Context

Media ownership in Montenegro reflects the country’s tumultuous transition to democracy after the collapse of the communist regime in the early nineties.

From the early nineties until August 2020, Montenegro was governed by a predominant political party – the Democratic Party of Socialists and its former leader, Milo Đukanović. During those three decades, the main line of division among media was between that pro-government, supporting DPS, and pro-critical ones, which were its main opponents. Since the transition of power in 2020, constant political crises, and several elections held to date, it is way harder to determine the political affiliation of different media and their relations with political stakeholders.

The protracted and difficult transition to democracy - defined by high levels of corruption, organized crime, and the lack of rule of law, has created a media market that, at first sight, looks diverse and plural, but behind the scenes, is facing significant challenges. The European Commission notes that the media environment remains highly politically polarised, with uneven application of the journalistic Code of Ethics and professional standards, and that credible and effective self-regulation mechanisms need to be set up to strengthen media integrity and professionalism.

Besides heavy development of the digital in recent years, television stations are still the most consumed media format in Montenegro, followed by social media, portals, radios, and print. The highest level of public trust citizens lays with commercial media in Montenegro, according to all public opinion surveys.

History

The beginning of journalism in Montenegro is considered January 23rd, 1871, when the first copy of the paper for literacy and politics called “Crnogorac” was published. Its distribution was banned in the neighbouring territories that were under the control of Austria and Turkey in 1893. As of April of that year, the paper “Glas Crnogoraca” started to be published, and from 1895, it became the official part of the Montenegrin Government, published in the Old Royal Capital of Cetinje

Society

According to the 2011 census, Montenegro has 620,029 inhabitants. A new population census is scheduled for the end of November 2023.
The official language is Montenegrin, while other languages in the official use are Serbian, Bosnian, Croatian, and Albanian. As per 2011 Census data, the most spoken language is Serbian at 42,88%, then Montenegrin at 36,97%, followed by Bosnian, which is spoken by 5,33%, and Albanian, which is spoken among 5,27% of the population.

Politics

Montenegro is a parliamentary democracy in which power is divided into executive (the Government), legislative (the Parliament), and judicial. Montenegro also elects the country’s President in elections, although his power, according to the Constitution, is quite modest. The current Constitution of Montenegro, which is in effect, was adopted on 22 October 2007.
Montenegro officially declared its independence in 2006, and the first parliamentary elections in the independent Montenegro

Economy

While still grappling with the aftermath of the pandemic, Montenegro faces renewed challenges. The growth in 2022 experienced a robust increase of 6.4%, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) projects a further growth of 4.5% for Montenegro in 2023. Inflation has reached new highs, but its impact on the cost of living has been partially offset by a rise in real disposable incomes. From June 2019 to June 2023, inflation totaled 25%, reflecting the economic landscape.

Media Consumption

Montenegro has a very diverse media landscape, and for a country with a bit more than 600 thousand citizens, a large number of various media outlets. According to the data provided in the Montenegrin Media Strategy 2023 - 2027, Montenegro has 182 registered and active media, while estimates are that the number is significantly higher, as portals are not obliged to enroll in the media registry, therefore it is not possible to identify its exact number.

Technology

According to the official data, Montenegro has 201 thousand accounts of broadband internet access. Out of that number, more than 48% access it through the optics, while 26,8% use the cable distribution system.
On the other hand, data shows that in the same month, Montenegro had 1,44 million accounts, corresponding to 233% of the penetration. Of that number, 547 thousand accounts were registered at M-tel, a Serbian state-owned Telecom subsidiary, while Crnogorski

Law

Montenegrin legal framework defining media consists of three fundamental laws - Law on Media, Law on Electronic Media, and Law on National Public Broadcaster RTCG. The last changes in the legal framework occurred in July 2020 when new media and public broadcaster laws were adopted and amendments to the Electronic Media Law. However, after the change of the ruling majority in August 2020, the media community requested improvements in the media legislation