Delfi

What is Delfi?

Delfi is the news portal delfi.ee, run by AS Delfi Meedia. The competition authority, Konkurentsiamet, in its decision of 3 October 2025 on Ekspress Grupp's acquisition of Õhtuleht Kirjastus, describes Delfi Meedia's activity as “Delfi Meedia AS ja Geenius Meedia OÜ kaudu online uudiste, meelelahutuse jm sisu tootmine ja avaldamine veebilehtedel delfi.ee ja geenius.ee ning reklaamitegevus trüki- ja internetimeedias”, and states: “Delfi Meedia AS kirjastab nädalalehti Eesti Ekspress, LP ja Maaleht.”^[1]

AS Ekspress Grupp, in its release of 10 April 2026, describes Delfi Meedia as the company “that publishes the news portal Delfi, newspapers Maaleht, Eesti Ekspress and several popular magazines”.^[2] The group describes itself as “the leading Baltic media group whose key activities include web media content production, and publishing of newspapers, magazines and books.”^[2] That is the group's own description, and it is not adopted here.

The decision itself opened further proceedings on the concentration, numbered 29/2025, under the Competition Act; the authority's approval followed on 2 April 2026, as Ekspress Grupp's release of 6 April 2026 records.^[1][7]

The same decision records: “Aktsiaselts Ekspress Grupp on Eestis registreeritud äriühing, mille üle omab valitsevat mõju Hans Luik (isikukood […]) otse ja äriühingu HHL RÜHM OÜ kaudu.” That is, Hans Luik has controlling influence over Ekspress Grupp, directly and through HHL Rühm OÜ, as the authority recorded it on 3 October 2025.^[1] ERR reported on 28 August 2026 that Delfi Meedia employed 450 people.^[8]

What does Delfi cover?

The competition authority records Delfi Meedia producing and publishing online news, entertainment and other content on delfi.ee.^[1] Its sport journalism is recorded in the awards of the Eesti Spordiajakirjanike Selts, the Estonian sports journalists' society.

In the society's awards for the best sports journalism of 2025, announced in January 2026 and reported by ERR, a Delfi entry was placed first for the best audio story (parim audiolugu). Delfi entries were also placed third for written-press publicistic writing (kirjutava pressi publitsistika), third for the best video story (parim videolugu) and second for sports photo (spordifoto), and a Delfi entry was placed first for commentary or column (kommentaar/kolumn).^[3]

Delfi also carries live sport. ERR reported on 27 April 2026, in its account of the 2025–26 season of the Optibet Eesti-Läti korvpalliliiga: “Delfi vahendusel jälgiti hooaja jooksul 109 mängu ning unikaalsete vaatajate arv kasvas 5,9 protsenti.”^[4] That is, 109 of the league's games were watched through Delfi during the season.

How large is Delfi's audience?

Gemius, which measures Estonian web audiences in “Real Users”, reported on 7 November 2025 that “the news portal delfi.ee attracted 702 000 Real Users, and this number grew to 707 000 in October”, counting visits from computers and mobile devices together; from computers alone it gave 395,000 in September and 413,000 in October. The measurement covers internet users aged 15 to 74 in Estonia.^[5] Those are one month's readings each, for the whole portal and not for sport.

Ekspress Grupp reported on 10 April 2026 that the digital subscriptions of AS Delfi Meedia totalled 121,407 at the end of the first quarter of 2026. The group's total across the Baltic states was 237,136.^[2] Those are subscription counts for the whole company, which publishes the portal, weeklies and magazines. They are neither an audience nor a figure for sport.

Since when has Delfi existed?

No founding date for the Estonian portal or for AS Delfi Meedia was retrieved from a primary source, and none is given here.

The company's recent history is documented. The Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom's 2026 monitor states: “In 2025, the newspaper Eesti Päevaleht, which was integrated into Delfi Meedia, ceased publication.”^[6] Ekspress Grupp's release of 6 April 2026 records that Konkurentsiamet on 2 April 2026 approved its transaction of 9 July 2025 with AVH Grupp to buy AVH Grupp's 50 per cent of AS Õhtuleht Kirjastus, making Ekspress Grupp the sole owner.^[7] ERR reported on 28 August 2026 that AS Õhtuleht Kirjastus would be legally merged into AS Delfi Meedia from next year, and that Delfi Meedia would take over all of Õhtuleht Kirjastus's rights and obligations. The two newsrooms, ERR reported, are to stay separate.^[8]

Why does Delfi matter in Estonia's sport?

Delfi Meedia is one of the two private media houses that the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom's 2026 monitor names: “Delfi Media AS has also taken full control of Õhtuleht Kirjastuse AS, the publisher of the daily newspaper Õhtuleht. As a result of these processes, two media houses dominate the private media market nationwide: Delfi Media AS and AS Postimees Grupp (together with Duo Media Network OÜ).”^[6] In the society's 2025 awards its sport journalism was placed in five categories.^[3]

Reporters Without Borders, in its 2026 index, ranks Estonia 3rd of 180 with a score of 88.54. It names Ekspress Group as one of “two major private groups”, and states: “Media ownership in Estonia is so concentrated that it can be considered an oligopoly. The owners of the two major media groups also have stakes in other business sectors.”^[9] The CMPF's monitor states: “Estonian public service media and private media enjoy a high degree of political independence.”^[6] Those are the two bodies' characterisations.