Economia a.s.

What Economia a.s. does

Economia a.s. is a privately held Czech media house, wholly owned by Zdeněk Bakala, that operates a diversified portfolio of print, digital, video, audio, freemail, and B2B titles anchored on the daily business newspaper Hospodářské noviny (HN), the weekly magazine Ekonom, and the major news portal Aktuálně.cz. Its technology stack spans a proprietary digital publishing platform with content management, the video.aktualne.cz streaming service, the first-to-market HN audioverze text-to-audio feature for Czech press, podcast distribution, and freemail infrastructure across Centrum.cz, Volny.cz, and Atlas.cz, all unified under a single "Economia účet" account system. The company monetizes through print and digital subscriptions (including the premium HN All Access membership and a 79 CZK/month ad-free tier), advertising across print and online channels — reaching 66% of Czech business owners and top management — and special projects and events such as the Good Company Circle conference and the Nejlepší banka / Nejlepší pojišťovna awards. Customers span individual news readers, premium B2B subscribers, corporate advertisers concentrated in banking and insurance, and B2B professionals served through verticals such as Logistika, Právní rádce, and Obchodní věstník; editorial independence is structurally protected by the Committee for Editorial Independence (Rada pro redakční nezávislost), and Economia became the first Czech media house to receive the Journalism Trust Initiative certification from Reporters Without Borders in 2024.

Name

Economia a.s.

Legal name

Economia, a.s.

Website

https://economia.ihned.cz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Economia a.s. is a privately held Czech media house operating print, digital, video, audio, freemail, and B2B publications — anchored by Hospodářské noviny, Ekonom, and Aktuálně.cz — serving business decision-makers, individual readers, and corporate advertisers in the Czech Republic.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Media Publishing

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Business journalism
• Digital media publishing
• News subscription services
• Advertising media sales
• Professional media content

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, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Print and Digital Subscriptions: Economia generates recurring revenue through paid subscriptions for its print titles (Hospodářské noviny, Ekonom, B2B titles) and digital products (HN.cz, Aktuálně.cz premium content, HN All Access). Subscription options include monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual billing cycles with automatic renewal for special subscription tiers.
2. Advertising (Print and Online): The company derives significant advertising revenue from selling print and online advertising space across its portfolio. This includes banner advertising, text ads, video ads, and special advertising formats. Advertising reach includes premium business audiences (66% of business owners and top management readers).
3. Special Projects and Events: Revenue from custom communication projects including international conferences (Good Company Circle), branded content campaigns, and event sponsorships. The company leverages its editorial platforms and audience reach for B2B marketing solutions.
4. Ad-free subscription option: Users can pay 79 CZK/month for ad-free access to websites, providing an alternative revenue stream from users who prefer no advertising.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Economia a.s. is a Czech media house that publishes the daily business newspaper Hospodářské noviny, the weekly magazine Ekonom, and operates news websites HN.cz and Aktuálně.cz. The company also runs the Centrum.cz portal with freemail services (Centrum.cz, Volny.cz, Atlas.cz) and thematic websites including Žena.cz and Vaření.cz. It offers premium subscription tiers (HN All Access), B2B publications, video content (video.aktualne.cz), and advertising sales to business decision-makers.

Product overview

Economia a.s. is a Czech media house operating a diversified portfolio of print and digital products. The core offering consists of news media including the daily Hospodářské noviny newspaper, weekly Ekonom magazine, and news websites HN.cz and Aktuálně.cz. The company also operates portal services through Centrum.cz with associated freemail services (Centrum.cz, Volny.cz, Atlas.cz), and thematic websites such as Žena.cz and Vaření.cz. Premium offerings include HN All Access subscription with exclusive content and events, while B2B products encompass Obchodní věstník, Logistika, Právní rádce, and PročNe. Video content is delivered through video.aktualne.cz and the Spotlight video interview series. The company serves over 5 million digital users and 400,000 print readers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

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

Products and services

• Hospodářské noviny (HN)

Quantifiable outcome

• 66% of business owners and top management readers value content reliability and objectivity
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Reporters Without Borders (Reportéři bez hranic)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 February 2024Economia collaborated with Reporters Without Borders, European Broadcasting Union, and AFP to obtain the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI) certificate. This partnership established Economia as the first Czech media house to receive JTI certification, validating its commitment to professional and independent journalism. Over 2,600 media houses from 135 countries are now involved in the JTI process.
• Google (AdSense, AdExchange, Analytics)coreTechnology or IntegrationGoogle provides advertising technology (AdSense, AdExchange) and analytics services (Google Analytics) integrated across Economia's digital platforms. These tools enable targeted advertising, remarketing, and traffic analysis.
• GroupMminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMedia investment holding company and advertising agency group representing major advertisers buying advertising inventory.
• Knihovna Václava Havla (Václav Havel Library)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for events and debates, including Spotlight video interviews held at the library venue featuring business and political figures.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Reuters: Reuters is a global news and information provider serving business and media clients. Comparable to Economia's newsroom as a wire-style news operation with text, video, and audio across multiple platforms, though at significantly larger scale.
• Bloomberg Media: Bloomberg Media operates Bloomberg.com, Bloomberg Businessweek, and live events serving business professionals. Comparable to HN/Ekonom as a business-news brand monetizing advertising, subscriptions, and events aimed at executives.
• Ringier: Ringier is a leading Swiss-headquartered media group operating across Central and Eastern Europe, including titles in Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and the Balkans. Comparable as a multi-market regional publisher with print, digital, and marketplace operations.
• Axel Springer: Axel Springer is a major German-based media company operating Bild, Welt, and Business Insider, with a strong digital subscription model across European business news. Comparable as a large European media incumbent transitioning print brands to paid digital subscriptions.
• Dow Jones (Wall Street Journal): Dow Jones publishes the Wall Street Journal and Barron's, the leading global business dailies. Comparable to Hospodářské noviny as a premium business daily with strong digital subscription growth, B2B events, and advertising sales.
• Seznam.cz: Seznam.cz is the dominant Czech internet portal and search engine, operating a news section, Sklik advertising platform, and email services. It is a major competitor for Czech digital advertising spend and audience reach, intersecting with Economia's Centrum.cz portal business.

Direct peers

• Mafra (Mladá fronta): Mafra publishes MF DNES, the leading Czech daily, and operates iDNES.cz, the country's largest news portal. Mafra competes directly with HN and Aktuálně.cz for advertising, readers, and subscribers across both print and digital channels.
• Czech News Center (CNC): Czech News Center is the publisher of Lidové noviny, Blesk, and other major Czech dailies and tabloids. It is the most direct head-to-head competitor to Economia in the Czech print and digital news market, with overlapping business and general news audiences.
• Financial Times: FT is a global business newspaper with a successful digital subscription model serving senior business decision-makers. Comparable to HN as a premium business daily targeting executives, with a similar mix of print, digital, events, and B2B services.

Others

• European Broadcasting Union (EBU): EBU is a partner in the Journalism Trust Initiative alongside Reporters Without Borders and AFP. Relevant as a standards body and partner, not a direct competitor, but signals the institutional ecosystem in which Economia's JTI certification sits.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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

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&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Economia a.s.