How business models in the newspaper industry are selected and innovated : a case study of two Norwegian media groups

Abstract

The newspaper industry is a dynamic industry and the extent of this has increased in recent years. A likely consequence of this is a need to adjust and innovate the business models applied in the industry. Through a qualitative study of two media groups, this thesis explores the design of digital business models used in the newspapers of these groups, by assessing them through a framework. It further considers the rationale for why the current design has been selected, and in what manner relevant driving forces seem to influence innovation of the business models. Key findings are that group affiliation, experimentation, and the two external forces technological innovation and changing customer behavior, influence the choice of digital business models applied in the two media groups today. These aspects are found to be influencing the examined newspapers’ selection of business models both directly, and both external factors and experiments are found to influence indirectly through one or both of the other aspects as well.