Key Hungarian tabloid acquired by Orbán-allied Indamedia just months before the elections

Ringier Hungary Ltd. and its portfolio of publications have officially become part of the Indamedia Group, sources told MTI on Friday. The transaction means that Hungary’s most widely read daily newspaper and the country’s fourth most visited online news portal now belong to Indamedia — a media group closely linked to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s business circle.

Orbán-allied owners take over the Blikk

The deal was finalised on Thursday and includes Blikk, Hungary’s leading nationwide daily newspaper and one of the country’s top online portals. Also part of the package are the weekly Vasárnapi Blikk, the health portal EgészségKalauz.hu, the popular women’s magazines Kiskegyed and GLAMOUR, the automotive magazine Auto Bild, the online recipe site Recepttár.hu, and a range of television magazines such as Tvr-hét, Színes RTV, Színes Kéthetes, TVR Újság and TV Revü — along with several culinary magazines.

Meanwhile, the prominent domestic job portal Profession will remain solely owned by Ringier, while the sports website Sportal.hu will stay under the Ringier Sports Media Group (RSMG).

According to hvg.hu, Indamedia is jointly owned by Miklós Vaszily, president of TV2 and a close associate of the Prime Minister who has become one of Hungary’s wealthiest individuals over the past decade, and Gábor Ziegler, who previously served as sales director. Vaszily has also been CEO of MTVA and briefly worked with the Fidesz-affiliated Echo TV.

“More thrilling experiences every day”, promises Indamedia

Tibor Kovács, managing director of Ringier Hungary, said the former Ringier publications had found an owner that had already proven itself in the Hungarian market, ensuring not only growth but also the retention of journalistic excellence.