Before joining Yle, I worked for a long time in commercial media. Whether at a newspaper or at Yle, developing content, sharpening journalism, and improving the customer experience are at the core of all operations. But year by year, it is becoming increasingly clear that a successful news business requires something that no single newsroom or media company can achieve alone: a population interested in news.
Media policy debate in Finland tends to get stuck in arguments about the effects that publicly funded Yle’s public service has on the operating conditions of commercial news media. It is an important question. And it is good that the issue is being researched.
A new study by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), Economic study on the impact of publicly funded PSM activities on the largest commercial online news publishers in Finland, examines the topic with recent and wide-ranging data focusing on the Finnish market.
What was studied?
The study tested hypotheses based on the idea that Yle’s content would “growd-out” audiences away from commercial news media and thus harm the market.
Two datasets were used: Finnish survey data from the world’s most comprehensive news media study, the Digital News Report (2025) from Oxford University’s Reuters Institute, and web traffic data for news from Yle, Helsingin Sanomat, Ilta-Sanomat and Iltalehti for the years 2022–2025 (FIAM).
The research was carried out by Oliver & Ohlbaum Associates and peer-reviewed by Vardges Levonyan, a researcher specialising in media economics at the University of Zurich.
What were the findings?
The study found no support for the claim that consuming Yle’s content would reduce the consumption of commercial media content. On the contrary, it found a positive link between consumption of Yle’s and commercial news content.
This connection was visible both in the survey conducted among Finnish respondents and in the combined weekly online traffic data from three commercial media companies. People who consume Yle’s news content are also more likely to consume commercial news services. The conclusion did not change when the researchers tested the robustness of the result by accounting for differences between respondents, such as education level and interest in news.
Why is this significant?
The results are not surprising in themselves. Previous international studies have reached similar conclusions. For example, a recent report by the Norwegian media authority found that the public service media company NRK plays a role in promoting market diversity.
However, it is valuable that we now have new information produced with reliable methods, specifically focused on the Finnish media market. The findings support the conclusion that Yle has a positive and market-supporting effect on the domestic media sector, rather than a harmful one. Public service not only serves citizens, but also increases general interest in news, which in turn creates demand for the diverse content and perspectives of commercial media.
A media welfare state is based on coexistence between public and commercial media
Internationally, Finland and the other Nordic countries are often cited as model countries when it comes to the state of democracy and the position of reliable information in society. In the latest Reuters Institute Digital News Report, published last week, the Nordic countries were again at the top of the world for trust in news and willingness to pay for news. In international contexts, people even talk about media welfare states. At the same time, the media sector in the Nordics is also facing historically great challenges, especially due to the effects of large platform companies on revenue models.
Recently, we have also been pleased to hear that there are signs of a turnaround in the financial situation of domestic news media. However, even the most successful renewal strategies or extra euros from the liberalisation of gambling advertising will not solve the megatrends.
Finns’ relationship with news is changing
The country report for Finland in the Digital News Report highlights that “although payment for online news has increased somewhat, interest in news continues to decline, active avoidance of news is becoming more common and more and more people are seeking their news elsewhere than directly from traditional news media’s websites or apps”.
According to our own studies, no domestic media service is among the ten most used services in daily media consumption among people under 30.
Finnish journalism and storytelling will continue to face intense international competition. When we look at the resources of the global giants, it is obvious that this pressure must be met together. The joint responsibility of the domestic media sector to safeguard the functioning of our democracy and the vitality of our culture is too important to be handed over to international giants – or left undone.
Yle cannot replace commercial media that invests in its own target groups, nor can commercial media replace Yle’s public service remit. Both are needed side by side, and now fresh research gives even stronger support for this coexistence.
‘Economic study on the impact of publicly funded PSM activities on the largest commercial online news publishers in Finland’ has been published as part of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) research series, which has previously studied the market effects of public service media using data covering 17 European countries. The new study deepens the perspective by focusing specifically on the Finnish market.