Public funding of €29 million granted to ORF for promotional purposes
In 2024, the Climate Protection Ministry of Leonore Gewessler made headlines as the largest advertiser among Austrian ministries on the ORF, spending a significant 1 million euros on advertising. This revelation comes from the evaluation of the media transparency database of the RTR, which also uncovered that the ministry was the second largest ORF advertiser, surpassed only by its own spending.
The ORF, Austria's public broadcaster, received more public advertising revenue than any other media in the country in 2024, amounting to 28.8 million euros. This advertising revenue from public institutions, including ministries, states, chambers, and public companies, formed a substantial portion of the ORF's total revenue.
Interestingly, the Climate Protection Ministry also allocated a portion of its advertising budget to US corporations like Google and Meta (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp), amounting to 850,000 euros. Google and the Meta corporation were among the media that accounted for the majority of advertising in Austria in 2024, along with the ORF.
The Standard newspaper, meanwhile, received over 370,000 euros from the Green Party's Climate Protection Ministry, making it one of the top recipients of advertising revenue from public institutions. The Standard was ahead of oe24 and Heute, which both have significantly higher reach, in terms of advertising revenue from public institutions. The Standard received a total of 8.1 million euros in advertising from public institutions, making it one of the top advertisers among Austrian media.
PULS4/ATV group received 918,000 euros from Leonore Gewessler's advertising budget, while the future Green Party leader, Leonore Gewessler, spent a total of 9.1 million euros on advertising, more than any other ministry.
Despite the availability of some context regarding Austria’s total advertising market size and growth for 2024, there is no clear, sourced data publicly available outlining how Austrian ministries and public institutions allocate their advertising budgets across ORF, Google, Meta, and other media outlets. This lack of detailed data may be addressed through Austrian government transparency portals or media auditing firms.
In summary, the Climate Protection Ministry of Leonore Gewessler was the largest ORF advertiser among Austrian ministries in 2024, spending a significant portion of its advertising budget on the ORF, Google, and Meta. The ORF, despite receiving funding from the household levy, also received a substantial amount of advertising revenue from public institutions, making up a significant portion of its total revenue. The Standard was ahead of oe24 and Heute in terms of advertising revenue from public institutions, with the US corporations, including Google and Meta, receiving a combined total of 29.9 million euros in advertising from public institutions in 2024.
The Climate Protection Ministry's allocation of its advertising budget not only included expenditure on Austrian public broadcaster ORF but also extended to US corporations like Google and Meta. In 2024, the ORF's financing, including revenue from public advertising, formed a substantial portion of its total revenue.
