Inhabitants: 2.1 million (January 2022)
Religions: Roman Catholic 57.8%, other or not specified 23%, none 10%
Big cities: Ljubljana (294,464 inhabitants), Maribor (112,065 inhabitants)
Form of government: Parliamentary democracy with a bicameral system
President: Nataša Pirc Musar (since December 2022)
Prime minister: Robert Golob (since May 2022)
EU-member since: May 1, 2004
Unemployment rate: 4,73% (2021), 9,03% (2015)

State indebtedness: 38.9 billion euros, i.e. 74.7% of GDP (2021)
Television viewing time per inhabitant: around 180 minutes per day (2021)
Broadcasting fees: per household €153 per year for TV and €45.24 for public radio (totaling around €16.50 per month)

Overview

The Slovenian media landscape is small and, in terms of the number of media outlets and products, largely fragmented. The Slovenian media scholar Marko Milosavljevic even cautiously uses the term "Balkanization." He wants to use it to describe the situation throughout Southeast Europe. Milosavljevic assumes that digital transformation is exacerbating the process of fragmentation, but the term "Balkanization" fails to take into account the emerging global monopolies of American internet corporations in the online advertising market, nor does it adequately describe the dominant role of funds in the Slovenian media market, such as DZS, and the strong involvement of the state. Also worth highlighting are the opaque and frequently changing ownership structures. This situation makes it difficult to assess the overall market. It remains unclear whether a high degree of concentration or rather small economic units dominates here.

Slovenia was hit hard by the financial and euro crisis, albeit with a slight delay, in 2011. Several state banks were forced to write off large sums. The country almost had to resort to European financial aid, the so-called euro rescue package. National debt remains very high at around 75 percent of GDP in 2021. In recent years, however, the country's political system has stabilized somewhat. In the 2010s, various corruption scandals at all political levels dominated the country, ultimately triggering unrest in 2012. The political instability during this period is demonstrated by the two parliamentary elections in barely three years and a voter turnout of just under 52 percent in 2014. In the last elections in spring 2022, voter turnout reached around 70 percent, a significant increase compared to the two previous elections (2018: 53 percent, 2014: 52 percent). A significant contribution to this increase was made by Gibanje Svoboda (Freedom Movement), a political party in Slovenia that was founded less than a year earlier and is positioned as green-liberal, social-liberal, and pro-European. Since May 2022, the party has also provided the new Slovenian Prime Minister, Robert Golob.

Slovenia's media landscape still has room for improvement in terms of plurality. A series of new newspapers launched in the 1990s failed to sustainably revitalize the print market. The daily newspapers Slovenec, Republika, and Jutranijik ceased publication in the same decade in which they were founded.

After the financial and euro crisis, the first signs of economic recovery are visible: a declining budget deficit and weak economic growth. Since Slovenia's independence, the liberalization of the media market and the harmonization of national media law with EU media law have been the most important changes to the framework conditions.

On the Press Freedom Index of Reporters Without Borders, Slovenia fell from 9th place in 2005 to 46th place in 2010. Since then, the country has remained roughly in this range, ranking 50th in 2023. Within this index, the Czech Republic maintained its position from 2005, comparable to Slovenia, almost unchanged over the same period, and found itself in 14th place in 2023.

In the early 2010s, the trial against investigative journalist Anuška Delic caused a stir. The author of the daily newspaper Delo was accused of publishing classified information from the Slovenian secret service SOVA in November 2011. The information concerned links between the right-wing conservative governing party SDS, of which Janez Jansa is also a member, and the neo-Nazi network Blood and Honour. Delic's trial began on January 5, 2015. On April 15, 2015, the charges against her were finally dropped, and the Foreign Minister announced the government's intention to reform Article 260 of the Criminal Code.

In similar cases, no charges should be brought against journalists in the future. He stated this in a letter to the then OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatovic. The amendment to the law that made the proceedings possible in the first place dates back to 2008. As recently as February 2015, the OSCE Representative had stated that within a year, five Slovenian journalists had either been charged or threatened with charges by the Slovenian judiciary for their reporting. In doing so, she endorsed the documentation and assessment of the cases by the Peace Institute, a Ljubljana-based NGO.

The prosecution of journalists for breach of confidentiality has a long tradition in Slovenia, dating back to the time of the Yugoslav nation-state. In 1988, when the communist youth magazine Mladina criticized the army and arms exports, the military courts brought charges against three Slovenian journalists and a warrant officer. One of them was Janez Jansa, who later became Minister of Defense and Prime Minister (until February 2013). Jansa himself was convicted in 2013 of bribery in a wheeled armored vehicle deal. The name of the Finnish manufacturer has since become known as the Patria Affair. Jansa is now free again, and the conviction against him has been overturned.

The scandal was triggered by the Finnish public broadcaster Yle in 2008. The harsh reaction of the Slovenian government to the revelations and the accusations against Jansa demonstrates that part of Slovenia's political elite is willing to forgo press freedom. Jansa attempted to sue Yle for defamation in Slovenia and seek damages amounting to millions. His appeal failed in the highest court on January 12, 2015.

In recent years, Slovenia's media landscape has changed noticeably. Digital transformation has impacted traditional media, while online media and social media platforms have gained prominence. However, there are growing concerns about the concentration of media ownership and political influence on reporting. Press freedom and media independence are in focus, as fake news and disinformation spread on social media. While the government has taken measures to regulate the media, new independent media initiatives have also emerged. The future of Slovenia's media landscape depends on how these challenges are addressed and diversity of opinion is ensured.

Public institutions, media companies and corporations

Public television and radio (Radiotelelevizija Slovenija; RTVS) is of considerable importance in Slovenia. Radio Slovenija 1, 2, and 3 reach approximately 450,000 listeners daily. Foreign companies are not active in the Slovenian radio market, partly because the law requires them to choose between the TV and radio markets.

Analogue television broadcasts were discontinued in 2010, marking the final transition to digital television. By far the most successful TV station is Pop TV, owned by the Czech Central European Media Enterprises Ltd. (CME), which operates in many Southeastern European countries. Following at a considerable distance is Slovenija 1, the main channel of the Slovenian public broadcaster RTV. Other major stations include Planet TV, owned by the internationally active TV2 Group, Kanal A (CME), and Slovenija 2 (RTV).

Table I: Market shares of the largest television stations in Slovenia, March 2018

Rank	television station	owner	Market share (in %)
1.	Pop TV	Central European Media Enterprises	24,71%
2.	Slovenia 1	RTV Slovenia	8,87%
3.	Planet TV	TV2 Group	4,95%
4.	Channel A	Central European Media Enterprises	3,80%
5.	Slovenia 2	RTV Slovenia	2,78%
6.	Fox Crime	Fox Networks Group	2,61%
7.	Discovery Channel	Warner Bros. Discovery	2,58%
8.	sports club	United Group	1,82%
9.	Fox	Fox Networks Group	1,79%
10.	National Geographic	National Geographic Global Networks	1,72%

Source: Slovenija Profile Emitivnog Trzista – Izdanje 2022.

Slovenia's most important quality newspaper, Delo (comparable in content to the Süddeutsche Zeitung), has been published since 1959. It is one of eight daily newspapers in the small country. A total of approximately 45,000 copies of Delo are still circulated daily on average. Delo is majority-owned by the Pivovarna Lasko brewery (around 80% of the total). The remaining shares are held by the beverage manufacturer Radenska. However, the paper only appears to have multiple owners, as Pivovarna Lasko is the majority shareholder in Radenska.

Print newspapers have long been the most important source of information for the Slovenian population. Along with Delo, Ve?er and Dnevnik are among the most prominent daily newspapers in the country. However, the print media industry, similar to elsewhere in the world, has faced challenges. Declining circulation and advertising revenues, as well as rising production costs, have forced many newspapers to reduce or discontinue their print editions. This has led to mergers and concentration of media ownership, raising concerns about diversity of opinion and independence.

At the same time, the online media landscape in Slovenia has developed significantly. Online newspapers and news portals such as "Siol.net," "24ur.com," and "Mladina.si" have become increasingly popular. Digital transformation has made it possible to disseminate current news and information in real time. Social media also plays a crucial role in disseminating news and content.

Table I: The most visited media websites in Slovakia, June 2023

Rank	Webpage:	Description	owner
1.	Google.com	Search engine	Alphabet Inc.
2.	YouTube.com	Video portal	Alphabet Inc.
3.	Facebook.com	Social network	Meta Platforms, Inc.
4.	24ur.com	News	Pro Plus
5.	RTVslo.si	Broadcasting	Radiotelevision Slovenia
6.	Siol.net	Web portal	Telekom Slovenia
7.	Wikipedia.org	Encyclopedia	Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
8.	Zurnal24.si	News	Styria Media Group
9.	Slovenskenovice.si	News	Telekom Slovenia
10.	Twitter.com	Social network	X Corp.
11.	Instagram.com	Social network	Meta Platforms, Inc.
12.	Svet24.si	News	Gregor Gruber
13.	Reddit.com	Social network	Advance Publications
14.	Index.hr	News	RTL Hrvatska doo
15.	Delo.si	News	Delo doo
16.	Nova24TV.si	News	Nova hiša doo
17.	B92.net	Television	Astonko doo
18.	Over.net	Health	Styria Media Group
19.	Nepremicnine.net	Real estate portal	Real Web SA
20.	Nogomania.com	sports news	Nogomanija doo

 Source: Semrush.com

Regulations

In 2001, the Slovenian Parliament passed a media law that gave the government the mandate to regulate the media and provided it with the right to establish state broadcasters. After the European Commission initiated infringement proceedings against Slovenia in 2011, the European The Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMS) became law at the national level in Slovenia. The infringement proceedings ran until the summer of 2013. The infringement charges before the European Court of Justice in this case were subsequently dropped on July 18, 2013. Despite the overall high level of government spending in other economic sectors and the strong position of the RTVS in the media sector, critics see media legislation as fundamentally very business-friendly, if not even business-driven.

The most important supervisory bodies in Slovenia are located within the Ministry of Culture. Both the Media Inspectorate and the Media Directorate are located there. The Media Inspectorate can act on its own initiative or in response to complaints from the public. The Radio and Television Council, with 29 members appointed by Parliament, oversees the broadcasters of Radiotelevizija Slovenija. Major personnel decisions are almost entirely left to the governing majority in Parliament, which has a destabilizing effect on the broadcasting group when elections are held in quick succession.

In their report on the parliamentary elections held on December 4, 2011, OSCE observers noted that effective media regulation mechanisms were lacking and that the regulatory institutions' procedures for responding to complaints were weak. The case of the Pink Si TV channel between 2010 and 2013 confirms this assessment. It is considered an example of the weakness of regulatory mechanisms. The channel originally belonged to Zeljko Mitrovic's Serbian media group, Pink Media Group. Three months after its founding, payments to employees and contractors became irregular. The company began to accumulate debts. In the autumn of 2011, Sebastjan Veznaver, a Slovenian entertainment entrepreneur, took over the management of the channel. Apparently trying to extract as much capital as possible from the channel, he sold the broadcasting license to Bojan Umer and his company, Agencija Medias, for 10,000 euros. Subsequently, the channel was first renamed Pink 3 and then TV3 Medias.

In the same year, the regulatory authority APEK (Agency for Postal and Electronic Communications) was renamed AKOS (Agency of the Republic of Slovenia). In addition to regulating the media and communications market, the authority also regulates rail transport. Since 1997, the nine-member Slovenian Press Council, the Novinarsko Castno Razsodišce, has assumed the role of self-regulatory authority.

The proximity to politics and the inefficiency of media regulation are a structural problem in the Slovenian media landscape. Even political and economic stability cannot necessarily prevent either. Closely linked to the regulatory problems is the problem of opaque ownership structures. Should the rare attempts by the state to intervene fail – as in the case of the daily newspaper Vecer in November 2014 – these bodies risk further losing credibility. Overall, a rethink by the political and administrative elites regarding freedom of the press and freedom of expression seems desirable. The judiciary and communication with foreign countries, as in the Delic case and the Patria affair, can probably still prevent a complete systemic failure.

Sources/Literature

• Bertelsmann Foundation (ed.): Sustainable Governance Indicators: 2014 Slovenia Report. 2014.
• Grotzky, Johannes: The Slovenian media – ten years after independence. In: Southeast Europe Reports 4/2001.
• Hrvatin, Sandra B. and Kucicn, Lenart J.: Peace Institute. Institute for Contemporary Social and Political Studies (ed.): Media Ownership and Its Impact on Media Independence and Pluralism. Ljubljana, 2004.
• Semrush: Most Visited Mass Media Websites in Slovenia, June 2023.
• Slovenija Profile Emitivnog Trzista – Izdanje 2022
• Štetka, Václav: Media and Democracy in Central and Eastern Europe. Final Report, 2013.