Economia

What Economia does

Economia, a.s. is a privately held Czech media publishing house headquartered in Prague (PORT 7, Holešovice), founded in 1990 and wholly owned by Zdeněk Bakala. The company operates a diversified portfolio spanning the daily business newspaper Hospodářské noviny, the weekly Ekonom, the major news portals HN.cz and Aktuálně.cz, freemail platforms (Centrum.cz, Atlas.cz, Volny.cz), lifestyle verticals (Žena.cz, Vaření.cz), and B2B trade titles (Logistika, Právní rádce, PročNe). Economia reports that 66% of Czech business owners, top management representatives, and public administration officials consume its titles, positioning it as a primary information source for the country's decision-makers.

The company's technical infrastructure is a multi-platform digital publishing system serving news websites, freemail portals, video streaming (video.aktualne.cz), and digital subscription services, integrated through a unified single sign-on account (Economia účet). The advertising technology stack comprises Google AdSense/AdExchange, Seznam Sklik, Facebook, Adform, R2B2, Programmatic s.r.o., the Czech Publisher Exchange, and GroupM, supported by a Consent Management Platform that ensures GDPR, CCPA, and DSA compliance. A Committee for Editorial Independence, chaired by Tessa Szyszkowitz with members including Alexandra Borchardt, Václav Štětka, Misha Glenny, and Aleksander Kaczorowski, insulates editorial decisions from the sole shareholder.

Economia generates revenue through four primary streams: (1) advertising across digital and print properties via programmatic and direct sales, (2) recurring print and digital subscriptions including the HN All Access premium tier, (3) an ad-free access tier at 79 Kč/month, and (4) B2B advisory and marketing services. Distribution combines print home delivery, self-serve digital access through predplatne.hn.cz, freemail platforms, and direct B2B advertising sales. In 2024, Economia became the first Czech media house to receive the Journalism Trust Initiative certification from Reporters Without Borders, a standard now used by thousands of outlets in 80 countries.

Name

Economia

Legal name

Economia, a.s.

Website

https://economia.cz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Economia is a privately held Czech media publishing house operating Hospodářské noviny, Ekonom, Aktuálně.cz, Centrum.cz, and related news, business, lifestyle, and freemail platforms, serving Czech business decision-makers and general consumers with editorial content, advertising, and subscription products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital News Media and Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131), Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Newsletters & Email-Based News Publishers (B2B/B2C) (MPAJADAJ)

Keywords

• Business news publishing
• Digital media subscriptions
• Online advertising sales
• Freemail services
• B2B trade journals

Headquarters

HQ city

Praha

HQ country

Czechia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Advertising Revenue: Economia's primary revenue driver. The company sells display, programmatic, and targeted advertising across its portfolio of online properties (HN.cz, Aktuálně.cz, Centrum.cz, Žena.cz, Vaření.cz, and B2B titles) and print publications. The advertising technology stack includes Google AdSense/AdExchange, Facebook, Seznam Sklik, R2B2, Programmatic, Adform, Czech Publisher Exchange, and GroupM agencies. Revenue is generated through impressions, clicks, and potentially performance-based arrangements. The company also uses remarketing and behavioral targeting to segment audiences for ad delivery.
2. Print and Digital Subscriptions: Economia generates subscription revenue from print and digital editions of its titles including Hospodářské noviny (daily), Ekonom (weekly), and B2B titles (Logistika, Právní rádce, Proč Ne). Digital subscriptions include HN All Access (with events and WhatsApp group access), standard digital tiers, and audio versions of content. Subscriptions are offered on monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual billing cycles. Special HN All Access subscriptions auto-renew annually unless cancelled, with pricing tied to card-on-file recurring payments.
3. Ad-Free Premium Access: Users can pay a monthly fee (79 Kč/month) to access websites without advertising, providing a predictable subscription revenue stream distinct from content subscriptions. This premium tier generates subscription revenue while reducing dependence on advertising.
4. B2B Advisory and Marketing Services: Economia provides advisory and marketing services to business clients, complementing its publishing and subscription business with service-based revenue from corporate clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Economia is a Czech media publishing house that operates a diversified portfolio of news, business, and lifestyle media products. It publishes the daily Hospodářské noviny and weekly Ekonom in print and digital formats, runs major online news portals HN.cz and Aktuálně.cz, provides freemail services through Centrum.cz, Atlas.cz, and Volny.cz, and operates B2B titles and lifestyle sites. Revenue is generated through advertising across owned digital properties and print titles, plus print and digital subscriptions, with an ad-free premium tier offered at 79 Kč/month.

Product overview

Economia is a major Czech media publishing house operating a diversified portfolio of news, business, and lifestyle media products. The company publishes the daily newspaper Hospodářské noviny and weekly Ekonom (print and digital), operates major online news portals HN.cz and Aktuálně.cz, and provides freemail services through Centrum.cz, Volny.cz, and Atlas.cz. The portfolio includes lifestyle sites (Žena.cz, Vaření.cz) and B2B titles (Právní rádce, Logistika, PročNe). Users access services through the unified Economia účet SSO platform, with premium content available through HN All Access subscription. Revenue is generated through advertising (with consent-based data processing), subscriptions, and paid ad-free access options. The company is committed to editorial independence with a dedicated oversight committee.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hospodářské noviny: Daily newspaper published by Economia
• Ekonom
• HN.cz
• Aktuálně.cz
• Centrum.cz
• Žena.cz
• Vaření.cz

Products and services

• Hospodářské noviny (HN) Leading Czech daily business newspaper published in both print and digital formats, featuring high-quality journalism, exclusive news, and economic analyses. Available via subscription in print or digital form.
• Ekonom Weekly business magazine covering economic topics, business trends, and expert commentary in print and digital editions.
• HN.cz Online news portal focused on business and financial news, offering digital content, analyses, and exclusive reporting.
• Aktuálně.cz Major Czech news website providing comprehensive coverage of current events, business, politics, and society, with video content available on video.aktualne.cz.
• Centrum.cz Czech web portal offering free e-mail services (Centrum.cz Mail), news content, and various web services. Operated as a freemail platform.
• Volny.cz Free e-mail service portal operating under the Volny.cz brand, part of Economia's freemail portfolio.
• Atlas.cz Free e-mail service portal operating under the Atlas.cz brand, part of Economia's freemail portfolio.
• Žena.cz Czech women's lifestyle website covering topics such as fashion, beauty, health, relationships, and home topics.
• Vaření.cz Czech cooking and recipes website offering culinary content, recipe database, and cooking-related articles.
• Právní rádce Legal guidance publication and B2B title providing practical legal information and expert commentary for businesses and professionals.
• Logistika B2B trade journal focused on logistics, supply chain management, and transportation industry news.
• PročNe Czech opinion and analysis platform providing commentary on current affairs and societal issues.
• HN All Access Premium subscription tier offering exclusive content, event access (HN events), WhatsApp group membership, and podcast platform access. Includes access to HN events with prior registration.
• Economia účet Unified single sign-on (SSO) account system providing access to multiple Economia services including free e-mail (Centrum, Volný, Atlas), exclusive content on Centrum Výběr, and access to news platforms like Aktuálně.cz.
• video.aktualne.cz Audiovisual media service on demand providing video content including news coverage, documentaries, and multimedia journalism from Aktuálně.cz.
• Předplatné (Subscription Service) Subscription management platform for print and digital periodicals including monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual options. Handles order processing, payment collection, delivery management, and customer support for all Economia titles.

Quantifiable outcome

• 66% of Czech business owners and top management representatives read Economia titles
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Google (AdSense, AdExchange)coreTechnology or IntegrationEconomia uses Google's advertising technology platforms (AdSense and AdExchange) to serve display and programmatic advertising across its online properties. Google cookies and ad technologies are integrated for audience targeting, remarketing, and ad delivery. This partnership is central to Economia's primary advertising revenue model.
• Seznam.cz (Sklik)coreTechnology or IntegrationEconomia uses Seznam's Sklik advertising system for targeted display and behavioral advertising across its websites, serving as a major domestic advertising technology partner alongside international platforms.
• GroupMminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEconomia's programmatic advertising inventory is available through GroupM's media buying platform, enabling agencies to purchase Economy audience access programmatically.
• Google Analytics / NetMonitorcoreTechnology or IntegrationEconomia uses Google Analytics for website traffic measurement and audience analytics. The company also participates in the NetMonitor research project for Czech internet audience measurement, providing standardized traffic data to the market.
• HellitminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWeb development and digital agency that built and maintains Economia's website properties, as noted in footer credits ('Made by hellit').

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Politico: Politico is a digital-first political and business news brand with subscription, events, and B2B intelligence verticals. Comparable to Economia in serving decision-makers through premium content, events, and high-CPM B2B advertising, though based in a different geography.

Direct peers

• Czech News Center: Czech News Center is a major Czech media publisher (Blesk, AHA!, Sport) with print and online portfolios. It directly competes with Economia in Czech digital news, advertising inventory, and consumer reach, though skewed toward tabloid rather than business content.
• The Economist Group: The Economist Group publishes a global business-and-economics weekly alongside newsletters and events (Economist Events). Comparable to Economia in combining a flagship print/digital business publication with subscription-led monetization, premium pricing, and a B2B events business.
• Le Monde: Le Monde is a French newspaper group operating a daily paper, online news, B2B verticals, podcasts, and events, with a subscription-led model. Comparable to Economia as a national multi-format publisher that has executed a digital subscription transition.
• Seznam.cz: Seznam.cz is the leading Czech internet portal operating its own news, search, and Sklik advertising platform. It is both a news competitor (operating Novinky.cz and ProZeny.cz) and an advertising technology partner to Economia, making it a direct functional peer in Czech digital publishing monetization.
• Mafra: Mafra is the largest Czech media house, publishing MF DNES and Lidové noviny dailies and operating iDNES.cz. It is the most direct Czech competitor to Economia's Hospodářské noviny, B2B titles, and online news portals, serving overlapping business and general audiences with similar multi-format models.
• Ringier Axel Springer: Ringier Axel Springer is a leading CEE media group with a strong Czech portfolio (Blesk merged into the group, Blesk.cz, Auto.cz, etc.). It directly competes with Economia across Czech news, B2B, and digital advertising inventory, with comparable multi-format publishing models.

Broad incumbents

• Bloomberg Media: Bloomberg Media operates a global business news and data platform with subscription and advertising revenue. Comparable to Economia in serving business decision-makers with editorial content and B2B advertising, though at much larger international scale.
• Financial Times: Financial Times is a global business news brand with subscription-led monetization, B2B events, and B2B advertising. Comparable to Economia's Hospodářské noviny and HN All Access on premium business subscription positioning, though at materially larger international scale.
• Axel Springer: Axel Springer is a major German and European media conglomerate (Bild, Welt, Business Insider, Politico). It is comparable as a broad incumbent operating business and political news across multiple formats, with significantly larger scale and a digital subscription focus relevant to Economia's HN All Access trajectory.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Economiaas
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/economia/?originalSubdomain=cz
• Instagraminstagram.com/e.conomia_cz
• Xx.com/92268776

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Economia