PRISA is the leading media group in the Spanish-speaking world, excelling in education, news and information, and entertainment. Founded over 50 years ago, it operates in 22 countries.
Promotora de Informaciones, S.A. – to give the Group its full name – was founded in 1972 by José Ortega Spottorno, Carlos Mendo, Darío Valcárcel, Jordán Urríes, and Juan José de Carlos. Soon after, Jesús de Polanco, founder of Timón, joined the project, bringing with him publishing houses such as Santillana, Alfaguara, Taurus, Altea, and Mangold.
PRISA’s founding mission was to launch EL PAÍS, a groundbreaking newspaper, which debuted on May 4, 1976, under the leadership of Juan Luis Cebrián. Its first edition’s front page highlighted that Spain’s entry into the European Economic Community would require the recognition of political parties. That first newspaper also featured an editorial championing political reform and affirming the newspaper’s “unwavering commitment to democracy”.
Over the past five decades, EL PAÍS has become the world’s leading Spanish-language newspaper, with influence across both Spain and Latin America. Its newsroom includes more than 400 journalists and it boasts the largest network of Spanish-language correspondents worldwide.
In 1984, PRISA established the Ortega y Gasset Awards in memory of philosopher José Ortega y Gasset. These prestigious prizes pay tribute to outstanding journalism in Spanish-language media globally, honoring freedom, independence, rigor, curiosity, and passion — values central to the profession.
That same year, Jesús de Polanco succeeded Ortega Spottorno as PRISA’s chairperson. In 1985, PRISA became the majority shareholder of Cadena SER, Spain’s oldest radio network (founded in 1924) and the audience leader to this day. Through Radio Barcelona, Cadena SER also hosts the Premios Ondas, Spain’s oldest and most prestigious broadcasting awards, established in 1945, which pay tribute to excellence across radio, TV, music, and advertising, and which have a truly global impact.
In 1989, PRISA acquired Cinco Días, Spain’s oldest business and finance newspaper, and shortly after, the Group founded Sociedad Gestora de Canal+ – later Sogecable – a pioneer in pay satellite TV in Spain. Its first channel, Canal+, was later followed by the creation of Canal Satélite Digital, Spain’s pioneering pay-TV platform, offering the broadest selection of television content in the country.
The first issue of EL PAÍS declared the newspaper’s unwavering commitment to democratic values
In 1996, PRISA acquired sports daily AS and launched digital editions for EL PAÍS, AS, Cadena SER, and Digital+.
Making further inroads into the music industry, PRISA founded Gran Vía Musical in 1999, the same year it made its first move into Latin America, acquiring a stake in Caracol Radio, Colombia’s leading radio network.
On June 27, 2000, PRISA went public, becoming the 13th-largest listed company in Spain. Shortly afterward, the Group expanded its activities into media advertising sales with the acquisition of Gerencia de Medios. At the same time, it entered the book publishing and printing sector through Santillana, which became part of the Group.
In the new century, PRISA acquired a 50% stake in Radiópolis, as well as Editora Moderna in Brazil and W Radio México, one of the country’s leading radio networks.
PRISA’s Latin American radio footprint grew throughout the 2000s with acquisitions including Radio Continental (Argentina) and Iberoamerican Radio Chile, Chile’s largest network, with over 140 stations. In 2005, PRISA also entered Portugal, acquiring shares in Vertix and Grupo Media Capital.
After Jesús de Polanco’s passing in 2007, the Board appointed his son Ignacio Polanco to replace him as Chairperson. He had been Deputy Chair since the previous year.
In 2008, PRISA acquired the remaining shares of Sogecable, achieving 100% ownership, later selling Sociedad General de Televisión Cuatro to Gestevisión Telecinco while retaining a 17.3% stake.
In 2011, Santillana launched “Compartir”, a transformative educational platform for schools. In 2012, The Huffington Post launched its Spanish edition – El HuffPost – as a digital native in partnership with EL PAÍS.
In 2014, PRISA sold Alfaguara, part of its Santillana publishing division, to Penguin Random House, while retaining the subsidiary’s operations in Latin America, where it remains a highly prestigious name in the education sector—one of the Group’s most important areas of business.
That same year, PRISA completed the sale of its 56% stake in Digital+, operating under the Canal+ España brand, to Telefónica. The Group also sold shares in Mediaset España Comunicación, S.A. and finalized the sale of its general publishing business in all countries where it operated to Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial, S.A.
In 2015, PRISA launched Loqueleo, Santillana’s new children’s and young adult literature imprint, designed to adapt to new reading formats and platforms. That same year, EL PAÍS Retina was created as a forum dedicated to exploring the digital revolution across Ibero-America.
The Group’s commitment to audio was further solidified in 2016 with the launch of Podium Podcast, the creative podcast platform operated by PRISA Radio —now known as PRISA Audio.
In 2017, Manuel Polanco succeeded Ignacio Polanco as Chairperson of the Group, followed by Javier Monzón in 2018.
In 2020, PRISA completed the sale of Santillana España to Sanoma Corporation, leaving Santillana to focus exclusively on Latin America. That same year, CREO was launched—Santillana’s innovative Catholic-school learning system, aligned with the principles of the Global Education Pact.
In 2021, Joseph Oughourlian replaced Javier Monzón as Chairperson. That year also saw the creation of PRISA Audio, a cross-divisional unit bringing together all the Group’s on-demand audio content.
In 2022, PRISA Media acquired LACOproductora to strengthen its video content strategy. The Group also launched a Sustainability Committee, which developed the 2022-2025 Sustainability Master Plan, a roadmap reinforcing PRISA’s commitment to sustainability and ESG criteria, aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
To highlight and celebrate excellence in radio and podcasting, as well as the work of professionals in the sector, PRISA launched the Ondas Global Podcast Awards (Premios Ondas Globales del Podcast). The first edition was held in Málaga in 2022, and the annual awards ceremony has since become the flagship event for recognizing the best in Spanish-language podcasts and video podcasts.
In 2024, PRISA celebrated the centenary of SER, marked by the 100th anniversary of Radio Barcelona. That same year, EL PAÍS launched EL PAÍS US, a Spanish-language edition produced in the United States, aimed at strengthening the newspaper’s commitment to informing the Latino community. Also in 2024, the Group’s media division, PRISA Media, began exploring the potential of artificial intelligence through international agreements with OpenAI and Perplexity, ensuring that content from the Group’s media brands provides reliable, verified information to users of these platforms.