All types of news media are available and widely used by Icelanders. At present, there are two national dailies available, one subscription-based and the other a free paper. Both are based in the capital, Reykjavík. In addition, there are around 20 non-daily newspapers published, half of which are free of cost (Nordicom, 2019a). All but the smallest of the printed papers have a digital equivalent online. Statistics about the media industry in Iceland are limited, as public authorities do not monitor the market to the extent done in, for example, other Nordic countries, and the industry itself has not agreed upon the gathering of key indicators (Ohlsson & Facht, 2017). Several media outlets have opted out of circulation audits and web traffic surveys, and the data is, therefore, incomplete. For example, no recent subscription data is available for print or digital.
The Internet is universally accessible in Iceland and also widely used, with nearly 99 per cent of 16–74-year-olds using it regularly (Eurostat, 2020). In 2018, 78 per cent of Icelandic households were equipped with fixed broadband connections (digital subscriber line, optic fibre) (Post and Telecom Administration, 2019). A large number and variety of online news sites are also usually available.
In 2018, there were 14 television channels licensed in Iceland, one of which was provided by the public broadcaster RÚV (Nordicom, 2020). Only two operate a news service: RÚV and the commercial channel, Channel 2. Channel 2 is subscription and advertising based, and its news broadcast was open and free for all until January 2021. Both RÚV and Channel 2 are accessible throughout the country, and both also have an online platform for streaming and on-demand television and archive. In the radio market, there were 18 stations with a registered licence. Four of them have a nationwide penetration, the two public stations Radio 1 and Radio 2, and Bylgjan and FM95,7 operated by the telecom/media company, Sýn. Sýn also runs five other quasi-national radio stations, that is, they reach two or more regions of the country and 60–70 per cent of the population. 18 regional radio stations are licensed to broadcast (Nordicom, 2019b). Nearly all are also accessible online.
Icelanders are enthusiastic social media users. Facebook is by far the most popular social media platform, and according to an Icelandic survey from 2018, a total of 93 per cent of Icelanders used Facebook regularly (Ólafsson & Jóhannsdóttir, 2021).
