Media
The Republic of Moldova gained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Up until that point, and in the first years after obtaining independence, there was virtually no independent press in the country, with few exceptions. The independent press started to develop after the 2000s, mainly thanks to grants and subsidies from Moldova's external partners and foreign or local non-governmental organizations.
The print media landscape has seen significant changes over the decades. In 1991, when Moldova proclaimed its independence, there were about 200 newspapers and magazines, reaching 460 in 1997, before declining to 180 in 2000. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, there were 84 newspapers in Moldova in 2023, with a combined circulation of 1 million copies. 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 and 94 thousand subscriptions.
In Moldova, there is no official registry of media outlets, including online media outlets, so their exact number is unknown. Anyone can launch a news website without having to fulfill any requirements. This explains why dozens of websites do not even list their owners or contact details. The Independent Journalism Center's 2021 media demand study showed that online media accounts for the largest share - 28% of the Moldovan media market. 24% are newspapers, 19% - TV stations, 16% are radio stations and 10% - magazines.
The only entities that publish information about the audience of websites in Moldova are the Bureau of Audit of Print and Internet (BATI) and the Gemius Research Agency.
According to the latest Barometer of Public Opinion, conducted in August 2023, 76.3% of respondents reported using the internet daily, and 6.2% - a few times a week. For 53.6% of respondents, the internet is the most important source of information, surpassing television (30.1%).
The television landscape has undergone significant changes in recent years. In 2024, there are 41 active TV channels in Moldova. Between 2022 and 2024, several TV stations had their broadcasting licenses suspended by the Commission for Exceptional Situations or the Council for the Promotion of Investment Projects of National Importance. Most of these were affiliated with oligarchs Ilan Shor and Vladimir Plahotniuc, two businessmen who have been deeply involved in politics for years. Both left Moldova in 2019 after the regime shift but continue to influence certain areas of the country. Other suspended TV stations were affiliated with the Russian Federation.
Until 2022, Moldova's broadcasting landscape was characterized by a dominance of Russian TV channels with representative offices in Moldova and the concentration of several TV channels in media holding companies affiliated with politicians and political parties. One significant group was attributed to Vladimir Plahotniuc, former president of the Democratic Party, which ruled between 2009 and 2019. Another media holding company was affiliated with the Socialist Party, led by the pro-Russian former President Igor Dodon. A third media conglomerate was established by Ilan Shor, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison in Moldova in 2023 but left the country in 2019. He is currently based in Moscow, where he continues to influence Moldova's political processes through pro-Russian politicians and parties he controls and sponsors.
The radio sector remains significant, with 61 radio stations holding broadcasting licenses in the Moldovan media market. Four are public stations, and the rest are private. Six radios have national status, nine are regional, and the rest are local. Radio ranks fifth as a source of information among the population, according to data from the International Republican Institute's May-June 2024 Survey, after television, social networks, news websites, and information from relatives and friends.
Moldova's media environment showed slight improvement in 2023, though serious challenges persist according to the State of the Press Index (ISPM) released by the Independent Journalism Center in February 2024. The most problematic areas continue to be the economic environment, information security, and the political context.
In 2024, Moldova ranks 31st out of 180 in the World Press Freedom Index, down 3 positions from 2023, scoring 74.86 out of 100 points compared to 77.62 in the previous year. According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), "Moldovan media is divided into pro-Russian and pro-Western camps, with oligarchs and political leaders strongly asserting their editorial views."
The country benefits from several active media organizations, including the Independent Press Association, the Center for Independent Journalism, the Electronic Press Association, the Media-Guard Association, and the Press Council. These non-governmental organizations work independently from public authorities while collaborating with them to improve media functioning.
