Digital Media Company

Becoming increasingly digital

Digital subscription growth in the Baltics

Digital subscriptions are the foundation of the Group's long-term stability, providing predictable and recurrent revenue flow even in more difficult times. The results of the year 2024 confirm the correctness of this strategy - even in the conditions of economic slowdown, the growth of digital subscriptions and the related revenue have remained stable.
The progress made has varied from country to country, but it has consistently been positive.
- In Estonia, Delfi Meedia continued strong growth, increasing the number of its digital subscriptions by 12% to 114 631 subscriptions. Õhtuleht Kirjastus increased the number of its digital subscriptions by 2% to 25 257 subscriptions and Genius Media by 5% to 7 356 subscriptions.
- In Latvia, Delfi was exceptionally successful, increasing the number of its digital subscriptions by 33% to 35 082 subscriptions.
- In Lithuania, strong progress was also evident - the number of Delfi’s digital subscriptions increased by 11% to 44 170 subscriptions and Lrytas achieved 84% growth, reaching 11 686 subscriptions.

Global digital trends

During the year, the global digital media landscape was shaped by three key trends. Firstly, the artificial intelligence revolution, which has brought new opportunities for content creation, automation of workflows, and personalisation of user experience. Secondly, the rise of short-form videos, as shown by the growing popularity of TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and others. It has also forced traditional media companies, including the Ekspress Group, to adjust their content strategy. Thirdly, people's media consumption habits are changing, requiring media companies to be flexible in adapting their business models.
The development of business models is also significant. Revenue diversification has become increasingly important - in addition to traditional advertising, the company is looking for new sources of revenue through subscriptions, membership status, events and e -commerce. The importance of first-party data is increasing, allowing for personalised experiences and targeted marketing. The application of artificial intelligence in optimising content recommendations, marketing processes, and pricing strategies has become widespread.

Cyber security in digital business

With the growth of digital revenue, cyber threats are increasing, and cybersecurity has become an increasingly critical area for media companies. Ensuring security involves three main challenges facing the sector.
Subscriber data protection has become one of the key issues for media companies relying on digital subscriptions. More attention is being paid to security measures which would ensure secure handling of personal data and payment information, and compliance with data protection regulations.
The development of artificial intelligence has brought new challenges in detecting and preventing misinformation. Media companies are increasingly actively looking for solutions to help ensure the integrity of journalistic content and detect fake content. The security of content management systems has become particularly important in connection with the new risks associated with the development of artificial intelligence.
Digital revenue protection is also a growing trend. Media companies are increasingly contributing to fighting advertising and click fraud, and ensuring the security of payment solutions. These measures have become critical in ensuring the stability of both advertising and subscription revenue.

Technological innovation and new services at Ekspress Grupp

The year 2024 brought significant technological advancements. The complete implementation of the Delfi 2.0 platform across all Baltic States has modernised our back-office architecture and created new opportunities for the countries to cooperate. The new innovation and artificial intelligence department will focus on making internal processes more efficient and maximizing cross-group synergies.
The digital development of the Group also extends to other business areas where we are looking for opportunities to increase efficiency through new technologies and services. The expansion of the digital outdoor screen network has significantly contributed to both the revenue and EBITDA growth, and the ticket business has shown particularly strong results in Latvia, where we have built a stable digital customer base. Strategic acquisitions made in the conference business - UAB Kenton Baltic in Lithuania and the business of the Estonian Training and Conference Centre – will create new opportunities for developing digital services and diversifying the revenue base. These steps support our goal of reducing reliance on traditional revenue while growing the digital business sector.
As a result of these developments, we have already surpassed one of our strategic goals - the share of digital revenue in total revenue has grown to over 85%. The next big goal is to increase the number of digital subscriptions in the Baltic States to 340 000 by 2026. This is an ambitious but realistic goal, towards which we are consistently moving across all markets.

The number of digital subscriptions of Ekspress Grupp reached 238 182 in the Baltic States, increasing by 15% in a year.

In Latvia, the number of digital subscriptions increased by 33% in a year and totalled 35 082 by the end of the year.

In Lithuania, the number of digital subscriptions of Delfi increased by 11% in a year and totalled 44 170 by the end of the year.

The number of paid digital subscriptions of AS Delfi Meedia increased by 12% in a year and totalled 114 631 by the end of December, the annual growth of Õhtuleht Kirjastus was 2% and there were 25 257 subscriptions by the end of the year, the annual growth of digital subscriptions of Geenius Meedia was 5% and there were 7356 subscriptions by the end of the year.