With 1.3 million inhabitants, Estonia is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the EU. To operate profitably, media providers are therefore forced to target their content to the entire population. However, about a third are not Estonians – there is a large Russian-speaking minority (around 25% of the population), which further fragments the already small market.
Nevertheless, the media sector in Estonia is a dynamic and competitive market. Despite the small number of consumers, the selection of media offerings is broad. The large number of Russian-language media outlets is a distinctive feature that influences the entire market.

After Soviet rule, the Estonian media sector developed into the current wealth of offerings only after some initial difficulties. The low profit prospects initially deterred Western investors, making other former Eastern Bloc countries appear more lucrative.
Today, Estonia's media market is characterized by its large online share and technological modernity (the complete switch to digital signal in all broadcasting took place in 2010 – five years ahead of schedule).
Although the economic crisis between 2008 and 2010 also hit Estonia, a strong upward trend has been observed since 2012, benefiting particularly from strong exports. In 2012, one year after the introduction of the euro, Estonia was the only nation in the EU to record a surplus in its national budget. With a per capita GDP of approximately €27,000 in 2021, Estonia has seen significant growth (approximately €17,000 in 2011), but it remains one of the economically weaker countries in Europe.

General Information

Inhabitants: 1.33 million (2021)
Religions: Evangelical Lutheran and Orthodox (Russian Orthodox dominates among the non-Estonian population)
Largest city: Tallinn (434,562 inhabitants in 2019)
Form of government: parliamentary democracy
Head of State: Alar Karis (since 2021)
Head of the government: Kaja Kallas (Reform Party, since 2021)
EU-member since: 2004
Unemployment rate: 2021: 6,2%; 2014: 7,5%
National debt as a percentage of GDP: 18,1% (2021), 10% (2013), 6,1% (2011)
Budget balance relative to GDP: -2,4% (2021), -0,42% (2014), +1,21% (2011)
Share of global GDP 2014: 0,04% (2021), 0,03% (2013)

Total advertising revenue: €76.4 million (2013), €72.2 million (2011)
Daily television viewing time per inhabitant: 220 minutes daily (2021), 231 minutes daily (2013)
Largest media groups: AS Postimees Grupp, Schibsted, Ekspress Grupp, Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR – state broadcaster), Providence Equity Partners, Sky Media
Broadcasting fee: none – public institutions are financed by taxes from the state budget

History and Profile

Throughout its history, Estonia has often been under foreign rule and has therefore always been a melting pot of different cultures from Western, Northern, and Eastern Europe. It is therefore not surprising that the first newspaper was not published in Estonian, but in German (1675, which, incidentally, was also the first German newspaper to be published outside the homeland). Only since 1891 has a Postimees (Postman) was the first regular daily newspaper. Today, Russian-language media accounts for a large share of the Estonian media market.

During Soviet rule from 1944 to 1991, there was no free press in Estonia, but Estonians benefited from their proximity to Scandinavia – Finnish television, which was very popular, could be received, especially in the north of the country.
As early as the end of the 1980s, a newly awakened and diverse media landscape developed under the auspices of the Glasnost policy. Estonian Express was the first politically independent newspaper permitted to be published in Soviet-ruled Estonia in September 1989. Almost as a reflection of the period of foreign rule, freedom of the press in Estonia is an important and protected asset that today often conflicts with personal rights.

In the early 1990s, large parts of the Estonian media landscape were privatized, although the process was slower than in larger Eastern Bloc countries, which initially appeared more profitable for foreign investors. Not all newly founded companies were able to establish themselves, resulting in a significant turnover and eventual merger of channels and newspapers during this period. The state-run Estonian Broadcasting Corporation underwent a thorough reform and merged in 2007. Estonian Radio and Estonian Television to Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR).

Estonia was an early adopter of the consistent expansion of the internet; by the end of the 1990s, every school had an internet connection. The online sector has therefore traditionally played a significant role, and major newspapers now reach more people with their online platforms than with print media. Estonia is also committed to modernization in other areas – since July 2010, all terrestrial broadcasting has been available only digitally.

As in many small European countries, Estonia is also experiencing increasing concentration in large media corporations. The Norwegian Schibsted Group and the AS Postimees Group owns several Estonian media channels. The Estonian Ekspress Grupp is another major player in the media landscape with the largest share of the newspaper business and the most important online portal. Other major corporations include the US company Providence Equity Partners and the Estonian Sky Media.

Overall, the media market in Estonia has been quite stable in recent years, despite several mergers of corporations and the sale of individual broadcasters and newspapers. Newspaper readership has not collapsed – as in some other countries – but has only declined slightly in favor of online portals. Market shares in television and radio have remained fairly stable for years, and viewing time is just under four hours a day.

Television

Although more and more Estonians are turning to online sources of information, broadcasting remains a key source of information. The biggest changes in the TV sector in recent years have been in the area of pay TV and the establishment of new thematic channels that particularly appeal to young viewers.
Estonian television, like most European countries, is characterized by a dual system. The two public broadcasters Estonian Television (ETV) and ETV2 are faced with numerous commercial broadcasters. The public sector is not financed through a direct broadcasting fee, but rather from the state budget. Approximately 15% of state expenditures for ETV are paid by Estonian private broadcasters for the exclusive right to broadcast advertising—ETV stopped broadcasting advertising in 2002.

public television
ETV broadcast its first program on July 19, 1955, making it Estonia's oldest television station. It has been a full member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) since 1993. To this day, ETV remains the market leader, ahead of the private broadcaster Channel 2In January 2022, the public broadcaster accounted for 16.8 percent of Estonian viewers' total viewing time. Channel 2, in contrast, accounted for only 9.1 percent (see Figure I). ETV2 was launched in August 2008, coinciding with the Olympic Games of that year. The channel primarily broadcasts sports, news, and children's programs, but its audience share is relatively low, at 3.3 percent.
In addition, two regional broadcasters – Alo TV and Tallinna TV – established. The former broadcasts in the region of the university city of Tartu, while the latter was founded by the Tallinn city government in 2011 but ceased operations in October 2019.

Private television
Channel 2 and TV3 are the two most successful private broadcasters and, alongside ETV, the country's central TV stations. Kanal2 has been broadcasting since 1993 and is part of the Norwegian Schibsted Group, which also owns some of the largest newspapers in Sweden, Norway, Spain, and France. The channel primarily broadcasts American, but also some German series and original productions.
TV3 launched its program in 1996 and was for a long time part of Scandinavia's largest media group MTG (Modern Times Group), but was eventually sold to the investment company Providence Equity Partners in 2017. Until 2006, TV3 regularly enjoyed higher ratings than its direct competitor Kanal2. However, after Kanal2 made a radical programming change, it overtook TV3.

Like most small countries, Estonian television does not dub programs, but broadcasts imported programs in the original language with subtitles. Due to its proximity to Scandinavia and Russia, many foreign channels are also received. Even under Soviet rule, Finnish television was widely watched, so the north of the country (where reception was good) was generally better informed than the rest of the Soviet Union.
The Russian-speaking population group, with around 25% of the population, is now the largest minority in Estonia and so it is not surprising that several Estonian private broadcasters broadcast their programs in Russian – sometimes PBK (a branch of Russian state television introduced especially for Estonia), NTV and REN TVThe public broadcaster ETV2 also broadcasts parts of its programming in Russian, but the majority of the minority still watches Russian television, which can also be received in Estonia.

The number of television sets in Estonian households is steadily increasing. About a quarter of households already have two television sets, and 91 percent of households use three. Fewer than 51 percent have no television at all. Since 2010, Estonian terrestrial television has only been available digitally.

Fig. I: Share of television channel viewing time in total viewing time of Estonian viewers (in %), January 2022

Source: Kantar Emor – Teleauditooriumi ülevaade jaanuaris 2022

radio

Like television, Estonian radio stations also switched completely to digital in 2010. In 1992, the first private radio station Radio Kuku began broadcasting. After the inflationary launch of new stations in the mid-1990s, the market appears to have stabilized at a high level.

Estonian radio can now be divided into four major groups: the public broadcasters, which belong to the national broadcasting Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR) include the programs of the Sky Media Group, the AS Postimees Group and the US company Providence Equity PartnersThere are also several other national and regional radio stations.
The majority of programs are broadcast in Estonian, but many Russian-language channels are also established. Approximately 70% of programs are broadcast in Estonian, and just under 30% are in Russian.

The market leader is the public broadcaster Viking Radio with about 30% share and a reach of over 300,000 listeners (23% of the total population).
Two-thirds of Estonians listen to the radio daily, with the listening time being about 3 hours and 15 minutes, which is almost the same as watching television. Almost all Estonian radio stations specialize in music and entertainment, only two stations (the popular Vikerraadio and Raadio Kuku) mainly broadcast cultural programs, interviews and news.

Press

Freedom of the press is a high priority for Estonia, enshrined in its constitution, which is why the country consistently ranks among the top in the world in this regard.
After the fall of the Iron Curtain in Europe, the Estonian print sector was privatized and some old newspapers were revived, such as the daily newspaper with the highest circulation Postimees (Postman), which first appeared in 1857 and was re-established in 1991. From 1948 to 1990 it was the communist newspaper Edasi (Forward) appeared.
The number of daily newspapers in Estonia has declined since the mid-1990s due to concentration and mergers, while the number of magazines has increased significantly. The increase in living standards in Estonia initially led to the publication of new lifestyle and women's magazines. Only with the economic crisis of 2008 to 2010 did the number of magazines decline again.

The most important Estonian-language daily newspapers are Postimees (circulation: approx. 60,000), Estonian Parliament (Estonian daily newspaper – circulation: approx. 30,000) and the tabloid Õhtuleht (Abendblatt – Circulation: approx. 55,000). All daily newspapers have experienced a slight decline in readership in recent years, while the newspapers' online offerings (some of which are paid) have enjoyed significant growth. The most popular news portal, however, is delfi.ee, which has a branch in every Baltic country and combines news from various print editions.

Postimees, like the three television channels Kanal 2, 11 and 12, belongs to the Norwegian Schibsted Group, which also owns five other local newspapers and nine magazines – making it one of the main players on the Estonian media market.
Estonian Parliament belongs to the Estonian media group Ekspress Grupp , which also publishes the weekly newspaper Estonian Express The latter was the first politically independent newspaper to appear in the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic – on September 22, 1989.
Today, Õhtuleht is equally owned by AS Eesti Ekspress Grupp and Eesti Meedia. It is Estonia's largest tabloid newspaper and, as the second-largest daily newspaper, ranks just behind Postimees. Like other Estonian newspapers, Õhtuleht established an online portal. What was initially just a copy of the print edition has now transformed into a news stream with a strong entertainment element and over 150,000 users.

In addition to the Estonian-language dailies, there are several newspapers published in Russian. However, in 2009, two of them had to limit themselves to online publications due to a steady decline in sales across the newspaper industry, forcing the lower-circulation newspapers to make changes first. However, Postimees and the business newspaper Aeripayev also as a Russian edition. There are also three Russian-language editions (e.g. the business newspaper Delovye vedomosti) and also an English-language weekly newspaper (The Baltic Times).

The Estonian weekly newspaper with the largest circulation is the Maaleht (Landblatt). It has been published since 1987 and is also part of the Ekspress Group. With a circulation of approximately 40,000 copies, Maaleht reaches a consistent readership of approximately 120,000—approximately 10% of the Estonian population.

There are also some local newspapers and free newspapers that are financed through advertising. A special feature of the Estonian newspaper market is the cultural edition. Syrup (Sickle), which is published by the state-funded Kultuurileht Foundation. Nevertheless, it is politically independent and, in its exclusively black-and-white editions, primarily reports on theater, cinema, music, art, literature, and society, reaching approximately 15,000 readers.

Internet

The internet sector is the fastest-growing area in the Estonian media industry. In 2020, Estonia's internet usage rate was approximately 89%, slightly higher than the EU average of 85%. Ever since the invention of Skype by three Estonians in 2003, Estonia has been known as a pioneer in internet technology. Two years later, it was the first country in the world to offer online voting—since 2011, voting has even been possible via SMS. Estonia is also at the forefront of Europe with its early adoption of digital broadcasting and its widely used online newspaper portals.
Since the establishment of online news services to complement their print counterparts, they have enjoyed great success. Already at the beginning of 2010, the number of users of the online service exceeded the number of copies sold by Postimees keep up – the internet traffic of the business newspaper Aeripayev even exceeded the print circulation at that time.

However, there is repeated criticism that the quality of online editorial departments is suffering; press releases are sometimes adopted without being checked, and the boundaries between quality journalism and tabloid reporting are becoming blurred.
The most popular news portal is delfi.ee, which combines news from various forums. It belongs to the Estonian Ekspress Grupp and is the most visited website in Estonia after Google and YouTube of the US company Alphabet Inc. The online presence of the largest daily newspaper, postimees.ee, is also strong, ranking fifth in October 2022. Among the top 10 Estonian websites, besides Among the well-known names YouTube and Google, there are many Estonian and Russian services. The Kremlin-affiliated news service Rusvesna is particularly well represented, reaching eighth place with 11.46 million views from Estonia in October 2022.

In Estonia, leaving comments on news portals is very popular. For example, delfi is frequently discussed in relation to freedom of speech and expression in the Baltic states (there are branches in each of the three countries). Some members of the Lithuanian and Estonian parliaments have called for users to be held accountable for their comments. This has only happened in exceptional cases so far – for example, in 2003, a woman was arrested for threatening to blow up the Eurovision Song Contest in Riga.

The government also makes use of the internet – on the website estonia.eu, Estonia describes itself as "one of the most advanced e-societies in the world." Almost all official business can be conducted online, including elections, tax returns, and even company formation. Government expenditures can also be easily tracked online in real time.

Table I: The most visited websites in Estonia, October 2022

Rank	Webpage:	Description	Views
1.	YouTube.com	Video portal	47.01 million
2.	Google.com	Search engine	43.81 million
3.	Delfi.ee	News	16.95 million
4.	Forkids24.eu	Online trading	13.52 million
5.	Postimees.ee	News	12.94 million
6.	Zonecloud.ee	Cloud service	12.78 million
7.	Bringit.ee	Delivery service	12.3 million
8.	Rusvesna.su	News	11.46 million
9.	Freebitco.in	Cryptocurrency	10.71 million
10.	Jaomix.ru	E-book portal	10.66 million

Source: Similarweb.com

Regulations

In its relatively rapid transition from a dependent part of the Soviet Union to a digital society, Estonia has often reacted erratically with regard to media legislation and regulation. Overall, the government, or rather the responsible Ministry of Culture, has generally been passive in market regulation, so Estonia's media sector is driven more by economic than political interests.

Apart from the Broadcasting Act, there was no specific media law for a long time. At the urging of the EU, the Media Services Act introduced, which also extends beyond broadcasting. Since then, for example, every channel is obliged to reserve at least 51 percent of its broadcasting time on at least six broadcast days for self-produced news (excluding holidays). The online area, on the other hand, is managed by the Information Society Services Act regulated.

Since 2004, the Ministry of Culture has engaged the agency TNS EMOR to determine advertising time and ratings. However, the government only monitors advertising minutes and protects press freedom; it exerts virtually no influence on the content of private broadcasters.
In Estonia, there is no separation between freedom of speech and freedom of the press, so that the media are legally treated as unprotected speakers, which allows journalists a great deal of freedom in their reporting.

The control and regulation of the national broadcaster ERR is similar to the German system of state broadcasting corporations. Each parliamentary group sends a representative to the Broadcasting Council, and four experts from different sectors of society are invited to participate every five years.
In principle, anyone is entitled to establish a broadcasting station in Estonia, but a license from the independent Communications Office, which acts as the regulatory authority, is required.

Sources/Literature

• Jõesaar, Andres: Estonia – Two New Legal Acts in the Media Field, 2011.
• Kantar Emor: Teleauditooriumi ülevaade januaris 2022, 2022.
• Lauk, Epp/Shein, Hagi: “The Media System of Estonia.” In: Hans Bredow Institute for Media Research at the University of Hamburg (ed.): International Media Handbook, Baden-Baden (2009), pp. 273-293.
• Mertelsmann, Olaf (ed.): Central and Eastern European Media under Dictorial Rule and in the Early Cold War, Frankfurt/Main et al. (2011).
• Naaber, Meelis: The Media Landscape of Estonia. Konrad Adenauer Foundation, 2011.
• Psychogiopoulou, Evangelia (ed.): Understanding Media Policies – A European Perspective, London (2012).
• Similarweb: Tob website ranking. The most visited internet sites, 2022.
• The World Bank: Internet users in Estonia and Europe, 2020.