{
  "id": 159,
  "slug": "2018-hungary-kesma-media-merger",
  "title": "Hungary: formation of the KESMA pro-government media foundation",
  "occurred_on": "2018-11-29",
  "occurred_on_precision": "day",
  "ended_on": null,
  "jurisdiction": "HU",
  "country": "HU",
  "continent": "europe",
  "level": "national",
  "type": null,
  "tactic_primary": "funding_and_ownership_pressure",
  "leader_slug": "viktor-orban",
  "issue_of_the_day": "Not stated in the sources reviewed.",
  "outcome": "sustained",
  "outcome_on": "2018-11-29",
  "outcome_note": "The merger was completed and the exemption was not reported as reversed in the sources reviewed.",
  "granularity": "granular",
  "era": "2010s",
  "summary": "Owners aligned with Hungary's governing party donated 476 outlets into one non-profit foundation, KESMA. The government exempted the merger from the antitrust review that would normally apply to a combination of that size.{c:529}{c:530}{c:626}",
  "what_happened": "On November 29, 2018, the owners of 476 Hungarian outlets, including television channels, radio stations, news portals, newspapers and magazines, transferred them for no payment into a single non-profit body, the Central European Press and Media Foundation, known as KESMA. Most of these outlets had already been supportive of Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government; several had themselves been bought in earlier years by businesspeople close to the governing Fidesz party. Ordinarily a media combination of this scale would trigger a review by Hungary's competition authority to check its effect on media pluralism. The government instead declared the merger a matter of national interest and exempted it from that review by decree. KESMA's outlets now make up a large share of Hungary's total media market, alongside the country's state broadcaster.{c:529}{c:530}{c:626}\n\nSustained; KESMA continued to operate as of the sources reviewed.{c:529}{c:530}{c:626}",
  "stated_justification": "Not stated in the sources reviewed.{c:529}{c:530}{c:626}",
  "effect_on_reporting": "Hungary's press freedom organization Reporters Without Borders later said the government-aligned foundation and state broadcasting together dominate about eighty percent of the national media market, crowding out independent competitors for advertising and audience.{c:529}{c:530}",
  "unknowns": "The sources reviewed do not give the government's stated reason for exempting the merger from competition review.",
  "status": "historical",
  "status_updated_on": "2026-09-22",
  "external_ids": {},
  "illustration_key": null,
  "pub_state": "published",
  "published_at": "2026-09-23T01:17:58Z",
  "reviewed_on": "2026-09-22",
  "next_review_on": "2026-12-22",
  "revision": 9,
  "created_at": "2026-09-23T01:17:53Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-09-23T02:21:28Z",
  "stage": "silence",
  "ladder_note": "Owners surrendered 476 outlets into one government-aligned foundation, exempted by decree from antitrust review; United States funding pressure has cut money and licenses but has not required owners to give up outlets.",
  "country_name": "Hungary",
  "tactics": [
    "funding_and_ownership_pressure"
  ],
  "leader": {
    "slug": "viktor-orban",
    "name": "Viktor Orban",
    "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/viktor-orban"
  },
  "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2018-hungary-kesma-media-merger",
  "page_meta": {
    "published": "2026-09-23T01:17:58Z",
    "reviewed": "2026-09-22",
    "sources": 3,
    "status": "historical",
    "statusAsOf": "2026-09-22",
    "unknowns": "The sources reviewed do not give the government's stated reason for exempting the merger from competition review."
  },
  "actors": [
    {
      "slug": "kesma",
      "name": "Central European Press and Media Foundation (KESMA)",
      "kind": "body",
      "role": "other",
      "role_at_time": null,
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/actors/kesma"
    },
    {
      "slug": "viktor-orban",
      "name": "Viktor Orban",
      "kind": "person",
      "role": "other",
      "role_at_time": null,
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/actors/viktor-orban"
    }
  ],
  "outlets": [
    {
      "slug": "kesma-network",
      "name": "KESMA member outlets",
      "relation": "affected",
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/outlets/kesma-network"
    }
  ],
  "journalists": [],
  "cases": [],
  "related": [],
  "events": [],
  "claims": [
    {
      "id": 529,
      "subject_type": "incident",
      "subject_id": 159,
      "field": "effect_on_reporting",
      "value": "KESMA now controls about 80 percent of the country's media market",
      "statement": "RSF's later assessment of the merged foundation's market share.",
      "attribution": null,
      "source_id": 403,
      "evidence_quote": "this group now controls 80% of the country's media landscape",
      "evidence_date": null,
      "method": "outlet_report",
      "verified_at": "2026-09-22",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "status": "current",
      "supersedes_id": null,
      "superseded_by": null,
      "supersede_reason": null,
      "batch_label": "seed-2026-09-22",
      "created_at": "2026-09-23T01:17:56Z",
      "source": {
        "id": 403,
        "url": "https://rsf.org/en/country/hungary",
        "final_url": "https://rsf.org/en/country/hungary",
        "title": "Hungary",
        "publisher": "Reporters Without Borders",
        "published_on": null,
        "link_state": "live",
        "link_state_since": "2026-09-22T12:00:00Z",
        "wayback_url": null,
        "wayback_saved_at": null
      },
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/claims/529"
    },
    {
      "id": 530,
      "subject_type": "incident",
      "subject_id": 159,
      "field": "effect_on_reporting",
      "value": "Public broadcasting became a government messaging tool",
      "statement": "RSF's characterization of the state broadcaster over the same period.",
      "attribution": null,
      "source_id": 403,
      "evidence_quote": "public broadcasting was turned into a propaganda machine",
      "evidence_date": null,
      "method": "outlet_report",
      "verified_at": "2026-09-22",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "status": "current",
      "supersedes_id": null,
      "superseded_by": null,
      "supersede_reason": null,
      "batch_label": "seed-2026-09-22",
      "created_at": "2026-09-23T01:17:57Z",
      "source": {
        "id": 403,
        "url": "https://rsf.org/en/country/hungary",
        "final_url": "https://rsf.org/en/country/hungary",
        "title": "Hungary",
        "publisher": "Reporters Without Borders",
        "published_on": null,
        "link_state": "live",
        "link_state_since": "2026-09-22T12:00:00Z",
        "wayback_url": null,
        "wayback_saved_at": null
      },
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/claims/530"
    },
    {
      "id": 626,
      "subject_type": "incident",
      "subject_id": 159,
      "field": "action",
      "value": "476 outlets donated to KESMA",
      "statement": "The number of outlets folded into the new foundation.",
      "attribution": null,
      "source_id": 373,
      "evidence_quote": "In December, the owners of 476 progovernment titles donated their outlets to a new non-profit entity called KESMA for free; the merger was exempted from antitrust review on \"national interest\" grounds.",
      "evidence_date": "2019-05-01",
      "method": "outlet_report",
      "verified_at": "2026-09-22",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "status": "current",
      "supersedes_id": null,
      "superseded_by": null,
      "supersede_reason": null,
      "batch_label": "seed-2026-09-22",
      "created_at": "2026-09-23T01:33:24Z",
      "source": {
        "id": 373,
        "url": "https://freedomhouse.org/country/hungary/nations-transit/2019",
        "final_url": "https://freedomhouse.org/country/hungary/nations-transit/2019",
        "title": "Nations in Transit 2019: Hungary",
        "publisher": "Freedom House",
        "published_on": "2019-05-01",
        "link_state": "live",
        "link_state_since": "2026-09-22T12:00:00Z",
        "wayback_url": null,
        "wayback_saved_at": null
      },
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/claims/626"
    },
    {
      "id": 710,
      "subject_type": "incident",
      "subject_id": 159,
      "field": "action",
      "value": "VOA: total control over pro-government media",
      "statement": "Voice of America quoted commentary that KESMA's formation meant total control over pro-government media outlets close to Hungary's government.",
      "attribution": null,
      "source_id": 449,
      "evidence_quote": "From now on, there will be total control over the right-wing media close to the government.",
      "evidence_date": "2018-11-28",
      "method": "outlet_report",
      "verified_at": "2026-09-22",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "status": "current",
      "supersedes_id": null,
      "superseded_by": null,
      "supersede_reason": null,
      "batch_label": "v3-second-sources-2026-09-22",
      "created_at": "2026-09-23T02:21:28Z",
      "source": {
        "id": 449,
        "url": "https://www.voanews.com/a/huge-pro-government-media-conglomerate-formed-in-hungary-/4678690.html",
        "final_url": "https://www.voanews.com/a/huge-pro-government-media-conglomerate-formed-in-hungary-/4678690.html",
        "title": "Huge Pro-government Media Conglomerate Formed in Hungary",
        "publisher": "Voice of America",
        "published_on": "2018-11-28",
        "link_state": "live",
        "link_state_since": "2026-09-23T02:35:35Z",
        "wayback_url": null,
        "wayback_saved_at": null
      },
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/claims/710"
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": 373,
      "url": "https://freedomhouse.org/country/hungary/nations-transit/2019",
      "final_url": "https://freedomhouse.org/country/hungary/nations-transit/2019",
      "title": "Nations in Transit 2019: Hungary",
      "publisher": "Freedom House",
      "published_on": "2019-05-01",
      "link_state": "live",
      "link_state_since": "2026-09-22T12:00:00Z",
      "wayback_url": null,
      "wayback_saved_at": null
    },
    {
      "id": 403,
      "url": "https://rsf.org/en/country/hungary",
      "final_url": "https://rsf.org/en/country/hungary",
      "title": "Hungary",
      "publisher": "Reporters Without Borders",
      "published_on": null,
      "link_state": "live",
      "link_state_since": "2026-09-22T12:00:00Z",
      "wayback_url": null,
      "wayback_saved_at": null
    },
    {
      "id": 449,
      "url": "https://www.voanews.com/a/huge-pro-government-media-conglomerate-formed-in-hungary-/4678690.html",
      "final_url": "https://www.voanews.com/a/huge-pro-government-media-conglomerate-formed-in-hungary-/4678690.html",
      "title": "Huge Pro-government Media Conglomerate Formed in Hungary",
      "publisher": "Voice of America",
      "published_on": "2018-11-28",
      "link_state": "live",
      "link_state_since": "2026-09-23T02:35:35Z",
      "wayback_url": null,
      "wayback_saved_at": null
    }
  ],
  "revisions_url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2018-hungary-kesma-media-merger/revisions",
  "license": {
    "name": "CC BY 4.0",
    "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
  },
  "cite_as": "Hungary: formation of the KESMA pro-government media foundation. The War On News, thewaronnews.com. https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2018-hungary-kesma-media-merger. Retrieved 2026-09-23."
}