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.
The country has one National Public Broadcaster (RTCG) with three TV channels, one satellite channel, two radio stations, and a portal. There are six local public TV stations and 15 local public radio stations. In addition, Montenegro has 15 commercial TV stations, of which four have a national frequency. We have three daily newspapers, two weeklies, 12 local periodical newspapers, and two non-profit ones. The country has 28 commercial radio stations, as well as three non-profits. There are also 115 registered portals.
Montenegro has one news agency, which is not state but privately owned - Mina News Agency.
According to the online data, in the beginning of 2023 Montenegro had 562 thousand internet users, when internet penetration stood at 89.8 percent. At the same time, Montenegro was home to 472.7 thousand social media users in January 2023, equating to 75.4 percent of the total population, and had a total of 1.35 million cellular mobile connections active, which is equivalent to 216.0 percent of the total population.
In the first half of 2023, Montenegro had 263 thousand accounts for conditional access to TV and radio content (Pay-TV) and the number of accounts is 35% higher than the number of households.
Montenegro does not have an audience measurement system for any media format. While for TV there is a special audience measurement system, it is not publicly accessible and contains proprietary information, and does not include all media. For all other media formats, there is no system in place at all.
According to public opinion surveys, TV is the most popular media format used by 77,9% of the population, followed by 63,2% of those who consume social media. The next are portals with 56% of users, radios with 49,8%, and dailies with 29,4%.
Sources
Government of Montenegro (2023): Montenegrin Media Strategy 2023 - 2027
Accessed in December 2023
Datareportal (2023): Digital 2023: Montenegro
Accessed in December 2023
Agency for Electronic Media (2023): Report on the Market of Distribution of Radio and Television Programs to End Users
Accessed in December 2023
Digital Forensics Center (2023): Trust in Media, Media Literacy and Citizens of Montenegro
Accessed in December 2023