Siekel owns Nový Čas
The anti-trust authority PMÚ okayed the sale of the most popular Slovak daily newspaper, Nový Čas, to FPD Media of businessman Anton Siekel. The daily was sold by Swiss publisher Ringier Axel Springer Media. Its remaining print titles, such as Život, Eva, Geo, and Auto Bild, were sold to News and Media Holding, of the Penta group. Penta will thus become the largest player on the print market, as it already owns the other Slovak tabloid, Plus 1 Deň, as well as weeklies Plus 7 Dní and Trend. The Swiss publisher will keep only its Slovak digital media (mainly azet.sk, pokec.sk, aktuality.sk, diva.sk and zive.sk). It will keep its No.1 position on the Slovak web, with 3.5m monthly users. Media estimate that Siekel paid €70m for Nový Čas. The local Poštová banka provided him with a bridge loan.
