Andrej Babis is most powerful person of Czech media world -Forbes
Prague - Andrej Babis, a businessman and the chairman of the ANO movement, is the most powerful person in the Czech media world, according to the list of the 50 most influential people in the Czech media published in the January issue of the Czech version of the Forbes magazine.
Babis is followed by Petr Dvorak, director general of public service broadcaster Czech Television (CT), on Forbes's list.
Businessmen Daniel Kretinsky and Patrik Tkac, who have recently become the new owners of publisher Ringier Axel Springer, share the third and fourth positions.
In 2013, the most influential person in Czech media by Forbes's ranking was Adrian Sarbu, the then chief executive of media group CME which controls the Nova television group.
Babis has also made the fastest advance among media players, according to Forbes.
As the publisher of minor free daily paper 5+2, he was a novice on the list last year, but in 2013 he became the owner of media group MAFRA, publishing nationwide dailies MF DNES and Lidove noviny, and also acquired radio station Impuls which has the biggest audience share in the Czech Republic.
The acquisition of Radio Impuls is yet to be approved by the antitrust office UOHS.
There are eight entrepreneurs in the top ten of the list who are or will become media owners. This means that a large part of the media is being transferred under the control of Czech capital, which is an entirely new situation for the Czech society, Forbes said.
Last year's winner Sarbu resigned from the post of CME's president and CEO in August last year. He will receive a severance payment of $5.4m.
Ranking on the Forbes list is determined by the influence exerted by the particular media, which the magazine evaluates based on viewer ratings, audience share and circulation.
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Andrej Babis is most powerful person of Czech media world -Forbes