Disclosure under the Mediengesetz: what Austrian law requires (as of October 2026)

What the law requires

§ 1 Abs. 1 Z 5a MedienG

A periodic electronic medium is, among other things, a website that can be accessed (lit. b) or a recurring electronic medium distributed at least four times a calendar year in a comparable design, such as a newsletter (lit. c).

§ 25 Abs. 1 MedienG

For websites, the disclosure information must be permanently, easily and directly findable. For recurring electronic media, you must state the web address at which the information is permanently, easily and directly findable, or attach it to the medium.

§ 25 Abs. 2 MedienG

The following must be stated: name or Firma (registered business name), business purpose, place of residence or registered office of the media owner, the bodies authorised to represent it, ownership, shareholding, interest and voting rights, silent partnerships and trust arrangements; for associations, the board and the purpose of the association.

§ 25 Abs. 4 MedienG

A statement on the basic direction of a periodic medium (Blattlinie, editorial line) must also be published.

§ 25 Abs. 5 MedienG

For a website or recurring electronic medium whose opinion-forming content goes no further than presenting the personal sphere of life or the media owner, only the name or Firma, the business purpose where applicable, and the place of residence or registered office must be stated; Abs. 3 and 4 do not apply.

§ 24 Abs. 3 und 4 MedienG

Every recurring electronic medium (e.g. a newsletter) must state the name or Firma and the address of the media owner and the publisher. The duty lies with the media owner; if it is a service provider under § 3 Z 2 ECG, the Impressum details can be provided together with the information under § 5 ECG.

§ 27 MedienG

Anyone who fails to publish the required Impressum or disclosure, or fails to do so in time, commits an administrative offence; the fine is up to EUR 20,000.

Checklist

Who is exempt

• An Impressum under § 24 MedienG is not required for websites; it applies to media works and recurring electronic media such as newsletters (USP, the Austrian business service portal, as of 1 January 2026). For websites, the disclosure under § 25 MedienG applies.
• Small website: § 25 Abs. 3 and 4 MedienG (holdings in media companies, Blattlinie) do not apply (§ 25 Abs. 5 MedienG).
• According to the WKO, an online shop with product reviews or a guest book for product feedback remains a small website; a borderline case would be a hotel website with its own articles on regional sights.
• According to the WKO, the disclosure duty applies to all websites, private and commercial alike; it is not limited to businesses.

Common mistakes

• Your Impressum contains all the ECG details, but the business purpose for the disclosure is missing.
• You run a blog with expert opinions, but only have the small disclosure without a Blattlinie (editorial line) and shareholdings.
• On a large website the indirect shareholders are missing, e.g. the shareholders of your holding company.
• Your newsletter contains neither the media owner and publisher with their address nor a link to the disclosure.
• The disclosure is hidden in a PDF and not permanently easy to find.
• Your holding company or a trustee holds a stake in the company, but isn't listed in the disclosure of a large website.
• You confuse the disclosure under § 25 MedienG with an Impressum under § 24 MedienG.

Frequently asked questions