Vocento

Vocento, S.A., commonly known as Grupo Vocento, is a Spanish communications and mass-media group whose principal activities are newspaper publishing, digital media, supplements, magazines, audiovisual operations and related information services. The group is best known nationally for ABC, a conservative and monarchist daily newspaper founded in the early twentieth century, and regionally for a network of established newspapers including El Correo, El Diario Montañés, La Verdad, Hoy, Ideal, Sur, La Rioja, El Norte de Castilla and El Comercio. The corporate group was formed in 2001 through the merger of Grupo Correo and Prensa Española, the publisher of ABC. This combination joined Grupo Correo's strong regional newspaper portfolio with Prensa Española's national newspaper and publishing assets. Although the Vocento corporate identity dates from the merger, its publishing lineage reaches back to 1910, when the Ybarra family founded El Pueblo Vasco. That newspaper merged with El Correo Español in 1938, establishing an important part of the publishing tradition from which Grupo Correo later developed. The business expanded gradually from the Basque Country into other Spanish regions. It acquired interests in El Diario Montañés in 1984 and subsequently built a broader regional press network through the holding company Corporación de Medios de Comunicación Social, also known as Comecosa. Acquisitions and investments in the late 1980s and early 1990s added or strengthened newspapers such as La Verdad in Murcia, Hoy in Badajoz, Ideal in Granada, Las Provincias, La Rioja, El Norte de Castilla and Diario Sur in Málaga. This regional footprint became one of Vocento's defining competitive assets, giving it local reporting operations and established readership relationships across multiple Spanish provinces. Vocento's scope has extended beyond daily newspapers. The group has published general-interest supplements such as XLSemanal, Mujer Hoy and El Semanal TV, as well as specialist titles including Mi Cartera de Inversión and Motor 16. It has also operated or held interests in radio, television, audiovisual production and distribution, news-agency services and internet publishing. Its audiovisual and broadcasting activities have included Punto Radio, Net TV, Fly Music and a former minority interest in Telecinco. Through Net TV, Vocento has held a Spanish digital-terrestrial television licence whose capacity has been leased to channels including Paramount Network and Disney Channel. The company has also developed a substantial digital audience and operates Colpisa, a news agency associated with its publishing activities. Its portfolio combines national brands with regional titles, allowing the group to sell advertising, subscriptions, supplements and digital services across several media formats. Vocento has been a publicly traded company since its admission to the Madrid Stock Exchange in November 2006. In July 2020, Vocento and ABC opened a new headquarters on Josefa Valcárcel in Madrid. The group remains primarily identified with Spanish newspaper publishing, while adapting its operations to the structural shift from print advertising and circulation toward digital news, diversified content and multimedia distribution.

Vocento's corporate history begins with the development of newspaper publishing in the Basque Country and later the consolidation of regional newspapers throughout Spain. In 1910, the Ybarra family founded El Pueblo Vasco. The newspaper merged with El Correo Español in 1938, creating a publishing enterprise that would become the historical basis of Grupo Correo. During the 1940s, the business acquired shares in El Noticiero Bilbaíno, and in 1948 it began developing its position in the regional press through the acquisition of most of El Diario Vasco. The company's first major expansion outside the Basque Country came in 1984, when it acquired shares in El Diario Montañés, a newspaper serving the Santander area. During the 1980s, the holding company Corporación de Medios de Comunicación Social, or Comecosa, was established to organize and expand the group's newspaper interests. Comecosa acquired or consolidated a series of important regional titles, including Las Provincias, La Rioja and El Norte de Castilla. In 1988, the group acquired newspapers associated with La Verdad in Murcia, Hoy in Badajoz and Ideal in Granada. Diario Sur of Málaga was incorporated in 1990. These transactions created a geographically dispersed portfolio of regional publications, each with a long-standing local identity. The next decisive step came in 2001, when Grupo Correo merged with Prensa Española, the company behind ABC. The merger created Vocento and linked two complementary publishing models: Grupo Correo's regional newspaper network and ABC's national reach and historic brand equity. ABC became the group's flagship national daily, while the former Correo titles continued to provide a substantial regional presence. The combined business also operated in supplements and magazines, including XLSemanal, Mujer Hoy and El Semanal TV, together with specialist publications such as Mi Cartera de Inversión and Motor 16. Vocento subsequently broadened its activities beyond traditional print publishing. Its portfolio and investments have included radio through Punto Radio, television interests through Net TV and Fly Music, and a minority holding in Telecinco. The group has also participated in audiovisual production and distribution, with credits or associations involving programs and series such as Hospital Central, El Comisario and Pasapalabra. Net TV gave the group a digital-terrestrial television presence in Spain; the licence capacity has been leased to channels including Paramount Network and Disney Channel. Colpisa supplied news-agency services within the wider publishing operation, while the group's internet activities developed a large online audience. Vocento became listed on the Madrid Stock Exchange on 8 November 2006. The listing marked the transition of the merged media group into a public company and provided a formal market structure for its ownership and capital. Like other newspaper publishers, Vocento has had to manage the long-term movement of audiences and advertising from print to digital media. Its response has rested on maintaining recognized national and local brands while adding websites, digital distribution, magazines, audiovisual interests and other content services. The group continued to identify Madrid as its corporate center, while its newspapers retained strong regional operating bases. In July 2020, Vocento and ABC opened a new headquarters on Josefa Valcárcel in Madrid. The company's historical development therefore reflects three overlapping phases: the formation of a Basque newspaper lineage, the acquisition-led construction of a Spanish regional press network, and the 2001 merger that created a diversified national media group. Its present identity remains anchored in newspaper publishing, with ABC and the regional titles serving as the most visible components of a broader communications portfolio.

1. 2020New Madrid headquarters

   Vocento and ABC open a new headquarters on Josefa Valcárcel in Madrid.

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2. 2006Stock-market listing

   Vocento is listed on the Madrid Stock Exchange on 8 November.

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3. 2001Vocento is established

   Grupo Correo merges with Prensa Española, publisher of ABC, creating the Vocento group.

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4. 1990Diario Sur joins the regional portfolio

   Diario Sur of Málaga is incorporated into the expanding regional newspaper group.

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5. 1988Regional newspaper acquisitions

   The group acquires or strengthens newspaper interests connected with La Verdad, Hoy and Ideal.

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6. 1984Expansion beyond the Basque Country

   The group acquires shares in El Diario Montañés, extending its regional newspaper strategy into the Santander area.

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7. 1948Expansion through El Diario Vasco

   The publishing business begins expanding its regional position through the acquisition of most of El Diario Vasco.

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8. 1938El Pueblo Vasco merges with El Correo Español

   The merger establishes an important historical foundation for the later Grupo Correo newspaper organization.

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9. 1910El Pueblo Vasco is founded

   The Ybarra family launches El Pueblo Vasco, an early predecessor of the publishing businesses later associated with Vocento.

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A Spanish multi-platform media group combining a nationally recognized newspaper brand with a large regional press network and related digital, magazine, broadcasting and information-service activities.

• ABCNational daily newspaper

  ABC is Vocento's flagship national newspaper and one of the group's most recognizable brands. It is associated with a conservative and monarchist editorial tradition and provides national political, cultural and general-interest coverage in print and digital formats. Its importance to Vocento derives both from its national reach and from its historic identity as the former Prensa Española title that became central to the group after the 2001 merger.

• El CorreoRegional daily newspaper

  El Correo is a major regional newspaper associated with the Basque Country and with the historical Grupo Correo publishing business. It represents the regional-news foundation of Vocento's portfolio, combining local reporting and public-affairs coverage with the broader commercial and digital infrastructure of the group.

• Regional newspaper networkRegional press

  Vocento's regional portfolio includes titles such as El Diario Montañés, La Verdad, Hoy, Ideal, Sur, La Rioja, El Norte de Castilla and El Comercio. These newspapers serve distinct Spanish markets and retain local editorial identities while benefiting from group-level capabilities in advertising, production, digital publishing and content distribution.

• XLSemanalGeneral-interest supplement

  XLSemanal is a general-interest supplement distributed through Vocento's newspaper network. It contributes magazine-style journalism and features to the group's newspaper offering and supports cross-platform audience and advertising activity.

• Mujer HoyMagazine and newspaper supplement

  Mujer Hoy is a consumer-oriented magazine and supplement associated with Vocento. It extends the group's publishing activity beyond daily news into lifestyle and magazine content, and forms part of the company's wider portfolio of general-interest publications.

• ColpisaNews agency

  Colpisa is a news agency connected with Vocento's newspaper operations. Its role is to provide centrally produced news and information resources that can support the group's regional and national publications.

• Net TVDigital terrestrial television

  Net TV represents Vocento's television and broadcasting activity in Spain. Through this business, the group has held a digital-terrestrial television licence, with capacity leased to channels including Paramount Network and Disney Channel.

• 2020Opening of a new Madrid headquartersStrategy

  Vocento and ABC maintained Madrid as the center of their national corporate and publishing activities.

  What changed. Vocento and ABC opened a new headquarters on Josefa Valcárcel in Madrid in July 2020.

  Aftermath. The facility provided a shared base for the group and its flagship newspaper in Madrid.

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• 2006Public listing on the Madrid Stock ExchangeStrategy

  After the 2001 formation of the group, Vocento operated as a consolidated national media company with newspaper, magazine, broadcasting and digital interests.

  What changed. Vocento listed its shares on the Madrid Stock Exchange on 8 November 2006.

  Aftermath. The listing established Vocento as a publicly traded Spanish communications company.

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• 2001Merger of Grupo Correo and Prensa EspañolaM&A

  Grupo Correo had developed a substantial regional newspaper network, while Prensa Española owned ABC, a major national newspaper. Combining the two businesses offered a national and regional media structure.

  What changed. The companies merged and established the Vocento group, placing ABC alongside the former Grupo Correo regional titles and related media assets.

  Aftermath. The merger created one of Spain's significant newspaper groups and gave Vocento a portfolio spanning national news, regional journalism, supplements, magazines and other media activities.

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• 2020Vocento and ABC open new Madrid headquarters

  Vocento and ABC opened a new headquarters on Josefa Valcárcel in Madrid in July 2020.

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• 2020Vocento opens a new Madrid headquarters

  Vocento and ABC opened a new headquarters on Josefa Valcárcel in Madrid in July 2020.

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• 2006Vocento shares listed on the Madrid Stock Exchange

  Vocento became a publicly traded company on 8 November 2006, adding a listed-company structure to its Spanish media operations.

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• 2006Vocento is admitted to trading on the Madrid Stock Exchange

  Vocento became a publicly listed company on the Madrid Stock Exchange on 8 November 2006.

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• 2001Vocento created through the merger of Grupo Correo and Prensa Española

  The merger combined Grupo Correo's regional newspaper operations with Prensa Española, publisher of ABC, creating the corporate group now known as Vocento.

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• 2001Grupo Correo and Prensa Española merge to create Vocento

  The merger brought together the Grupo Correo regional-newspaper business and Prensa Española, publisher of ABC, creating the corporate group now known as Vocento.

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1. Grupo Vocento
2. Vocento official website