Trade unions
In comparison, the media industry in Sudan lags behind many countries in the region. The government’s control over media limits competition and discourages potential investors away from the sector. All the print media industry is managed by the National Council for Press and Publication (NCPP) and the Ministry of Information manages broadcasting stations and channels. Both government entities impose regulations and restrictions on the market. The only information relating to the market share of media outlets was provided by the Union of Chambers of Commerce regarding the printing and packaging only.
Many companies advertise their business through different media outlets, but those companies either belong to the government or follow its directives in allocating their advertisement to stations and channels supported by the government. For example, government institutions and companies were advised to subscribe and advertise in government papers such as Alintibaha which consequently increased its distribution and revenue. The lack of transparency of both national and private media institutions limits access to knowing the actual revenue or the identity of investors. There are some small media companies which provide training and assistance inare privately managed by journalists as in the case of Teeba Press, but these companies sometimes struggle to cover the cost of the operations. All the newspapers are companies approved by the NCPP, as both print and broadcasting companies have to obtain the security clearances at some stage, especially foreign media companies.