Baltic Media Health Check 2024–2025

The Baltic Media Health Check is an annual analytical overview of the media industry in Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. It examines key trends, financial performance, audience dynamics, policy developments, and the challenges and opportunities facing media organisations in the region. The report is widely used by journalists, researchers, policymakers, and anyone interested in the media landscape of the Baltic states. 

Titled “Superpowers of the Baltic Media”, this year’s report explores how local media outlets are adapting to disruption and challenges, revealing that their key strengths lie in constant adaptation to change, resourceful operation on tight budgets, and sustained audience loyalty.

The publication tracks the shifting media landscape, offering a detailed analysis of audiences and revenue by breaking down the financial indicators of the most popular media outlets and their owners in 2024. Financial data shows that 27 of 37 companies owning the most popular media outlets operated with a net profit in 2024, a “very good result” compared to previous years.

Key topics and market insights covered in the report include:

• Audience and Market Data: Comprehensive rankings of the TOP 5 TV Channels, Online Media Websites, Radio Stations, Newspapers, and Magazines in the Baltics. Audiences for most media brands have continued to decline, while the consolidation of the market continues.
• An exploration of emerging trends and the strategies media companies in Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia are employing to navigate today’s evolving landscape.
• A follow-up on digital subscriptions across Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, addressing the question of how many digital subscribers the most popular Baltic media outlets currently have. 
• The Pivot to Video: The Baltic Media Health Check analyzes whether video content can bring sufficient revenue to online news media.
•  Journalist Burnout: An in-depth look at what is “Pushing Journalists Out of Newsrooms,” revealing that a growing number of newsroom workers are experiencing burnout, drained by heavy workloads and scarce resources.

The Baltic Media Health Check 2024–2025 is organized and supported by the Anne-Marie and Gustaf Ander Centre for Media Studies at the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga. We extend our special thanks to the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Latvia for their co-funding contribution to this publication.

Mistake correction: The CEO of UAB Verslo žinios has been Ugnius Jankauskas since 2010. We apologize for the error.