Media in Montenegro

Montenegro's media framework is based on the Constitution, the Zakon o medijima 54/24, the Zakon o audiovizuelnim medijskim uslugama 54/24 and the law on the national public broadcaster and public media service 60/24. Media law covers content produced and distributed to an undefined audience under editorial control. Media freedom and the prohibition of censorship apply, and founding a media outlet generally follows a registration model rather than a general advance press licence. Print and online publications can include newspapers, magazines, news portals and other internet publications, called internetska publikacija in local law. The Ministry of Culture and Media keeps Media Records containing information such as the publication name, founder, editor, language, format, contact details and relevant founder data. Online publications must provide rules for comments. When an evidently illegal comment or a comment that infringes protected rights is reported or otherwise brought to the publication's attention, it must be removed within 60 minutes. This does not create a general state approval requirement for ordinary press or online publishing. Radio and television belong to audiovisual media services. The Agencija za audiovizuelne medijske usluge, abbreviated AMU, is the independent audiovisual media regulator. AMU issues, changes and withdraws approvals, keeps registers, monitors programme standards, handles complaints and supervises matters such as political advertising, copyright, European and independent works, and protection of minors. The former name AEM may still appear in older material, but the 2024 framework uses AMU. The Electronic Communications Agency, EKIP, deals with electronic communications, frequencies and networks; it is not the editorial regulator for radio and television content. The national public media service is RTCG, the Javni medijski servis Crne Gore. RTCG provides television, radio, an online portal, on-demand audiovisual content and OTT access. Its public mission covers information, education, entertainment, public interest, impartiality and accessibility. The 2026–2028 strategy gives priority to digital-first delivery alongside linear services, subtitles and sign-language access, and improved reach for vulnerable and minority groups. Local public broadcasters have separate municipal mandates and financing, so their coverage and responsibilities must be distinguished from the national service. Streaming includes on-demand audiovisual media services, OTT services, video-sharing platforms and internet webcasting where the service meets the relevant legal criteria. AMU supervises the services that fall within its authority. A 2025 AMU distribution report identified four distributors offering video-on-demand. International and private streaming platforms are generally accessed through market-based subscriptions, devices and internet connections; Montenegro has no single national streaming provider or uniform tariff. Whether a service needs approval or registration depends on its legal category and operating model, not simply on the fact that viewers watch content online. Ordinary social-media accounts and posts do not automatically qualify as media when the account lacks editorial control. Users usually access private platforms without a general state access permit, subject to platform terms, privacy rules and criminal or cybersecurity law. A platform that provides video sharing or internet webcasting may fall within the audiovisual framework. Montenegro has no established nationwide public-authority procedure for moderating all social-media content. Misinformation and disinformation are policy and safety concerns, but they do not by themselves create a separate media category. Journalists, including freelance journalists, have source confidentiality. A competent court may order disclosure only on a State Prosecutor's request and within limited grounds such as national security, territorial integrity or public health. Journalists should verify the origin, truth and completeness of information with due journalistic care. They may refuse illegal content or content inconsistent with the professional code, and an employer may not penalize them through dismissal, pay or status merely for exercising that right. Foreign journalists have the same relevant rights, and accreditation for a public event may not be refused arbitrarily. A person affected by published media content can request a free answer or correction. The request generally has to be made within 30 days of publication or of learning about the publication. For an online publication, the answer or correction should appear within 12 hours and link to the original item; for print or audiovisual media, it should appear in the next issue or programme, subject to the applicable maximum timing. An editor who rejects the request must give reasons within seven days. Urgent court action is available in appropriate cases. Courts can also restrict or remove content under statutory conditions; emergency proceedings can involve a hearing within 24 hours and an interim decision within six hours. Media content that incites hatred, violence or discrimination is prohibited. Media law protects the integrity of minors. Harmful material must carry a clear advance warning and be presented in a way that makes access by minors least likely. Pornography must not be publicly accessible to minors. The identity of a minor who is a witness, victim or offender in violence or crime must not be published, and crisis interviews or material that causes serious distress or harms dignity are restricted. Minors may not be used for political promotion. Schools and AMU support media-literacy and digital-safety activities covering privacy, misinformation and cyberbullying. The 2026 National Curriculum Framework includes information, media and digital literacy as competencies, but Montenegro has no single universal media pass or one age-rating system for every type of media. Participation takes several forms. A person can complain to AMU about an audiovisual provider or distributor. RTCG offers audience complaints, an Ombudsman pathway and public consultation on programme plans. A person can request access to public information without giving reasons through eGovernment, mail, email or an oral submission, provided the information is identifiable and the request states the preferred access method and applicant details. Public consultations on laws and by-laws, media ownership and financing transparency, Media Records and the answer-and-correction procedure provide additional ways to check or influence the media system. Audience costs depend on the provider, device, coverage, connectivity and subscription. AMU's published fee information lists application-review fees of €200 for radio, €400 for television and €500 for an audiovisual media service. Public-tender application fees range from €100 to €800 depending on the programme and zone; issuing an approval is listed at 10% of the annual fee, extension at 5% and transfer at 50%. By-law updates in 2026 mean that a provider should verify the current AMU tariff before filing. A free answer or correction does not normally create a media charge, although obtaining a necessary copy of a record may involve the copying cost. Media use is widespread. The 2025 MONSTAT survey recorded internet access in 88.1% of surveyed households. The 2023 Census recorded internet knowledge among 86.88% of people aged 15 and over and social-network knowledge among 68.12%. Access to a specific service still depends on coverage, equipment, connectivity, subscription terms and the provider's legal status. Media content must be retained for 30 days, which can matter when a person needs to preserve evidence of a broadcast or online publication.