ISSN 1392-0561. INFORMACIJOS MOKSLAI. 2017 77 DOI: https://doi.org/10.15388/Im.2017.77.10705 Media Concentration in the Baltic States (2000–2014) Deimantas Jastramskis Journalism Institute, Communication Faculty, Vilnius University, Assoc. Professor E-mail:
[email protected] Anda Rožukalne Department of Communication Studies, Communication Faculty, Riga Stradins University, Assoc. Professor E-mail:
[email protected] Andres Jõesaar Baltic Film, Media, Arts and Communication School, Tallinn University, Assoc. Professor E-mail:
[email protected] This article examines media concentration in the Baltic States between 2000 and 2014. The study em- ploys the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index to assess the volatility and the level of horizontal concentration in the media markets of radio, television, daily newspapers and internet of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. The analysis reveals that most of the Baltic States’ media markets are highly concentrated and tend to- wards the creation of oligopolistic competition. Only two markets (the Estonian television and Lithu- anian internet market) could be defined as moderately concentrated at the end of the research period. Keywords: Media concentration, media market, time share, Herfindahl-Hirschman Index, Baltic States. Introduction in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Also, the media markets in the Baltic States expanded In the end of 1980s, the liberalization of the political regime in the Soviet Union and due to the foundation of new media outlets the establishment of alternative political and companies. The liberalization, priva- movements as opposed to the communist tization and establishment of new media parties in the Baltic countries paved the way titles resulted in the increasing diversifi- for the liberation of media and the creation cation and fragmentation of the media in of new media systems, which were mainly the 1990s (Lauristin and Vihalemm, 2002; based on private ownership.