The main public service broadcaster DR has been restructuring following substantial cuts to its funding and ahead of a new multiyear contract in mid-2021.

The Czech media market has had to grapple with the negative impact of the pandemic over the course of the last year, with the newspaper sector hardest hit.

COVID-19 has exacerbated the financial pressures on Croatia’s legacy media seeking to adapt to the shift of readers and advertising revenues online. Journalists have lost jobs, wages, and come under more political pressure.

Bulgaria remains the poorest member of the EU and the one with the lowest ranking in terms of the main indices for press freedom and transparency. Elections in April 2021 led to a setback for the country’s long-serving Prime Minister with a falling vote share.

Belgium has two distinct media markets – French-speaking Wallonia and Flemish-speaking Flanders. Given the small size of the markets, publishers continue to see consolidation as a way of securing their digital transition and keeping international companies at bay.

News consumption and trust increased compared with last year, with Austrians often sceptical of the government’s handling of the pandemic.