Online Media

Selecting the most influential online media outlets is a challenging task in any market, particularly in markets without comprehensive audience data. Armenia lacks organizations or tools that measure audience reach for online media outlets, and most media outlets do not publicly disclose such data. This absence of independent measurement required the MOM Team to develop alternative selection criteria. The primary criterion became total followers across seven social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X, LinkedIn, Telegram, and TikTok, used as a proxy for audience exposure and influence.

According to standard MOM methodology, 10 media outlets with the highest audience share are selected for study in each media market. In the absence of direct audience data, social media following served as the primary proxy for reach and influence. However, understanding that social media metrics might not accurately capture influence, MOM Team Armenia consulted an Advisory Board composed of experts, seasoned journalists, and researchers. Political affiliation was not a selection criterion. The Advisory Board's role was to identify media outlets whose ownership structures, market influence, or editorial positioning merited inclusion beyond pure audience metrics, ensuring the study comprehensively captured Armenia's media ownership patterns.

MOM Team compiled a preliminary list of 24 online media outlets with the largest followings across social media platforms. This list was reviewed by the Advisory Board, whose recommendations expanded the pool to 32 outlets. From this pool, the top 10 were selected based on total audience across the seven platforms.

The selection applied editorial criteria to ensure relevance: outlets must regularly publish news and political content and be actively operating in Armenia. Platforms focusing solely on entertainment or niche topics such as accidents, tourism, or cuisine were excluded from consideration. Among the top 10 by audience metrics were iravaban.net and A1+. MOM Team excluded iravaban.net because it focuses primarily on legal analysis rather than socio-political content, and A1+ because it produces minimal original content and holds mostly symbolic influence.

Seven additional media outlets were added to the remaining eight top performers based on Advisory Board suggestions. This ensured inclusion of both pro-government and opposition voices, as well as one newly established outlet, which the Advisory Board found noteworthy. Although the Advisory Board recommended including Hetq in the study, the MOM Team declined due to ethical considerations and potential conflicts of interest.

Fifteen online media outlets were selected for the study in 2025.