TV Ownership and Control

As a businessman, Silvio Berlusconi built the largest media empire in Italy, making him a billionaire and the wealthiest man in the nation. As prime minister, Berlusconi exerts influence on RAI, the public (and, until the 1980s, Italy’s only) broadcaster; his ruling coalition controls both RaiUno and RaiDuo, and RaiTre is not beyond his reach. As a result, Berlusconi’s potential influence on the media is unprecedented among modern democracies.

Newspaper and Magazine Ownership and Control

While Silvio Berlusconi’s personal holdings of daily newspapers are limited, the same cannot be said of his family. His brother Paolo, owns IL GIORNALE; his wife, Veronica, owns IL FOGLIO, whose influence extends well beyond its limited readership; and Mondadori, of which Silvio’s Mediaset is a majority shareholder, owns AVVENIRE. All the numbers below reflect daily circulation except for the weekly PANORAMA.