RTL Group

In recent months, a growing number of leaked documents and internal information have suggested that RTL Hungary has developed increasingly close ties with Hungary’s governing system, the so-called “NER” (System of National Cooperation / ‘Nemzeti Együttműködés Rendszere’), established by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and often described by critics as increasingly autocratic. A 50-minute audio recording, leaked documents and insider information all point to cooperation between RTL’s leadership and actors close to the ruling party. Now Media1 has uncovered another development: a conference organized by a Fidesz-linked media group will soon be hosted in part inside RTL Liget. The main sponsor of the event is MBH Bank, owned by Lőrinc Mészáros, a billionaire oligarch widely regarded as a close ally of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, while among the supporters are the Lounge Group — which manages multi-billion-forint state propaganda campaigns, including those attacking George Soros and leaders of the European Union — and the Mészáros-aligned TV2 Group.