internet
March 08, 2010, 09:44 CET
Internet subscriptions increase 20.4% in year to end of 2009
There were 2.783m internet subscriptions in Hungary at the end December 2008, up 7.3pc from the end of September and up 20.4pc in twelve months, the Central Statistics Office (KSH) reported on Tuesday. The rise came after a 26.1pc increase... [read complete entry]
March 05, 2010, 09:44 CET
Hungarian IT industry struggles from "overcentralized" market
Among Hungarian IT firms, a full 60% are located in Budapest, while the remaining companies suffer from the overcentralization of activity in the capital, piacesprofit.hu writes. Several large companies located in the countryside have been forced to open expensive branch... [read complete entry]
March 05, 2010, 09:42 CET
T-Mobile, Ericsson test new mobile net
T-Mobile and Ericsson are examining cutting edge mobile internet networks in practice, the two companies announced. The companies joined forces to establish the technology in Budapest last year. Long Term Evolution technology allows users to download multimedia content up to... [read complete entry]
March 01, 2010, 09:49 CET
Gov't issues decree on national broadband access project
The government has issued a decree on implementing the National Digital Public Utility project, which will bring broadband internet to all of communities in Hungary, government commissioner in charge of infocommunications Ferenc Baja said at a press conference on Friday.... [read complete entry]
February 25, 2010, 10:49 CET
Hungary mobile internet subscriptions grow to 946,000 in January
The number of mobile internet subscriptions in Hungary rose 13,000 to 946,000 in January, with the number of active mobile internet subscriptions growing 21,000 to 736,000, the National Telecommunications Authority (NHH) said on Wednesday. In January 2009, the number of... [read complete entry]
February 18, 2010, 10:30 CET
Hungary broadband ADSL, cable subscription number rises 230,000 in 2009
The number of broadband ADSL and cable subscriptions rose 230,000 or 15pc in Hungary in 2009, the National Communications Authority (NHH) said on Wednesday. The number of broadband ADSL and cable subscriptions grew 25,000 in December, totalling 1.742m at the... [read complete entry]
February 15, 2010, 11:23 CET
Hungary's first media surface auction site launched
A new website where media owners can auction off advertisement surfaces was launched recently, kreativ.hu reports. Founders of Mediafield.hu say it is Hungary's first media surface auction site. In addition to holding auctions, users will also have the option for... [read complete entry]
February 12, 2010, 10:22 CET
Hungarian entrepreneurs discover that being cheaper than IKEA isn't only hard, it's illegal
Several websites have recently popped up trying to make a profit from IKEA's widespread popularity in Hungary, but have discovered that trying to ride to success on the coattails of the Swedish furniture giant is legally perilous. According to penzcentrum.hu,... [read complete entry]
February 09, 2010, 09:36 CET
Hungarian data to be made accessible on European Justice Portal
Hungary's real-estate registry as well as company and bankruptcy data must be made accessible through the European Justice Portal, according to a government decree published in the most recent issue of the official gazette Magyar Kozlony. Visitors to the European... [read complete entry]
January 22, 2010, 10:26 CET
Sanoma Budapest acquires health portal HaziPatika.com
The Hungarian unit of Finnish publishing giant Sanoma has acquired 50pc of internet health portal HaziPatika.com and will raise its stake to 100pc in 2011, Sanoma Budapest told MTI on Thursday. With the acquisition, Sanoma also gets babaszoba.hu, a portal... [read complete entry]
January 21, 2010, 09:57 CET
Hungary active mobile internet subscriptions grow 70pc to 715,000 in 2009
The number of active mobile internet subscriptions grew more than 70pc in Hungary in 2009, reaching 715,000 in December, the National Telecommunications Authority (NHH) told MTI on Wednesday. The total number of mobile internet subscriptions rose to 933,000 in December... [read complete entry]
January 19, 2010, 09:25 CET
Ministry approves royalties on online film, music
Hungary's Ministry of Education and Culture has approved royalties on online music and film, the Artisjus Hungarian Bureau for the Protection of Authors Rights announced in an official gazette. The ministry approved a minimum royalty of HUF 18 per film... [read complete entry]
January 12, 2010, 04:20 CET
And the pixels at the very bottom of the screen are being sold by an agency in Patagonia
Here's a small but still interesting/weird story for anyone involved in the Hungarian media market: According to kreativ.hu, ad sales for the website of Hungary's most widely read political daily - nol.hu - will now be handled by the Adaptive... [read complete entry]
January 12, 2010, 04:06 CET
Record number of Hungarians flock to Internet in January
The first workday of 2010 saw a record 3,489,000 Hungarians online, while several leading websites measured record number of visitors. According to kreativ.hu, which summarized data collected by Medián webAUDIT, iWiW was visited by a record 1.36 million Hungarian internet... [read complete entry]
January 12, 2010, 03:09 CET
CIB Bank clients targeted again by data phishing scammers
For the second time in as many weeks, criminals have tried to fraudulently obtain sensitive data from CIB Bank clients in an attempt to take money from their accounts, the bank announced yesterday. The "phishing" scammers sent e-mails directing clients... [read complete entry]
December 08, 2009, 08:08 CET
Survey shows Hungarians likely to spend less this Christmas, more on internet
Fewer Hungarians are planning to buy presents this year and those who do will spend less, according to a Kirakat-Ipsos survey published on Monday. Last year 81 percent of the population bought Christmas presents; this year only 76 percent are... [read complete entry]
December 04, 2009, 12:26 CET
Survey finds telecommuting in Hungary far below EU average
Telecommuting jobs account for 4.5-5pc of all jobs in Hungary, a proportion just one-third of the European Union average, state secretary at the Ministry of Social and Labour Affairs Gabor Simon said on Thursday. About HUF 3bn in funding has... [read complete entry]
December 02, 2009, 12:03 CET
Community portals new category at "Website of the Year" awards
A new category was introduced for "Community Portals" at this year's "Website of the Year" awards, which were presented for the eighth time, writes kreativ.hu. There were 16 other categories, and a total of 251 websites applied for the awards.... [read complete entry]
December 02, 2009, 10:48 CET
Broadband ADSL, cable subscriptions top 1.7 million
The number of broadband ADSL and cable subscriptions in Hungary reached 1,724,000 at the end of October, 63,000 more than a month earlier and up 217,000 from twelve months earlier, the National Telecommunications Authority (NHH) said on Monday. The number... [read complete entry]
November 26, 2009, 09:58 CET
Online auction site Vatera.hu reaches million members via new ad campaign
Hungary's largest online auction site vatera.hu broke new records last week, as its number of registered users rose to over a million. The number of new users rose 67% in the period from October 12 to November 15 as the... [read complete entry]
November 20, 2009, 10:49 CET
Media group CEMP takes control of regional text ad network Etarget
Central European Media & Publishing (CEMP) has purchased the remaining 20% of text ad network Etarget, reports napi.hu. According to the portal, CEMP bought 20% of Bratislava-based Etraget SE on November 12, thus becoming a 100% owner of the company,... [read complete entry]
November 20, 2009, 10:35 CET
Competition Office fines Pannon and Vodafone for unfair practices
The Competition Office (GVH) has fined mobile-phone operators Pannon Ft 15 million and Vodafone Ft 10 million for unfair business practices. The GVH found that both Vodafone and Pannon limited download speed for clients who had signed up for unlimited... [read complete entry]
November 19, 2009, 08:45 CET
Losses widen at Hungarian online retailer Bookline.hu
Hungarian online book company Bookline.hu sustained after-tax losses of HUF 178m (EUR 671,918) in the first three quarters of 2009, compared to after-tax losses of HUF 134m in Q1-Q3 of 2008 as expenses related to financial transactions more than tripled... [read complete entry]
October 06, 2009, 09:25 CET
Hungary's ad market may drop by 20% this year. Sounds like a good start!
A recent conference held by the Hungarian Advertising Association seems to have been the occasion for a major round of doom-mongering and bellyaching by those in the domestic ad business. And for good reason: the numbers are just awful. While... [read complete entry]
September 18, 2009, 11:10 CET
More Hungarians make online purchases, survey finds
About 78pc of Hungarians who use the internet regularly said they had made online purchases, according to a survey by Mai Piac and KutatoCentrum, up from 62pc in a survey a year earlier, the companies told MTI. The biggest group... [read complete entry]
August 28, 2009, 09:36 CET
Hungarian women overtake men on information superhighway
Women make up the majority of web-surfers in today's Hungary, according to a survey by Sanoma Budapest published on Thursday. Around two million women, almost 20 percent of the population, regularly make use of the internet in Hungary, according to... [read complete entry]
August 27, 2009, 10:36 CET
Mobile Internet subscriptions continue to show strong growth
The number of mobile internet subscriptions in Hungary rose to 673,000 at the end of July from 635,000 at the end of June, the National Telecommunications Authority (NHH) said on Wednesday. The number of subscribers who transferred data, rose to... [read complete entry]
August 19, 2009, 10:17 CET
Survey finds almost 90% of Hungarians consult Internet before buying
Almost 90pc of Hungarian customers browse the Internet before they buy a product, while 50pc visit price-comparison websites and 44pc visit online auction websites, a Google-TNS Infratest survey of customers between the ages of 18 and 60 reveals. Only 3pc... [read complete entry]
August 13, 2009, 09:52 CET
Hungary's broadband cable, ADSL subscriptions up 12% in year to June
The number of broadband cable and ADSL internet subscriptions rose by 176,000 to 1,623,000 in the twelve months to the end of June, telecommunications regulator NHH said on Wednesday. The number of subscriptions rose by 23,000 from the end of... [read complete entry]
August 13, 2009, 09:51 CET
Losses mount at online bookseller Bookline.hu
Hungarian online bookseller Bookline.hu racked up a first-half loss of HUF 116m, more than double losses in the same period a year earlier, as rising costs outpaced higher revenue, the company's Hungarian Accounting Standards report for the period, published late... [read complete entry]
August 05, 2009, 10:22 CET
Hungarian shopping portal arukereso.hu bought by South Africa's Naspers
South Africa's Naspers has acquired a 75pc, indirect stake in Arukereso, Hungary's most popular online product comparison portal. The parties agreed not to reveal the purchase price, Arukereso said when asked by MTI. Arukereso was acquired by Naspers Allegro group... [read complete entry]
July 22, 2009, 10:10 CET
Half of Hungarians now regular internet users
Half of Hungarian adults use the internet at least once a month, a survey prepared by the GfK group in seventeen Central and Eastern European countries in May shows. The number of internet users in Hungary grew by 11 percentage... [read complete entry]
June 10, 2009, 10:13 CET
Growth in Internet subscriptions comes to near halt in Q1
There were 2.319m internet subscriptions in Hungary at the end of March 2009, up 0.3pc from the end of last year and up 15.8pc in twelve months, the Central Statistics Office (KSH) reported on Wednesday. Wireless internet subscriptions fell 4.4pc... [read complete entry]
June 09, 2009, 10:36 CET
E-mail newsletter launch suggests printed program guides increasingly uncool
According to mediainfo.hu, Budapest has just joined a group of eight European cities getting the "Le Cool" weekly e-mail newsletter. The free "e-magazine" offers tips on concerts, exhibitions, dining and other related fare. The tone is informal, and the publisher... [read complete entry]
May 27, 2009, 12:13 CET
Boom times for local online auction sites
Revenue of Hungarian online auction site Vatera.hu, owned by South Africa's Naspers, doubled to about half a billion forints in 2008, exceeding the target, managing director Viktor Gero said at a press conference on Tuesday. This year, Vatera.hu targets revenue... [read complete entry]
May 26, 2009, 09:18 CET
Vodafone Hungary sees high-speed growth in mobile Internet subscriptions
The Hungarian unit of UK mobile services provider Vodafone expects to add another 100,000 mobile internet subscribers by year-end, bringing the total number to more than 300,000 Vodafone Magyarorszag, deputy-CEO Gabor Dobrossy said on Monday. There were 566,000 mobile internet... [read complete entry]
May 26, 2009, 09:03 CET
Use of Internet banking services remains low in Hungary
The number of internet banking clients in Hungary has remained low, a biannual Scale Research survey published on Monday revealed. Only 9pc of the 1,500 people polled in the survey reported that they use internet banking services, 4.3pc more than... [read complete entry]
April 30, 2009, 09:53 CET
Market survey finds 40% of Hungarians regular Internet users
Just over half of Hungarian adults own a computer and 40 percent are regular Internet users, market researcher GKI said on Wednesday quoting 2008 figures.... [read complete entry]
April 28, 2009, 09:44 CET
Hungarian news media divided on mysterious closure of news portal
Hungary's market for online news last week lost one of its most promising new entrants, with the sudden shutdown of portal zoom.hu, which in its one year of operation had zoomed to upwards of 200,000 unique users a week. But... [read complete entry]
April 07, 2009, 12:13 CET
Hungarian online ad network slashes prices, citing crisis
Hungary's CTnetwork, which focuses on cost-per-click (CPC) online advertising, has moved to cut its list prices by more than 30% due to the ongoing economic crisis, mediainfo.hu reports.... [read complete entry]
March 25, 2009, 08:06 CET
Number of internet banking clients reaches 2 million in Hungary
The number of internet banking clients in Hungary has reached 2m, National Bank of Hungary director Lajos Bartha said at a conference on Tuesday.... [read complete entry]
March 20, 2009, 10:56 CET
Local web firm takes first prize in start-up competition
Hungarian internet company Joobili.com has won the prestigious Seedcamp's Central-Eastern Europe start-up competition title.... [read complete entry]
March 18, 2009, 02:24 CET
South African firms buys auction site TeszVesz; deal follows Vatera purchase
MIH Internet Europe, the online division of South African media company Naspers, has bought the online auction site TeszVesz from Finnish publishing giant Sanoma, the website of business daily Napi Gazdasag reported on Wednesday.... [read complete entry]
March 12, 2009, 09:25 CET
March 10, 2009, 09:21 CET
Internet subscriptions in Hungary surged 26.6% in 2008
There were 2.319m internet subscriptions in Hungary at the end December 2008, up 6.0pc from the end of September and up 26.6pc in twelve months, the Central Statistics Office (KSH) reported on Tuesday.... [read complete entry]
March 09, 2009, 01:24 CET
Vodafone Hungary head sees only small slide for mobile segment
While Hungary's economy is set to contract 3pc in 2009, the telecommunications sector is likely to shrink just 1.5-2pc and the mobile segment only 0-1pc, Gyorgy Beck, head of mobile services company Vodafone Magyarorszag, told MTI.... [read complete entry]
March 09, 2009, 08:06 CET
Experts warn of catastrophic '09 for Hungarian media market
Some executives at local media agencies believe that the Hungarian ad market could suffer up to a 20% overall decline in 2009, as an ongoing fall in ad spends accelerates due to the larger economy's continuing woes, napi.hu reports. At... [read complete entry]
January 30, 2009, 10:53 CET
Country's first "appvertising" agency aims to reverse Hungary's "one-way" media habits
While young Hungarians are spending ever more time using online social networking tools - in the process tuning out from other media - advertisers have not had many new tools of their own to reach this key segment. Hoping to... [read complete entry]
January 16, 2009, 09:02 CET
Synergon signs HUF 700m contracts with T-Kabel
IT company Synergon Informatika signed three contracts together worth almost HUF 700m with T-Kabel, the cable television unit of Magyar Telekom, in December, Synergon said on Thursday.... [read complete entry]
January 16, 2009, 08:15 CET
Sanoma launches online TV guide
Magazine publisher Sanoma has made a move into the Internet market by launching a new online TV guide called TV24, Kreatív Online reports. The portal targets Internet users - and TV viewers - between 15 and 49 years of age... [read complete entry]
January 12, 2009, 08:58 CET
Broadband internet subscriptions reach 1.52m
The number of broadband internet subscriptions in Hungary grew to 1.52m in November from 1.5m in October, figures published by the National Telecommunications Authority (NHH) on Friday show.... [read complete entry]
January 06, 2009, 10:17 CET
Christmas text messages boost mobile carriers
Mobile phone operators saw a dramatic increase in text messages bearing glad tidings over the Christmas period, increasing SMS traffic sixfold on Christmas Eve, the traditional day for family celebration in Hungary, reports Napi.hu.... [read complete entry]
December 18, 2008, 12:48 CET
Old media icon tops Hungary's new media awards
Forty-seven of 281 contestants in the 2009 Hungarian "Website of the Year" awards have been presented prizes, reports Kreatív Online. Projects of leading interactive agency Kirowski came in first in two categories while the website of daily newspaper Népszabadság (left)... [read complete entry]
December 18, 2008, 12:15 CET
Online ad spend seen growing up to 35% in Hungary in '08 as print, TV stagnate
Although the Hungarian media market as a whole is stagnating, online and interactive media continued to see rapid growth, media association (MRSZ) board member Judit Skriba told business weekly hvg.... [read complete entry]
December 16, 2008, 03:31 CET
Reluctance to shop online easing, card payment still rare
The number of Hungarians who have shopped online is growing quickly, writes Itcafe.hu, based on a survey by NRC. According to the market researcher's "E-Commerce Trend Report 2008," the number of Hungarian adults who have shopped online at least once... [read complete entry]
November 27, 2008, 11:44 CET
Blog.hu cashes in with advertising
One of Hungary's leading blog providers, Index.hu's Blog.hu, is no longer advertisement free, reports Kreatív Online. Users have the option of choosing between keeping their blogs banner free or allowing Index to display advertisements on half of the page impressions... [read complete entry]
November 26, 2008, 08:03 CET
Survey puts Internet access in Hungary at 50%; penetration at 36%
About half of Hungarians older than 14 years have access to the internet at home, at school, or in other public places such as internet cafes, a survey by market researcher GKIeNET conducted in the summer reveals.... [read complete entry]
November 21, 2008, 12:08 CET
YouTube begins serving ads targeting Hungarians
Advertisements on popular streaming video website YouTube will now be geographically targeted, kreativ.hu announced. From now on, advertisements can go online that will only target Hungarian audiences.... [read complete entry]
November 14, 2008, 12:06 CET
EU-compliant copyright law expected to bring clampdown on illegal downloads
The ministry of justice and law enforcement (IRM) has proposed an amendment to copyright law that may lead to stricter sanctions on copiers and downloaders of music and movies, reports Napi.hu. The new law, which may come into force in... [read complete entry]
November 11, 2008, 05:23 CET
Hungarian online advertising market grows by 30% in first three quarters
Hungary's online advertising market grew by 30pc in Q1-Q3 2008, the internet site origo, a member of online advertising index MOHI reported on Tuesday.... [read complete entry]
November 11, 2008, 02:30 CET
T-Mobile Hungary trounces rivals in 3G broadband test
With the mobile broadband revolution now fully underway, two Index.hu reporters have been roaming the country measuring bandwidth and coverage in various locations, recording the results on a Google map and liveblogging their findings. And their findings were conclusive, although... [read complete entry]
November 11, 2008, 09:41 CET
Business leaders twice as likely to bank online
Nearly all business decision makers are available on the Internet and are happy to shop and bank online, according to a recent survey by NRC, summarized by Kreatív Online.... [read complete entry]
November 10, 2008, 02:47 CET
iWiW developer launches community lending site
A former developer and part-owner of leading Hungarian social networking site iWiW has launched a person-to-person lending website, reports Internet trends blog Webisztán.... [read complete entry]
November 07, 2008, 12:14 CET
Cable subscriptions lead broadband Internet growth in Hungary
The number broadband cable Internet subscriptions connection grew by 160,000 in Hungary between January and September, reaching 1.486 million by the end of the third quarter of the year, writes Fogyasztók.hu, based on an MTI report and data released by... [read complete entry]
October 16, 2008, 08:44 CET
Sold! Vatera.hu backer on the ins and outs of private equity in Hungary
While the past few weeks' business news in Hungary has been as grim as that in every other corner of the crisis-scorched world, there have been a few upbeat stories. Among the most cheering was the successful sale by private... [read complete entry]
October 15, 2008, 04:20 CET
Internet becomes top tool for job-seeking Hungarians
The Internet has become the top tool used by job seekers, said a poll conducted by Profession.hu and the market research firm NRC, published on Wednesday.... [read complete entry]
October 03, 2008, 08:22 CET
Leading online auction site Vatera.hu sold to South African media firm
South African media company Naspers online division, MIH Internet Europe, has purchased Hungarian online auction site Vatera.hu for an undisclosed price, Vatera.hu managing director Viktor Gero told MTI on Thursday.... [read complete entry]
September 04, 2008, 09:52 CET
Online bookstore's turnover jumps 62%, losses remain
Online bookstore Bookline.hu has reported 62% growth in turnover to Ft 1.5 billion (nearly €6.3 million) over the past six months, but continued to suffer a Ft 52 million loss, Napi.hu. Turnover generated by Bookline.hu grew from Ft 898 million... [read complete entry]
August 22, 2008, 07:47 CET
Magyar Telekom to launch major re-branding in September
Magyar Telekom will launch its new T-Home brand on September 8, replacing the brands T-Com, T-Online and T-Kábel, it was announced yesterday. The internet brand T-Online is to be renewed.... [read complete entry]
August 12, 2008, 10:14 CET
Internet growth slows due to "lack of interest"
The spread of the Internet in Hungary is no longer being held back by prices, which have hit rock bottom, but by the fact that potential new subscribers have no interest in the Web, writes VGO, based on a survey... [read complete entry]
July 30, 2008, 08:31 CET
Broadband subscriptions jump 27% in year to June
The number of cable and land line broadband internet subscriptions in Hungary rose a sharp 27pc to 1.45m in the twelve months to the end of June, the National Telecommunications Authority (NHH) told MTI on Tuesday. There were 779,000 land... [read complete entry]
July 24, 2008, 11:07 CET
Czech online retailer makes big push into Hungarian market
Kasa.cz, the leading Czech online retailer, opened its Hungarian web shop www.logik.hu this week. The site has generated Ft 1.7 million turnover since its launch, the highest among all Kasa’s regional units. Kasa aims to be among Hungary’s top three... [read complete entry]
July 18, 2008, 02:21 CET
Survey finds third of Hungarians online news junkies
A total of 41pc of Hungarians use the internet on a regular basis, 30pc frequently read news online and 13pc use the Internet as their primary source of news, a joint survey from news-portal Index and market-research company Forsense published... [read complete entry]
July 09, 2008, 08:12 CET
Broadband coverage continues to grow
The number of broadband internet subscriptions grew to 1.437 million in May from 1.124 million in the same month of last year, the communications authority NHH announced.... [read complete entry]
June 30, 2008, 09:39 CET
Survey shows Hungarians shop less in 2008, as online purchases increase
Online purchasing increase led by young Hungarians. [read complete entry]
June 06, 2008, 03:01 CET
Survey: Days of print media numbered
Nearly 50% of Hungarian Internet users do not regularly read any dailies in printed form, a recent study by market researcher NRC has revealed. Those who do read papers in print pick up tabloid Blikk (22%) and free publication Metro... [read complete entry]
May 05, 2008, 12:18 CET
Magyar Telekom switches focus to online content
Magyar Telekom is renegotiated the terms of its joint venture with IKO Production, effectively resulting in the sell-off of its stake in RTL. [read complete entry]
April 30, 2008, 11:45 CET
Hungarian Internet surfers increasingly "modern" but bloggers remain an oddity
A pair of recent surveys of Internet usage in Hungary reveals that, while Hungarians are increasingly "modern" in their use of the web, the country lags badly in one key area. The most recent survey of Hungarian Internet use by... [read complete entry]