El País, El Periódico de Catalunya) denounce Vox for attacking democratic rights and freedoms, whereas conservative papers (ABC, El Mundo, La Razón) are moving towards Vox's positions.
The concentration of ownership among major publishers and broadcasters continues apace – with a growing a tendency towards internationalisation. The following media groups are highly influential in the sector: MFE, which belongs to the Berlusconi family (TV channels Cuatro and Telecinco), Grupo Godó (La Vanguardia), Grupo Planeta (La Razón), Prisa (El País, Cinco Días, Cadena Ser), Italy's Unidad Editorial/RCS (El Mundo, Expansión), Henneo (20 Minutos), Prensa Ibérica (El Periódico de Catalunya, El Periódico de España) and Atresmedia/Bertelsmann (LaSexta, Antena 3).
Spain is still very much a television nation in terms of media consumption. More than 80 percent of the population watch television on a daily basis, with the internet following close behind and radio as the third most used medium. Only 42 percent still read newspapers on a regular basis.
The Spaniards' relationship with the media is changing. Only 33 percent say they still trust the news (compared to 44 percent in 2018), and only 52 percent are interested in current affairs (83 percent in 2018). As a result of distrust and disinterest, the number of people who are not informed about what is happening in the news is rising: in 2023, 37 percent of Spaniards didn't consume any news at all.
World Press Freedom Index (Reporters Without Borders):
Rank 36 (2023)
Last updated: August 2023
