WORLD PRESS TRENDS - World Association of Newspapers

AUSTRIA
Main economic indicators 1995-2001
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
1 US$= 1.12 Euro at 2001 rate
Gross Domestic Product (Euro billion)
at current prices 173 178 183 190 197 205 210
% change 6.1 3.3 2.8 3.5 3.6 4.2 2.6
at 2001 prices 190 193 195 201 207 210 210
% change 3.8 1.5 1.5 2.6 3.0 1.7 0.0
Gross Domestic Product per capita (Euro 000)
at current prices 21.4 22.1 22.7 23.5 24.3 25.3 26.0
at 2001 prices 23.6 23.9 24.2 24.8 25.5 25.9 26.0
Population
Millions 8.1 8.1 8.1 8.1 8.1 8.1 8.1
Consumer Price Index
2001=100 90.9 92.5 93.8 94.6 95.2 97.5 100.0
%change 2.3 1.8 1.3 0.9 0.6 2.4 2.6
Ad.spend as a % of GDP
0.67 0.68 0.73 0.79 0.88 0.92 0.89
Advertising Expenditure Growth (%)
at current prices 4.5 4.5 10.5 11.2 15.6 9.7 -0.7
at 2001 prices 2.2 2.7 9.0 10.2 14.9 7.2 -3.3
Source: IFS, ZenithOptimedia
Research
Circulation is audited by: Österreichische Auflagenkontrolle
(ÖAK - Austrian ABC)
Readership is measured by: Verein Arbeitsgemeinschaft Media-
Analysen
Methodology: Face-to-face interviews run throughout the year
with a disproportionate random-sample of 17,575 individuals
aged over 14, with five sample points. The sample to interview
ratio is 80.6% and includes a standardised questionnaire.
Taxes
VAT on: sales 10%advertising 20%
newsprint 20%plant 20%
composition 20%(standard VAT rate 20%)
Newspaper profits are taxed at the usual 34% rate.
There is a 5% tax on advertising.
Subsidies
Are loans granted at low interest rates for re-equipping or improving
existing equipment There is no general subsidy for capital
investment, but preferential loans are available in the Vienna
region.
All Austrian newspapers may apply to a committee for either a
general subsidy or a special subsidy. The general subsidy is for
all dailies and weeklies. The special subsidy is available to
smaller dailies with less than 15% coverage and 22% advertising
pagination.
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
General subsidy Euro (000) 6,674 99,285 7,255 5,862 5,860 5,862 ¹
Special subsidy Euro (000) 11,032 10,968 11,991 9,593 7,551 7,593 ²
Total 17,706 110,253 19,246 15,455 13,411 13,455
¹ general subsidy for dailies and weeklies
² special subsidy for dailies under particular conditions
Discounts
on: post 0 rail 0 telephone 0 telegraph 0 telex 0
Ownership
Does any law exist governing publishing-house ownership, or the
registration of shares in newspaper-publishing companies No
Is there any law prohibiting or restricting foreign companies or
individuals from owning shares, and in particular, the majority of
shares, of domestic daily newspapers No
Is there any law prohibiting daily newspaper or periodical publishers
from operating radio or television stations in the same locality
Parliament enacted the Private TV Broadcasting Act on 5 th July
2001, opening up the market for private terrestrial TV. The
media clause of the Act allows newspaper publishers to hold
100% of a TV operator, except that publishers with a 30% share
of the national newspaper readership may not own the national
TV operator, and publishers with a 30% share of a region’s
newspaper readership may not own a TV operator in that region.
So as to guarantee disclosure and transparency in the capital structure
and to avert silent partnerships, is there a law or rule making it possible
to determine who actually owns a publishing company Under the
media law, a publication must print the name of its owner and
his other holdings once a year.
Is there an antitrust law limiting concentration in the daily press In
March 2002 the Austrian Parliament enacted an amendment to
the Cartel Act strengthening the control of abuses of dominance
in the media sector. In case of breach of these prohibitions, the
court may impose conditions with the effect of weakening or
abolishing the dominant position.
Is further regulation of media concentration expected No
WORLD ASSOCIATION OF NEWSPAPERS - WORLD PRESS TRENDS 2003 57