MEDIA MARKET DATA - World Association of Newspapers

* * * * *Russia's state-run energy giant Gazprom is set to strengthen its grip on the country's mediawith the likely purchase of control of the country's largest circulation newspaper,Komsomolskaya Pravda, the business daily Vedomosti said. Prof-Media, a subsidiary of theInterros company owned by businessman Vladimir Potanin, has negotiated the sale of justover 50 percent of the populist tabloid's publishing house, said Vedomosti, citing an unnamedsource familiar with the deal. The two sides are now awaiting the go-ahead of the federal antimonopolyservice, the paper said. An official at Gazprom's press service declined to confirmor deny the report when contacted by AFP. The official said Gazprom was "always in talkswith all the important media players and everything depends on the terms of sale offered bythe sellers". Prof-Media owns 50 percent of Komsomolskaya Pravda and another 25 percentis owned by Norway's A-Pressen. Gazprom's swallowing of several media outlets in recentyears has fuelled criticism that the state is using the company to increase its control overthe media. The company owns one of the three main television channels, NTV, and hasmajority stakes in the Echo Moscow radio station and the daily newspaper Izvestia. Potaninannounced earlier that Interros wanted to reduce its share in the daily newspaper market anddiversify into other areas of the media. According to the research institute TNS Gallup Media,Komsomolskaya Pravda's average daily circulation is four million copies and the total numberof people who read the paper each day is 10 million. AFP; April 20, 2006Sell-Off / Buy-OutCroatiaThe largest Croatian newspaper publisher Europapress holding (EPH) will sell its 27 percentstake in Tisak, confirmed EPH Director Stipe Oreskovic, by the end of May, 'CT' reports. Thefinal competition for this stake attracted the interest of Slovenia's largest distributor Deloprodaja, multinational company Hachette from France and an unnamed Croatian distributioncompany. "We have several quality participants in this race, they all performed a duediligence, saying they were satisfied and we are now waiting who will give us the best offer,"said Oreskovic. The sale of the stake in Tisak was conditioned by Croatian Agency forProtection of the Market Competition if EPH wants to complete the takeover of thenewspaper Slobodna Dalmacija, as EPH acquired excessive newspaper distribution marketshare of 87 percent after this venture. Well-informed sources said that EPH has already signeda deal on the sale of Tisak to Slovenia's Delo prodaja, which Oreskovic refused to comment.Until recently one of potential bidders for a stake in Tisak also included Slovenia's publisherDZS, which was denied by Oreskovic, who said that future buyer of Tisak would have to bein a distribution business. He was formally right, as the possible future buyer of Tisak is notDZS, but Delo prodaja, but this distributor is strongly tied on ownership relations with DZS.Also recently, one of the owners of DZS also became WAZ, media concern and co-owner ofEPH, which means that entering of Slovenia's Delo prodaja in Tisak would represent yetanother ownership connection in a series of ownership mergers between Croatia's andSlovenia's media and marketing companies. The position of Delo prodaja in Slovenia isequally strong as the position of Tisak in Croatia, and both distributors are significantlystronger than all competitors combined. Delo prodaja monthly sells in Slovenia through itsown retail network (146 retail outlets) and other networks more than 10 million copies ofnewspapers and magazines. Delo prodaja is not in ownership relations with the newspaperDelo, as it was separated from this company back in 1990.http://www.reporter.gr/fulltext_eng.cfm?id=60516124220; 16 May 200671