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Considering that the average income per capita in Greece in 2017 was EUR 15,556, the amount spent on a basic news media package is sizeable, since according to an approximate calculation, it amounts to 5.5 per cent of the annual income. This amount may seem low, but combined with the fact that 31.5 per cent of the Greek population is estimated to be at a high risk of poverty or social exclusion, it is certainly not an easy financial feat.
In particular, the Internet prices seemed to be rather high for what were mediocre services. While the rates with regard to Internet entry level in Greece were similar to the EU mean, the price for high-end Internet speeds was double the EU mean (European Commission, 2018). The offer for the triple-play packages (Internet + landline + TV) of the two main competitors ranged EUR 22–60 per month, based on a variety of channels and connection speeds. A report conducted by EETT (2018) found that 55 per cent of the respondents mentioned their subscription expense as the foremost reason for not selecting a pay-TV package. Even with contents of the main newspapers available online free of charge (without subscription), the technological progress and the multitude of audiovisual cues integrated into news stories rendered the slower Internet connections inoperable for their intended purpose.
In any case, taking the above scenario as an example, spending about EUR 72 every month to access the main media content as well as the Internet is a significant burden in a country where the minimum salary, legally prescribed, is now EUR 580 per month.
