Context

Like elsewhere, the media landscape in Serbia has been shaped by the country’s political, socio-economic, cultural and historical context. A protracted political and economic transition has brought many challenges to society, varying from limited successes in democratization efforts to painful structural changes in the economic system, all of which were introduced after a long period of authoritarian rule.

An underdeveloped market and the low purchasing power of citizens increases media dependence on the state budget and, consequently, exposes it to political influence. The legal framework, although in line with European standards, is applied inconsistently across all socio-economic sectors, including the media.

Media consumption habits, with TV still remaining to be the dominant media sector, are constantly being reshaped by increased usage of Internet and social media, especially among the younger population.

History

The Law on the Press of 1870 – the first of its kind in the history of Serbia and fairly liberal for its time – established a legal framework and laid the foundations for the development of the media system.

Society

According to data from 2017, Serbia has a population of 7.04 million, which represents a decline relative to the last population census in 2011, when the population of Serbia was 7.27 million.

Politics

The Republic of Serbia is a parliamentary democracy, with a formal seperation of powers among the three branches of government – the executive, legislative and judicial.

Economy

Serbia is a country with a small and relatively open economy, undergoing transitional processes from a planned to market-based economy for more than two decades.

Media Regulation

Serbia has undergone three major waves of reforms in media laws since 2000.

Media Consumption

Serbian citizens have a large number of media at their disposal. Data from the Media Registry of the Agency for Business Registries shows that there are 2000 media registered with the Registry – over 800 printed publications, more than 300 radio stations, over 200 TV channels and 600 online media.