Il Sole 24 Ore S.p.A.
Corporate brand
UnclaimedAn Italian business-media and professional-information group best known for the Il Sole 24 Ore financial newspaper.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Il Sole 24 Ore S.p.A., commonly known as Gruppo 24 ORE, is an Italian publishing and business-information company centered on Il Sole 24 Ore, one of Italy’s best-known economic and financial newspapers. The group serves readers and professional customers through a portfolio that combines general business journalism, specialist publishing, digital information services, radio, events, and training. The company was created in 1965 through the combination of Il Sole, a Milanese financial newspaper founded in the nineteenth century, and 24 Ore, a post-war economic daily. The merger brought together two established publications and created a national business newspaper associated with Italy’s industrial and commercial community. Confindustria, Italy’s principal employers’ association, has historically been the group’s controlling shareholder, giving the publisher a distinctive relationship with the country’s business institutions while its editorial operations are formally separate from the association’s representative role. The flagship newspaper covers macroeconomics, public finance, taxation, companies, financial markets, labor, law, technology, real estate, and international affairs. Its readership includes executives, investors, public officials, professionals, academics, and policy specialists, as well as general readers interested in economic news. The core newspaper has been extended into a digital news service through the Il Sole 24 Ore website, mobile products, paid subscriptions, newsletters, databases, and other digital offerings. The group’s activities extend beyond daily journalism. Its professional publishing operations provide commentary, reference material, regulatory updates, and practical tools for accountants, lawyers, tax advisers, human-resources specialists, managers, and other professional users. This business-to-business orientation gives the company revenue streams that are different from mass-market advertising and newspaper sales. The group has also operated Radio 24, an all-news and talk radio service, and has developed conference, exhibition, education, and content-production activities under the 24 ORE brand. Like other legacy newspaper groups, Il Sole 24 Ore has had to manage the structural shift from print advertising and circulation toward digital subscriptions, online advertising, professional information products, events, and audio. Its strategic priorities have therefore included digital transformation, paid-content development, portfolio rationalization, cost control, and the strengthening of specialist information services. The company remains a recognizable national media brand, particularly in economic and professional coverage, while its listed-company status makes governance, circulation reporting, and financial performance matters of public interest. The brand should not be classified as a bank or financial institution. Its primary sector is business media and professional publishing, with financial journalism as its editorial specialty.
History
Il Sole 24 Ore’s history combines the development of Italian economic journalism with the evolution of professional publishing. Its oldest component, Il Sole, originated in Milan in 1865 as a financial newspaper serving the country’s commercial and industrial community. A second publication, 24 Ore, was established after the Second World War and became another important source of economic and business news. In 1965 the two newspapers were merged, creating Il Sole 24 Ore and the corporate publishing structure that would later develop into Gruppo 24 ORE. The merged newspaper established a national identity around economic reporting at a time when Italy was undergoing industrial expansion, financial modernization, and major changes in public policy. Its editorial scope broadened beyond market quotations and company news to include taxation, labor, law, public administration, technology, international economics, and the practical concerns of businesses and professionals. The connection with Confindustria helped anchor the group within Italy’s business ecosystem, although the newspaper’s editorial mission remained that of a journalistic publisher rather than an association bulletin. Over time the company expanded its portfolio beyond the principal daily. It developed specialist books, periodicals, reference products, and professional information services aimed at accountants, lawyers, tax practitioners, consultants, managers, and public-sector users. These activities allowed the group to monetize specialized content through subscriptions and licensing, while the newspaper continued to provide the central public-facing brand. Radio 24 added a national audio presence with news, interviews, discussion, and business programming. Events, conferences, education, and training became additional ways to distribute the group’s expertise and engage professional audiences. The arrival of the internet changed the group’s distribution model. Il Sole 24 Ore built a digital news operation around its website and related products, gradually combining free journalism, paid subscriptions, newsletters, mobile access, archives, data, and specialist services. As print advertising and newspaper circulation faced pressure across the publishing industry, the company pursued a more diversified model in which professional information and digital products could complement or partially replace traditional print revenue. The company experienced a major governance and credibility crisis in the mid-2010s. Questions concerning reported circulation figures and related accounting and oversight practices led to regulatory, legal, investor, and media scrutiny. The controversy contributed to leadership changes and a broad effort to review the group’s reporting, controls, and business assumptions. It also highlighted the risks faced by listed newspaper companies when circulation metrics influence commercial relationships, investor expectations, and perceptions of editorial reach. In the following years the group focused on stabilization, governance improvement, cost discipline, digital transformation, and the development of professional information and event businesses. The appointment of Mirja Cartia d'Asero as chief executive in 2022 marked a further phase of management renewal. Il Sole 24 Ore remains an active Italian media company whose strongest identity is its combination of national economic journalism, professional publishing, digital information, radio, and business events.
- 2022
Mirja Cartia d'Asero becomes chief executive
[2]Mirja Cartia d'Asero is appointed chief executive as the group continues its digital and professional-information transformation.
- 2017
Leadership and control reforms follow the crisis
[5]The company changes senior management and undertakes corrective actions after the circulation-related controversy.
- 2016
Circulation controversy emerges
[5]Questions about circulation reporting and governance lead to public, regulatory, and investor scrutiny.
- 2005
Radio 24 becomes a major group platform
[4]The group’s Radio 24 news and talk-radio operation strengthens its position as a multimedia business-information publisher.
- 1999
The company is listed
[3]Il Sole 24 Ore S.p.A. becomes publicly traded on the Italian stock exchange, later Euronext Milan, under ticker S24.
- 1965
Il Sole and 24 Ore merge
[6]The two economic newspapers combine to form Il Sole 24 Ore, creating the core publication and corporate group.
- 1946
24 Ore is established
[6]The post-war economic newspaper 24 Ore is launched and develops alongside Il Sole as a separate business publication.
- 1865
Il Sole is founded
[6]The newspaper Il Sole is established in Milan, providing the historical foundation for the later Il Sole 24 Ore brand.
Products and positioning
A premium Italian business-information and professional-publishing group, positioned between national economic journalism and specialist services for professionals, companies, and institutions.
Business newspaper · 1965
Il Sole 24 Ore
The group’s flagship Italian economic and financial newspaper. It covers companies, markets, macroeconomics, government policy, taxation, labor, law, technology, and international affairs. The newspaper serves both a broad audience interested in economic developments and a professional readership that relies on detailed reporting and commentary.
Digital news and subscription service
Il Sole 24 Ore digital platform
The digital extension of the newspaper, combining online news, analysis, archives, newsletters, mobile access, and subscription products. It is a central part of the group’s shift from a predominantly print publisher toward a multi-platform information business.
News and talk radio · 1999
Radio 24
A national Italian radio service operated within the group. Its programming includes news, interviews, current affairs, economic analysis, business discussion, and specialist talk formats, extending the brand into live audio and on-demand listening.
Professional publishing and databases
Professional information services
Specialist products for accountants, lawyers, tax advisers, human-resources professionals, managers, companies, and public institutions. These offerings provide regulatory updates, commentary, reference content, practical tools, and searchable information, often through subscription or professional-access models.
Events and conferences
24 ORE Eventi
The group’s business-event activity, encompassing conferences, forums, exhibitions, and related professional gatherings. It uses the publisher’s editorial expertise and industry relationships to create direct engagement with companies, institutions, and specialist audiences.
Controversies
2016
Circulation reporting and governance controversy
Il Sole 24 Ore faced scrutiny over alleged irregularities in reported newspaper circulation and related governance and accounting practices. The matter damaged investor confidence, triggered investigations and management changes, and led to demands for stronger internal controls and more transparent reporting.
Brand decisions
2022
Renewed digital and professional-services focusStrategyBackground
The company faced the continuing structural decline of traditional print advertising and the need to build sustainable digital and professional-information revenue.
Action taken
Under new chief executive Mirja Cartia d'Asero, the group continued emphasizing digital products, subscriptions, professional information, events, and operational efficiency.
Aftermath
The strategic direction positioned the group as a broader business-information company rather than solely a print newspaper publisher.
2016
Governance and control reviewStrategyBackground
Questions concerning circulation figures and the reliability of related reporting created a serious credibility and investor-confidence problem.
Action taken
The company initiated corrective measures, reviewed controls, and changed senior leadership while addressing regulatory and public scrutiny.
Aftermath
The episode became a defining governance event for the listed publisher and reinforced the need to diversify revenue and improve operational discipline.
1999
Public listingStrategyBackground
The group sought access to public capital and a formal listed-company structure while continuing to operate as a specialized business publisher.
Action taken
Il Sole 24 Ore S.p.A. was admitted to trading on the Italian stock exchange.
Aftermath
The listing increased public-market scrutiny of circulation, governance, financial performance, and strategic execution.
1965
Merger of Il Sole and 24 OreM&ABackground
Italy’s two established economic newspapers operated separately before being combined into a single national business publication.
Action taken
The publications merged to form Il Sole 24 Ore and the basis of the modern publishing group.
Aftermath
The merger created one of Italy’s leading economic-news brands and provided the platform for later expansion into professional publishing, radio, digital information, and events.
Sources6 sources
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