15min
| Company type | Public company (JSC) |
|---|---|
| Industry | News media |
| Founded | September 1, 2005 |
| Founder | Tomas Balžekas, Martynas Basokas, Gabrielė Burbienė, Tomas Bindokas |
| Headquarters | Lithuania |
Area served | Lithuania |
Key people | Tomas Balžekas (Manager and owner) |
| Products | News website, digital news platform |
| Owner | 4 Bees |
| Parent | 4 Bees (since December 2023) |
| Website | 15min |
15min () ranks among the top news platforms in Lithuania, drawing an audience exceeding one million distinct visitors each month. The company JSC "15min" operates under the Lithuanian firm "4 Bees," which is overseen by Tomas Balžekas, Martynas Basokas, Gabrielė Burbienė, and Tomas Bindokas.
History
Established on 1 September 2005, 15min initially appeared as a complimentary daily newspaper circulated in Vilnius, Kaunas, and Klaipėda. Within seven months, ownership transferred to the Norwegian media giant Schibsted.
The website 15min.lt was introduced on 7 August 2008 as a digital news platform. By the fall of 2009, the printed edition's frequency was scaled back to three issues per week.[1] In December 2011, the publication transitioned into a weekly format available across seven cities, with subscription delivery commencing in April 2012.[2]
By June 2013, 15min discontinued its print versions to concentrate solely on digital content.[1] After Schibsted exited the Baltic region in September 2013, the company was acquired by its senior executives.[3]
In April 2015, the editor-in-chief role was eliminated, and editorial management responsibilities were distributed among department leaders.[4] Renowned for its investigative reporting, 15min was a collaborator in releasing the Panama Papers in April 2016.[5] That year also saw an overhaul of its website, removal of anonymous commenting, and implementation of a paywall targeting users employing ad blockers.[6][7]
Until 2017, 15min featured content from Žurnalų leidybos grupė publications such as Žmonės, which were later replaced with proprietary sections including "Life," "Food," and "Names."[8]
On 16 December 2019, the platform introduced a paid subscription service initially branded as "15MAX," which was subsequently renamed "15min subscription." In September 2020, following resignations within the Investigative Department, employees established the union "Independent 15min Editorial Staff."
In 2021, JSC "15min" merged with JSC "Media Bitės," creating the "15min Group," which now owns 15min, news agency BNS, and magazine Žmonės. Post-merger ownership was divided with AS "Postimees Grupp" holding 60% and "4 Bees," led by T. Balžekas and associates, controlling 40%. The operations of Media Bitės were integrated into JSC "15min."
In December 2023, full ownership of JSC "15min" and its subsidiary UAB "BNS" was acquired by "4 Bees" from AS "Postimees Grupp."
On 1 July 2024, JSC "15min" finalized an agreement to purchase radio stations owned by "M-1," completing the transaction on 31 July.
Managers
- 2005–2017 Tomas Balžekas
- 2017–2021 Ramūnas Šaučikovas
- 2021 Donatas Večerskis
- 2021–present Tomas Balžekas
Editors-in-Chief
- 2008–2010 Žilvinas Pekarskas
- 2011 Liudas Dapkus
- 2012–2015 Rimvydas Valatka
- 2015–2017 none
- 2017–2021 Raimundas Celencevičius
- 2021–present Vaidotas Beniušis
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedT - ↑ "Populiariausią miestų laikraštį "15min" jau galima prenumeruoti". 20 April 2012.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named:2 - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named:3 - ↑ "Media Partners: Panama Papers". 2018-01-27.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|url=(help) - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named:7 - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named:8 - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named:9