Despite the number of media outlets in Greece, the level of ownership concentration in the state is dangerously high. The main reason for this development is the vulnerable media legislation, whose limitation on horizontal concentration in broadcast media and newspapers permits a specific modus operandi of the market. Two authorities – the National Council of Radio and Television (NCRTV) and the HCC – are in charge of the task of keeping track, imposing remedies, and enforcing compliance with media regulations. However, there have been periods when both of these authorities take actions with limited results due to the restricted availability of data or the purposeful obfuscation of them regarding market shares and media ownership.
Specific difficulties characterising the Greek media market combined with its small size has proved to be quite an unwelcome environment for new entrepreneurs. Five mainstream media groups (Alafouzos Group, Alter Ego, Kyriakou Group, Vardinogiannis Group, Dimera Media Investments) dominate the market. It also includes free-to-air terrestrial television and radio stations, newspapers, and online news websites, followed by three other secondary groups, making up the bulk of the market (see Trappel & Tomaz, Introduction).
Regarding free-to-air terrestrial television, after a delay of 28 years, six national television licences were granted in 2018. Their owners came from other sectors of the economy, principally the shipping industry. Among them, the most popular television stations are ANT1, Star, and Skai TV (CR3 = 0.46), companies that have also paid for satellite distribution. For the purpose of our research, we have also taken under consideration journalists and editors coming from the public service broadcaster ERT, even though traditionally, its television channels score low in audience share (5%).
In subscription-based television, three major suppliers dominate the market. They are Cosmote TV, Nova, and Vodafone (CR3 = 0.99) with the penetration of pay-TV (in relation to the total number of households), via both DTH and IPTV, reaching 25.3 per cent in June 2019 (Mandravelis, 2020) (for penetration, see Indicator F1 – Geographic distribution of news media availability).
In the field of pay-TV, the dominant player is Cosmote, which gained a 45 per cent market share in 2018, attracting more than 500,000 subscribers. It also represents the most dynamic Internet provider in terms of subscriptions, having conquered 48 per cent of the mobile and 47 per cent of the fixed-line markets. Nova TV, the oldest subscription television service in Greece and owned by Forthnet S.A., in 2018 gained a 42 per cent market share (Papadimitriou, 2020: 186–187). When, in 2018, fibre-to-the-home technology appeared in the market, Cosmote and Forthnet initiated separate over-the-top media services. Moreover, two mobile phone companies, Vodafone and Wind Hellas, which are also Internet service providers, have been launching pay-TV services since 2017.
Additionally, Netflix is a new promising player in the Greek communication market. It reached more than 100,000 subscribers in less than three years, despite its relatively low start in January 2016.
The print media is legally required to name their director and publisher on their copies. Evening daily newspapers are the most popular newspapers in Greece despite their reduced circulation nowadays. The main competitors are Ta Nea, Kathimerini, and Efimerida Syntakton (CR3 = 0.72). Most popular news radio stations are Skai 100.3, Real FM, and Parapolitika FM (CR3 = 0.21).
