In the Western Balkans, media content is mostly focused on politics. Political news takes up the biggest space on news websites, TV channels, and newspapers across the region. This high focus on politics is due to ongoing issues in the area, like regional stability, relations with other countries, and the influence of different political leaders. However, even though politics is the main focus of the media, it is not what gets the most attention from audiences.
In all Western Balkan countries, sports news actually gets more audience engagement than political news. People tend to interact more with sports stories by sharing, commenting, and liking them on social media. Sports, especially football, brings people together and is seen as more entertaining and positive, making it more popular among readers. Audiences often prefer sports news as it feels lighter and less divisive compared to political content, which can be intense or controversial.
Only in Montenegro do political news stories receive slightly more engagement than sports news, but this difference is very small. Overall, sports news leads in terms of audience interest and engagement across the Western Balkans, even though political content still dominates media coverage. This trend suggests that media outlets in the region could consider creating more sports content to better connect with their audiences, while still covering the important political topics that impact the area.
This analysis was conducted by Pikasa Analytics, which monitors thousands of media outlets across Western Balkan countries.