Tony Abbott has added weight to speculation that the Coalition is planning to relax media ownership rules, which would allow big media companies to increase their dominance in regional Australia.

"The media world has changed beyond recognition over the last couple of decades," the Prime Minister said on Monday. "It's important that regulation evolve to match the changing environment."

Mr Abbott's comments follow signals from Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who on Sunday suggested he was "sympathetic" to broadcasters' demands that the Abbott government relax media ownership rules.

Current rules prevent a single media company from owning a commercial TV broadcasting licence, a commercial radio licence and a newspaper in the same city – known as the ''two-out-of-three rule''. Commercial free-to-air TV networks are also prevented from reaching more than 75 per cent of the population.