Media Consumption

Digital transformation and traditional media - how people in Moldova consume media content

The Media Ownership Monitor Moldova shows the media landscape in the Republic of Moldova. But how do Moldovans actually consume print and online media, television, and radio? We take a look at the different aspects of media production, distribution, and consumption in Moldova to provide insights into media supply and demand and to identify the factors influencing the distribution of ownership and power in the media sector.

Most households have an internet connection and mobile phones

Media penetration across platforms and devices is high in Moldova. According to the national survey "Population's perception of media and media competence in the Republic of Moldova", conducted by Magenta Consulting and published in March 2023 by Internews Moldova, the vast majority of respondents report that they have a working TV in their household, as well as a WiFi or cable internet connection.

Internet access: 77% of respondents have a WiFi or cable internet connection. This figure has increased in recent years.

Mobile phones: two-thirds of respondents said they had a mobile phone with an internet connection included in their subscription (70%) or using WiFi (68%).

Radio: only a third of respondents said they had a radio at home (29%), while 37% listened to the radio in their car.

TV: almost all households (93%) have a working TV, 69% have a TV connected to a cable provider, 52% have a TV connected to the internet, and 5% are connected to satellite TV.

Another survey conducted between August and September 2023 by the Electronic Government Agency shows that the vast majority of respondents (91.2%) access the Internet on a daily basis, and 88.1% of households are connected to the Internet. According to the study, Internet usage rates decrease with age, are lower in rural areas, and are positively correlated with education and income.

News and media consumption

The primary source of information for Moldovans is online news portals. The August 2023 Barometer of Public Opinion (BOP) of the Institute for Public Policy shows that for 53.6% of respondents, the most important source of information is the internet, followed by television with 30.1%, and radio with 4.7%. Only for 1.1% of respondents, newspapers are the most important source of information. The same survey shows that 76.3% of respondents browse the internet daily, and only 14.2% have not used the internet at all in the last three months. The second most popular source is television. According to the August 2023 BPO, 56.5% of respondents watch TV daily, 11.5% - several times a week, while 22.3% have not watched TV at all in the last three months.

The number of people reading newspapers is low in Moldova. According to the Public Opinion Barometer, 68.5% of respondents said that they had not read any newspapers in the last three months. For comparison, only 4.7% said they read newspapers daily, 9.3% - several times a week, and 6.4% - several times a month. Radio consumption is more widespread, with almost a third of respondents (29.4%) saying they listen to the radio daily. However, almost half of the respondents (46.7%) said they had not listened to the radio at all in the last three months.

The situation is slightly different when it comes to trust. For 38.5% of the August 2023 BOP respondents, the internet is the most trusted source of information. Television is the most trusted source of information for 20.3% of respondents, while 19.8% of respondents have no trust in any source of information.

A May-June 2024 poll by the International Republican Institute shows that 71 percent of respondents get their political news from TV, with 53 percent of those saying television is the most frequently used source of information. 60% get their information from online portals, 24% from the radio, and only 8% read newspapers for up-to-date information.

According to the national survey "The population's perception of media and media competence in the Republic of Moldova", conducted by Magenta Consulting and published in March 2023 by Internews Moldova, the majority of respondents choose TV and social networks as the source of their day-to-day information. Television, however, remains in first place as the main source of information for 42% of those surveyed, as well as the most credible source (33%). Online media consumption is characterised by extensive use of social networks and news websites. The same study shows that in the last six years, the number of people who get their news from websites and social networks has doubled, and the number of consumers of content distributed by newspapers and radio has decreased.

Additionally, a survey called "Public Perception, Uptake and Support for eGovernment and Modernization of Government Services," conducted in 2023 by the Electronic Government Agency, shows that the internet and television remain the main sources of information for 90% of respondents. Specifically, the internet has become a primary source of information, surpassing television. The survey also reveals that news sites and social networks (52%) outnumber dedicated government websites (21.6%).

70 newspapers in 2024

According to the National Statistical Office, in 2023 there were 84 newspapers in Moldova, with a single-copy circulation of 1 million, showing a continuous decline over the past 15 years. In the first half of 2024, according to the Post of Moldova, there were 70 newspapers with a monthly circulation of 1.6 million copies, with about 94 thousand subscriptions in the first six months of 2024. 

The number and circulation of Romanian-language newspapers has been about half of the total number and circulation for the last 15 years. Recently, several newspapers have stopped printing and started to go online.

61 radio stations

According to the Audiovisual Council, there were 61 radio stations in Moldova in October 2024. Of these, only four are public service stations, while the rest are private stations. Meanwhile, two radio stations broadcast exclusively online, which makes them international, eleven are regional, five are nationwide and the rest are local. According to Xplane's research, the most listened-to radio stations in Moldova in the spring of 2024 were Hit FM (10.4%), Radio Noroc (8.1%), Kiss FM (5.8%), Jurnal FM (4.2%) and Retro FM (3.7%). 

58 TV stations

As of October 2024, the Register of Television Media Service Providers lists 57 TV channels, of which 41 are active. Three are public, and the rest are private. Moreover, seven of them are regional, four are local, and the rest are national. At the same time, five individuals are the end beneficiaries of two TV channels.

There is no official Register of online portals

Moldova has no official register of media outlets, including online media, meaning that the exact number of online news portals is unknown. The Census of Media Institutions in 2017 identified 181 news websites in the country, while the study of media needs "Media Market in the Republic of Moldova: realities and trends" conducted in 2021 and published in 2022 by the Independent Journalism Center showed that online media occupied the largest segment - 28%, of the media market. Moldova's media landscape is dynamic, characterised by a mix of public and private ownership, high media penetration, and diverse consumption patterns. Traditional media institutions are adapting to current trends, expanding their digital presence, and exploring new financial models. The interaction between traditional media and digital platforms is shaping the future of media content production, distribution, and consumption.