The European Media Ownership Monitor (EurOMo) 2025 offers a new, EU-wide overview of ownership and control in the news media sector. In Denmark, Finland, and Sweden, the mapping points to relatively high transparency compared with the EU average, while also highlighting concentrated ownership structures and emerging structural risks.
EurOMo is an EU-funded research project designed to strengthen public insight into who ultimately controls news media. Denmark, Finland, and Sweden are represented among the Nordic countries, with research teams in each country collecting comparable data on ownership structures, economic control, management, relationships with digital platforms, and relevant media policy frameworks. The project aims to support democratic accountability and evidence-based media policy across Europe.
“It is essential for democratic societies that citizens can see who ultimately stands behind the news they consume”, says Ulrika Facht, media analyst at Nordicom and responsible for the Swedish data collection.
A Nordic Pattern of Transparency
Across Denmark, Finland, and Sweden, the researchers identify a relatively high degree of transparency compared with the EU average. Public registers, established media companies, and strong traditions of openness make it easier for citizens to trace who owns and controls major news outlets.
In Sweden, the assessed risk related to ownership transparency is particularly low. Large, well-known media groups dominate the market, ownership structures are clearly disclosed, and the system of editorial responsibility places legal accountability on editors rather than owners.
“In Sweden, newsrooms are meant to be – and generally are – independent from direct owner control, and it is the editor-in-chief who is held accountable for what is published. However, this picture can look different across the EU”, says Facht.
At the same time, the Swedish assessment also points to areas of concern. One challenge is the declining availability of reliable data on media use and audience reach.
“Transparency could be stronger both among media outlets and the companies that measure audiences. This is particularly true in digital services, but over time transparency has also declined within legacy media”, Facht points out.
Denmark and Finland follow similar patterns, although with important national distinctions.
Denmark: Foundation Ownership and Public Service Dominate
In Denmark, the mapping shows that foundation ownership and public service media dominate the news landscape. Sixteen major news outlets were included in the Danish sample, spanning private media, public broadcasters, and even a few news influencers.
“When we look at ownership structures in Denmark, foundation ownership and public ownership dominate the media market”, says Associate Professor Aske Kammer from the Danish team. “All these ownership structures are clearly listed in the Danish business register (CVR) and are publicly available”.
The Danish report also examines social media platforms, where many users consume news.
“Even when news consumption moves onto platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok, the ownership links back to registered media organisations. We also include a few news influencers, but here, too, ownership can be identified through a quick search in the CVR register”, says Senior Lecturer Mads Kæmsgaard Eberholst, also from the Danish team.
Finland: High Concentration and Growing Transparency Gaps
Finland also scores relatively well on transparency, but the media environment is characterised by high and steadily increasing ownership concentration across newspapers, television, radio, and telecommunications, with the five largest newspaper companies now controlling around two thirds of all titles.
Despite a strong tradition of transparency, some gaps remain. Access to beneficial ownership data is limited for unlisted companies and nominee-registered foreign ownership, and transparency challenges have worsened due to the discontinuation of key datasets.
“Finland faces several systemic challenges like ad hoc media policymaking, a lack of stable and direct media support mechanisms, and declining data transparency. These trends pose risks to long‑term media pluralism, independent journalism, and informed policymaking”, says Mikko Grönlund, Research Manager at University of Turku and part of the Finnish team.
New legislation aligned with the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) was introduced in 2025, strengthening oversight of media ownership and state advertising. However, many researchers argue that the implementation lacks ambition and fail to address deeper structural risks.
EurOMo: A European Tool for Democratic Accountability
EurOMo is developed by a consortium of researchers from universities and independent research institutes in all EU member states and is coordinated by the University of Salzburg. The 2025 edition builds on pilot studies from 2022 and 2023.
All data are openly available via the project platform, allowing users to explore ownership networks, compare countries, and access machine-readable datasets and national reports. As such, EurOMo functions as a shared European infrastructure for identifying risks, supporting accountability and evidence-based media policy aimed at increased diversity and democracy.
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EuroMedia Ownership Monitor (EurOMo)
