30% of Uzbekistan’s Media Market Belongs to the Digital Segment: A Look at the Country’s Digital Landscape in 2025

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The digital segment has become the key driver of Uzbekistan’s media market: since 2021, its share has nearly doubled, and by 2025 it is projected to reach around 30%.

The market continues to transform, showing steady growth and ongoing changes in communications, technology, and consumer behavior. The projected 13% expansion of the media market in 2025 highlights its investment attractiveness.

Experts from the innovative digital hub Wunder Digital shared insights on the main trends shaping Uzbekistan’s digital landscape in 2025.

Key trends: media market

Uzbekistan’s media market continues to demonstrate dynamic growth and transformation, with the digital segment now serving as the main driver of this process.

According to experts from Wunder Digital, the share of digital channels has nearly doubled since 2021 and is expected to reach about 30% by 2025. The total market volume continues to grow, and the forecasted 13% increase in 2025 confirms its high investment potential.

Television advertising remains the largest channel by total investment, though its share is gradually declining as digital platforms take the lead. In recent years, the digital segment has become the focal point for new budgets, innovative solutions, and growing expectations for efficiency. Between 2019 and 2025, investments in digital grew from 67 billion soums to 753 billion soums per year — more than an elevenfold increase. Small and medium-sized businesses play a significant role in this market, with their widespread placements driving intense competition in advertising auctions.

The core tools of a digital media plan remain Meta’s platforms (Facebook, Instagram) and Google Ads, which allow flexible budget management and rapid hypothesis testing. Additionally, Yandex has been strengthening its presence in the market, offering not only broad reach but also meaningful audience engagement through its ecosystem of applications — including Yandex GO, Yandex Plus, media services, and geolocation services. For B2B brands and companies targeting an urban audience, this has become an effective channel for promotion and brand awareness.

Out-of-home (OOH) advertising is also gaining ground, primarily due to the growth of digital formats (DOOH), which account for about 35% of all outdoor inventory in 2025. Developers, real estate companies, beverage producers, and banks are among the most active users of DOOH, leveraging it as a key tool for building brand recognition and reach.

Media consumption in the country remains concentrated around three main channels — TV, outdoor, and digital, which together ensure more than 90% reach in cities with populations over 100,000. In rural areas and small towns, strong reach is maintained through TV and digital, despite slower internet speeds in some regions.

The internet audience is significantly younger, with an average age of 28, and 51% of users are male. On average, they spend 3.5 hours per day consuming media — mainly news, video content, and material from social networks and messaging apps.

The adult audience, primarily female, continues to actively watch television. The average TV viewer is 38 years old, and the most popular channels remain SEVIMLI TV, ZO’R TV, MILLY TV, MENING YURTIM, and AQLVOY, which offer entertainment, educational, and music programming.

For effective audience reach, experts recommend an omnichannel media mix, combining TV, outdoor, and digital advertising, targeting Tashkent and other large cities for maximum coverage, and ensuring that digital is included when addressing young and active audiences.

A thoughtful allocation of budgets across digital platforms allows advertisers to optimize costs and counter rising media inflation, which in 2024 reached 16% for digital and 35% for TV.

Thus, by 2025, digital is no longer just a communication channel — it has become the core of the entire media ecosystem.

The growth of investments, changes in media consumption, and technological development are shaping new rules of the game. The key players in the market are now those who build omnichannel strategies and manage budgets efficiently amid growing competition.