Hungarian online media outlets were visited by an average of 4.2 million people per day in 2022, a number that decreased to 3.9 million in 2023, the National Media and Infocommunications Authority (NMHH) reported on Monday. The media authority’s annual analysis of media consumption also showed that in 2023, the attention of news readers was primarily captured by events such as the papal visit, the earthquake in Turkey, the uprising of the Wagner Group, the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, and the death on Mount Everest of Hungarian mountaineer Szilárd Suhajda.
NMHH said they had also examined the posts on news portals, as well as the official Facebook pages of the most watched TV channels, radio stations, and newspapers based on the textual analysis of each month’s top one hundred posts, which showed which words journalists prefer. Hungarian came out on top, but life, sport, national team, family, and Europe also made it on the list, they added.
The analysis indicates that Hungarian online media outlets were visited by an average of 4.2 million people per day in 2022, a number that decreased to 3.9 million in 2023. On a daily basis, 64 million pages were opened, with each reader accessing approximately 16 pieces of news, blog posts, weather reports, timetable information, or entertaining content within 24 hours. They added that including applications and foreign websites, around 5.5 million people a day were interested in the full online selection.
The NMHH report also mentions that Hungarian websites were clicked on approximately twenty-three billion times, 11 per cent less than the 26 billion clicks last year. One reason for this is that
Hungarians spent less time online in 2022 compared to the previous year,
resulting in a decrease in total internet traffic. The other, less significant reason is that many users migrated to foreign websites, the media authority noted.
Around one and a half million page views were typical for columns dealing specifically with domestic news, the statement said. An accident on the M1 motorway on 11 March 2023 boosted the number to 3.2 million, the first day of Pope Francis’ visit to Hungary generated 2.8 million clicks, and an explosion in Esztergom in September generated 3.3 million page views, they highlighted.
According to the analysis, among global events, there was the greatest interest in the earthquake in Turkey and Syria; rescue efforts, discovery of bodies, participation of Hungarian troops, and expressions of sympathy directed readers’ attention to foreign news for over a week. The rebellion of the Wagner Group, which began on 23 June, increased the average daily views from 1.9 million to 5.9 million. Then, on 7 October, the Israeli–Palestinian conflict hit the headlines, and the shocking events kept the interest for about two weeks, the NMHH detailed.
Regarding sports events, the victories of the Hungarian national football team garnered significant media attention. The report attracting the most interest was the tragic accident of mountaineer Szilárd Suhajda, who lost his life during an attempt to climb Mount Everest. In addition, the events of the World Athletics Championships held in Budapest between 19 and 27 August and the Hungarian sporting successes maintained the enthusiasm for sports reading almost until the end of the competition, the authority stated.
The NMHH has compiled the 2023 news calendar based on the most-read posts on social media. In January, the most-read news stories were about the stabbing death of police officer Péter Baumann, the Hungarian men’s handball team’s victory against Iceland, and the 1.2 IMDb rating of the TV series Aranybulla (Golden Bull).
In February, the death of an 18-year-old boy stabbed to death in Deák Square, the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, and the subsequent rescue operations were the most-read news. In March, the 3-0 Hungarian victory in the Hungary–Bulgaria European Football Championship qualifier and the rescue efforts after the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. In April, news readers were most interested in the death of iconic quiz show host István Vágó and Pope Francis’ visit to Hungary; in May, in the deaths of Szilárd Suhajda, performer Györgyi Lang, and Tina Turner.
In June,
most-read news included Dominik Szoboszlai’s transfer to Liverpool
and the open debates of Philip Rákay, while in July, Dominik Szoboszlai’s transfer to Liverpool, Hungarian sports successes, and the changing colour of a bench in Ferencváros. In August, the events of the World Athletics Championships held in Budapest, the Hungarian victory at the Men’s Water Polo World Cup, and posts praising Dominik Szoboszlai were the most-liked posts on social media. September saw further Hungarian sporting successes—posts celebrating Dominik Szoboszlai, Hungarian cave explorers, and a doctor who played a key role in the rescue operation of a researcher injured in a cave in Turkey were the most read. In October, news related to the Hungarian national football team and posts about Hungarian celebrity Győző Gáspár were the most popular, while in November, once again, posts about the Hungarian national football team garnered the most interest. In December, posts praising Dominik Szoboszlai, posts about Christmas and New Year’s Eve, as well as news about the Hungarian football team’s European Championship group draw, match dates, and venues were again the most read.
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Sources: Hungarian Conservative/NMHH
