The Media Market in Croatia 2024

The Croatian media market continues to see growth in online advertising, with digital channels further strengthening their role in the overall media mix. These shifts reflect changing consumer habits and growing demand for measurable, targeted, and mobile-friendly advertising solutions.

TV spend stayed stable despite a small drop in viewership. Print advertising continues to experience a steady decline in marketing investment, reflecting the increasing importance of digital channels in the overall marketing mix. Among the key formats, display and social media advertising hold dominant positions, while search advertising and influencer marketing also contribute significantly to the digital ecosystem. A clear trend is the growing dominance of mobile platforms and video content, as the majority of digital ads—especially video—are now consumed via mobile devices, indicating a shift in consumer behavior and media consumption habits.

Retail and telecommunications continue to dominate advertising spending, maintaining their position as the top investing sectors in the Croatian media market.

Early 2025 will mark the launch of the Media Ownership and Financing platform in Croatia, which aims to increase transparency by providing detailed information about media ownership and funding sources, helping to build public trust and promote a fair media environment.

Additionally, Google announced the expansion of its News Showcase platform to Croatia in 2025, partnering with leading local media outlets like 24sata, Večernji list, Indeks.hr, and Net.hr. This move highlights the growing involvement of foreign tech companies in shaping news distribution and monetization of the Croatian market. Although this development is relevant, it is still unclear how significant its impact will be. Google is increasingly trying to control ad click traffic by serving articles directly through Discover and Android devices. So far, there has been decent traffic from Discover, though it is worth noting that Google’s internal metrics can sometimes paint a more optimistic picture than publishers actually experience. In Croatia, users have a strong habit of going directly to news portals rather than relying on search engines, which makes the market somewhat unique. This matters because it remains to be seen whether platforms like Discover will be able to compensate for the traffic that publishers are losing due to AI, with tools like ChatGPT currently posing a major challenge to media outlets. At the same time, it is possible that, like some other products, this one might also face challenges in gaining wider adoption.

An important factor to consider in the Croatian media market is the ongoing challenge of media sustainability, especially for local and regional media outlets. While digital growth continues, many smaller players struggle with funding and competition from larger national and international platforms. Moreover, audience fragmentation and changing consumption habits require more companies to constantly innovate their business models.