Ministry Announces Public Tender for Print Distribution

The Ministry of Culture and Media announced on Friday a public tender worth 140 million euros for the takeover of print media distribution in Croatia, after the previous distributor Tisak plus canceled all contracts with publishers, with the deadline for submitting offers set for May 26. The government declared the distribution of printed materials a service of general economic interest at the beginning of April, thereby securing state funding for this activity, which has become economically unviable due to the continuous decline in print sales.

Market analysis, as stated in the tender documentation, shows that in 2023, daily newspaper sales fell by 15 percent, and weekly sales by eight percent compared to the previous year. The only distributor, Tisak plus, canceled all contracts on January 31 and transferred the activity to the newly established company Distribution of Printed Media, which significantly increased fees.

The state will pay the selected distributor a fee that covers the difference between distribution costs and revenue from publishers, along with a reasonable profit. The estimated annual cost of the service is 20 million euros, and the tender is announced for a period of five years, with the possibility of extending the service for another two years, which for the entire possible seven-year period amounts to a total of 140 million euros.

The future distributor will be required to deliver printed materials daily to 2,828 retail locations and directly to about 49,000 subscribers across Croatia. The contract will be terminated if a distributor offering the same services under more favorable conditions appears on the market without the need for state compensation. The prices that the distributor will charge publishers will be determined by the ministry, and the estimated cost is 0.20 euros per copy of the printed material, while the state will cover the remaining part of the costs.

– Printed media are a reflection and symbol of the culture of literacy, information, and social and democratic dialogue among the citizens of Croatia – states the tender documentation, with a special emphasis on the importance of printed materials for older citizens who do not primarily inform themselves via the internet.