15min Group
15min Group is one of Lithuania’s most important private media groups, built around the news portal 15min.lt, the entertainment and lifestyle brand Žmonės, the Baltic News Service in Lithuania, and a portfolio of radio stations led by M-1 and Lietus. Its 2025 accounts show a company that has quickly become a multi-platform media group, but also one carrying the financial weight of recent acquisitions. Revenue reached €21.15 million in 2025 and EBITDA was €4.78 million, but the group still recorded a small net loss of €279,560 after heavy amortisation, interest costs and integration expenses.
The headline growth figure needs careful reading. The 2024 comparison period covers only May–December 2024, while 2025 is a full calendar year. In addition, the group had acquired major radio businesses in August 2024 and Žmonės Cinema in December 2024, so the 2025 figures reflect a fuller year of consolidation rather than simply organic growth. Still, the direction is clear: 15min has moved beyond a single digital-news brand into one of Lithuania’s broadest private media groups, combining online news, magazines, radio, news-agency services and subscriptions.
15min Group: key financial indicators 2024–2025
| Indicator | 2024 | 2025 | Change / note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sales revenue | €11.23m | €21.15m | 2024 covers May–Dec only |
| Gross profit | €5.84m | €12.78m | strong scale effect |
| EBITDA | €2.21m | €4.78m | more than doubled |
| Net profit / loss | -€1.02m | -€279,560 | loss narrowed |
| Cash and cash equivalents | €2.16m | €2.54m | +17.8% |
| Equity | €3.17m | €2.95m | slightly lower |
| Total liabilities | €30.67m | €29.93m | still high |
| Average employees | — | 192 | 2025 average |
Source: UAB 15min consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2025. Figures reported in euros. The auditor issued an unqualified opinion, while drawing attention to the group’s use of a 5–15 year goodwill amortisation period, compared with the five-year period recommended by the standards.
UAB 15min is based in Vilnius and is 100% owned by UAB 4 Bees, whose main shareholder is Tomas Balžekas. The company says 15min.lt is Lithuania’s second-largest portal by monthly audience. The group also owns UAB BNS, described in the report as Lithuania’s largest news agency; the radio companies UAB M-1, UAB Ultra Vires and UAB Radijo stotis Laluna; and Žmonės Cinema. Its publishing activity includes the magazines Žmonės and Ji; the management report also lists Legendos among the group’s published titles. The ownership structure has one unusual technical feature: following a 2024 reorganisation, UAB 15min holds 60% of its own shares, even though control sits through UAB 4 Bees.
15min Group: media asset map
| Asset | Type | Notes |
| 15min.lt | News portal | Second-largest Lithuanian portal by monthly audience, according to the company |
| zmones.lt | Entertainment / lifestyle portal | Digital extension of the Žmonės brand |
| Žmonės | Magazine / lifestyle brand | One of Lithuania’s best-known entertainment titles |
| Ji | Magazine | Lifestyle title |
| Legendos | Magazine | Listed in the management report; omitted from one note in the financial statements |
| BNS Lithuania | News agency | Described by the group as Lithuania’s largest news agency |
| M-1 | Radio | Major commercial radio station |
| Lietus | Radio | Popular Lithuanian radio brand |
| Laluna | Radio | Regional radio station based in Klaipėda |
| Žmonės Cinema | Streaming / entertainment | Film subscription service |
Signals
A digital-news company becoming a media conglomerate. 15min is no longer just a portal operator. Through BNS, magazines, radio and streaming, it now sits across several layers of Lithuania’s information market: news production, distribution, entertainment and advertising.
EBITDA is strong, but the bottom line is still negative. The group produced €4.78 million in EBITDA, showing that the operating business has meaningful earnings power. But amortisation of goodwill and other intangible assets, plus €2.36 million in interest and similar expenses, pushed the group into a net loss.
The balance sheet is acquisition-heavy. Goodwill stood at €22.77 million at the end of 2025, by far the largest asset on the balance sheet. This reflects the group’s recent expansion and makes future profitability important, because a large part of the company’s asset base depends on the value assigned to acquired media businesses.
Debt is the main financial pressure point. Total liabilities were €29.93 million, more than ten times equity of €2.95 million. The most important refinancing signal is the €16 million in bonds that moved from long-term debt in 2024 to current liabilities in 2025, meaning they fall due within one year.
Subscription is part of the strategy, but advertising still matters. The company identifies advertising, magazine subscriptions, e-subscriptions and publication sales as its main revenue sources. Its 2026 plans include expanding portal subscriptions while also growing advertising sales and radio audiences.
A major Lithuanian media actor under concentrated private control. The group is controlled through UAB 4 Bees, with Tomas Balžekas as the key figure behind the structure, although the 2024 reorganisation left UAB 15min holding 60% of its own shares. For GMFM, the signal is a fast-consolidating private media group whose influence spans online news, agency journalism, magazines and radio.