Media Consumption Habits in Serbia in 2024

According to the latest research conducted by the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia in 2024, 88.8% of households in Serbia have an internet connection, representing a 3.2% increase compared to 2023. Meanwhile, 81.5% of the population has a social media account, marking a slight decline. In the past three months, 51.8% of internet users have made purchases or ordered goods online.

Temu, a Chinese e-commerce platform, entered the Serbian market in May 2024. With its offering of low prices and free delivery, it boosted the number of shipments by approximately 60%, significantly driving the growth of online shopping.

Media consumption trends in 2024 cannot be viewed in isolation from the political crisis that has intensified since November. As media capture deepened, the state-owned and most-watched national broadcaster, RTS, displayed a clear pro-government bias – airing appearances by the President over 300 times within the year. All other national TV channels acted as regime mouthpieces. As a result, trust in the news has declined sharply: only 27% of people say they trust most news most of the time.

This behavior by mainstream TV media has pushed more audiences toward digital platforms, particularly online news sources, social media, and YouTube. Today, 55% of people seek news online, 22% on social media, and just 21% on television.

The average media consumer engages with eight different platforms, indicating a diverse, fragmented, and complex media diet. TV still maintains a reach of 95%, while internet penetration stands at 88%.