Chile’s average income is CLP 573,964 (EUR 620), and the gross domestic product per capita is CLP 12,478,712 (EUR 13,481) (INE, 2019).
The national newspapers from the two largest companies, El Mercurio and La Tercera, established paywalls in 2019 and gave a greater emphasis to their subscription model. An annual digital and print subscription to El Mercurio costs CLP 164,900 (EUR 178) in Santiago, while outside the capital prices vary between CLP 171,610–214,400 (EUR 185–231) in different regions, mostly due to shipping costs. A digital-only subscription costs CLP 149,390 (EUR 161); therefore, for Chileans with an average income, it is expensive and not an accessible medium. La Tercera offers a yearly print and digital subscription for CLP 77,880 (EUR 88) and digital-only subscriptions for CLP 47,880 (EUR 43), both of which are also relatively high for a Chilean earning average wages.
Open access television and radio channels are free and there is no special usage tax, beyond the fact that the state funds the public channel in a combined model with advertisement. Within available companies, access to only cable or satellite television can cost from CLP 23,000 (EUR 25). However, they are usually sold as a single pack with Internet or phone services. These companies offer both 24/7 national news channels, CNN Chile and 24 Horas, and international reference brands such as CNN and the BBC, but only in English. Overall, these are more accessible for average-earning Chileans.
Different companies offer fixed and mobile Internet connections. The cheapest fixed Internet plans are around CLP 20,000 (EUR 22) per month, and the most economic mobile plans are nearly CLP 10,000 (EUR 11) per month. This provides access to a large variety of informative online media, which are, with some exceptions, free to access for all content. Mobile Internet, being the most economical, is also the most widely used.
