Media in Moldova

The local term mass-media covers newspapers, online press, radio, television, audiovisual services, streaming distribution and social platforms. The system is established but structurally fragmented. Mobile and social channels are highly relevant for news discovery, participation and user-generated audiovisual content. In 2024, fixed-Internet subscriptions exceeded 899,300, fixed-Internet penetration reached 77.3 per 100 households, mobile-Internet penetration reached 120.9 per 100 inhabitants and audiovisual transmission or retransmission reached 62.6 per 100 households. These figures describe access infrastructure, not the market share of individual platforms. Moldova has no official consolidated national table for OTT prices, catalogues, audience shares or platform eligibility, so streaming comparisons remain provider-specific. The Consiliul Audiovizualului, commonly abbreviated CA, licenses and monitors audiovisual providers, supervises ownership transparency and can impose sanctions within its legal remit. A detailed official 2023 baseline recorded 53 television providers with 57 broadcast licences and 56 radio providers with 61 licences. The same baseline recorded a 50% Romanian-language television quota and must-carry rules requiring at least 50% of services to come from the European Union, the United States, Canada or states covered by the relevant convention. Exact national provider totals for 2026 are not established by the available research. Providers also follow licence conditions and rules on content, advertising, elections, information and child protection. CA regulation does not amount to blanket control of every user post on a social platform. IP Teleradio-Moldova, or TRM, provides public television, radio and web materials. Its remit includes fair, equidistant and impartial information, pluralism, freedom of expression and programmes for children, young people and adults. It serves the public interest in Moldova and abroad and is not the same type of service as a private streaming platform. Private audiovisual services, online video providers and paid-TV access depend on the relevant provider's technical offer, catalogue, subscription terms and age controls. Press activity is supported by the legal framework on press, freedom of expression, public-interest information and advertising, including Laws 243/1994, 64/2010, 148/2023 and 62/2022. Public bodies can publish information proactively, and a request under Law 148/2023 generally receives a response within 10 calendar days. A complex or high-volume request can receive an additional period of up to 7 days. The Ombudsman and the State Chancellery also have monitoring or control roles in the public-information framework. The Consiliul de Presă is an independent national self-regulatory body for journalism. Its Code of Ethics, updated at the 2024 Mass-Media Forum, contains more than 100 norms covering accuracy, vulnerable people, human rights, conflicts of interest, special techniques, artificial-intelligence use and self-regulation. A media consumer can submit an online complaint, and the Secretariat can assist. Mediation or an amicable settlement usually takes about 2 to 3 months. The Council can issue decisions, recommendations or public criticism, but it does not impose financial penalties. Possible remedies include a right of reply, an erratum or withdrawal. Its recommendation allows quotations of up to 500 characters when the source, author and direct link are provided; integral reuse requires a copyright agreement. Media providers and journalists balance freedom of expression with verification, accuracy, correction, fairness, privacy, non-discrimination, copyright and child-protection duties. The Centre for Strategic Communication and Countering Disinformation addresses strategic communication and disinformation, while critical media use also relies on source checks, comparison of reports and careful use of public-information procedures. Children and young people are covered by Law 30/2013 on protection from harmful information. A 2024 government action plan addresses safer online environments, reporting partnerships for child-abuse material, awareness campaigns and monitoring of school online-safety standards. Research reports that 81% of children aged 9 to 17 access the Internet from multiple devices, but no reliable national age-specific profile of streaming or social-media use was established here. Media literacy is supported by the 2024–2026 interministerial plan coordinated by the Ministerul Educației și Cercetării and the Ministerul Culturii. It combines formal and non-formal learning in critical thinking, information literacy, media literacy and digital literacy, including the optional school subject Educație pentru media. Participation includes public-information requests, petitions to CA that can trigger control, and complaints or self-referrals to the Consiliul de Presă. The public broadcaster's pluralism and civic-spirit remit also supports participation. The Fundul pentru subvenționarea mass-mediei, administered through the Ministry of Culture and an expert council under Law 50/2024, supports media pluralism rather than individual consumers. The 2026 call requires at least 25% national co-financing for private television and at least 15% for other media, including print, online, regional and local television. Applicants face documentation, financial reporting, source-of-finance disclosure, conflict checks and possible sanctions.