CZECH REPUBLIC
Population 10,300,000
GDP per capita EUR11,781
Foreign media owners dominate in the Czech Republic. The nine national daily newspapers make up around two-thirds of the newspaper market and include free daily Metro, published by Sweden's Modern Times Group (MTG).
Swiss-owned Ringier publishes rival free daily 24 Hodin, plus around 10 other titles, including the highest-circulation daily, Blesk. Finland's Sanoma Magazines International dominates in women's and lifestyle magazines.
The TV market is narrow, with two public and two private channels taking 90% of the audience. Within that, the private channel TV Nova takes around 40% market share.
Prague-based Hanley King, regional director for Universal McCann, says: "The ad market is very television-dominated. It accounts for 45-50% of media spend and the two commercial channels, which are owned by the CME Group, are listed on the US Nasdaq. Print takes around 35-40% of media spend and that's a much more fragmented market. The print market is over-supplied, with magazines dominated by international groups such as Sanoma and Bauer."
The biggest-spending brands are mobile phone companies (Deutsche Telekom, 02 and Vodafone), along with global FMCG groups such as Procter & Gamble, Unilever and the VW Group. There is also increasing adspend on financial products and electronics.
The European Marketing Survey (EMS) data for 2007 shows that almost 30% of Czechs are early adopters of new technology - double the figure for Hungary. Computing ranks high as a leisure pursuit at 74%, compared to 55% and 49% for Hungary and Poland respectively.
The population also has an insular quality. Only 13% are interested in living in another country (compared to 45% and 34% for Hungary and Poland respectively) and are twice as likely to fall into a "non-striver" cluster. However, the Czechs travel more than their neighbours for holidays and business trips.
HUNGARY
Population 10,064,000
GDP per capita EUR14,910
Television is a big deal in Hungary. According to the EMS, TV is the first source of information for more than half (52%) of the population - far more than in Poland or the Czech Republic (32% and 31% respectively).
A huge 83% of Hungarians have cable TV, while in the Czech Republic and Poland that figure is less than 50%. A 2006 poll found that three out of 10 Hungarians said their lives would be incomplete without a television, and that they spend an average of 33 hours a week watching TV.
George Christodoulides, managing director for Central Europe at Synovate, says: "The media market is definitely dominated by TV advertising. Companies with big budgets use a mix of media, but TV is the most effective."
As in the Czech Republic, print media is largely foreign-owned. There are 10 nationals and 24 local dailies, with the free daily Metro (published by MTG) holding the biggest circulation at around 340,000. Swiss-owned Ringier is the majority owner of Nepszabadsag, a major political daily with a circulation of around 160,000.
Sanoma is the major magazine owner, with a portfolio of 21 consumer titles and five business titles, plus corresponding websites. Hungarians use the internet slightly less than their neighbours: only 17% use it as their first source of information, which is half the figure for the Czech Republic.
Christodoulides warns that advertisers should do their homework on this market and that Hungarians should not be grouped carelessly with their neighbours.
"Where the Czechs are functional, the Hungarians are very image-conscious," he says. "Advertising that is emotive will work, while very functional advertising might not be so effective. If something is generic, Hungarians tend to not be interested. But if something is specifically targeted to their needs and dreams, then it is likely to be successful."
POLAND
Population 38,500,000
GDP per capita EUR10,718
Poland has a wide media landscape, with more than 5,400 press titles including national and regional dailies (167), weeklies (827), monthly magazines (2,401) and specialist press.
As in other central and eastern European countries, the print media market is dominated by foreign owners such as H Bauer (operating in Poland as Wydawnictwo H Bauer), Verlagsgruppe Passau (Polskapresse) and Axel Springer (Axel Springer Polska), all of which are German-owned.
Another significant foreign publisher is the Norwegian-owned Orkla Press (Presspublica). The only real domestic competitor is Agora SA Group, whose portfolio includes Gazeta Wyborcza, one of the major broadsheets.
There are 74 TV channels and 235 radio stations in Poland, with a mix of public and private owners. State-owned Telewizja Polska (TVP) takes the lion's share of audiences and ad revenues, while the two main commercial channels are Polsat and TV Polonia (TVN), each with audience shares of around 15%.
Television and print advertising are still the biggest media for advertising in Poland, with print taking around 35%. Radio captures around 7%. Patrycja Szymanska, research director at Symantec in Poland, says: "Online is estimated to take 5-6% of total adspend in 2008."
EMS data suggests Polish consumers are ahead of their regional counterparts in their use of technology: 35.8% own a DVD recorder, for instance, compared to just 12.2% in Hungary. They are also twice as likely to use the internet as a first source of information compared to Hungarians.
The most active advertisers in Poland are the finance, telecommunications (particularly mobile phones), motoring and FMCG sectors. Poland's consumers are more outward-looking and progressive than some of their neighbours: the EMS found they are more likely to consume foreign media, to learn another language and to covet new products.