The purpose of this study is to investigate the future of the Swedish newspaper industry. A special interest is taken in local newspapers and its distinguishing features. Our aim is to achieve a better understanding of the development of the Swedish newspaper in light of the looming threath of the death of newspapers. Will print media survive or is the industry forced to a migration to digital platforms? How are newspapers affected by this structural change in an advertisement-driven market? We performed a small case study on Norrtelje Tidning in addition to a historical study of the Swedish newspaper industry. Two-sided market theory was utilized in combination with a model describing actors, activities and resources in a network. This theoretical framework provided an overview of the prevailing market for newspapers, advertisers, and customers which facilitated further analysis of the intricate relations between these groups. The results reveal that the future for print media looks grim, however the uniqueness of content of local newspapers will probably ensure its survival in one form or the other for the foreseeable future.

Denna studie av den digitala marknaden för svensk dagspress är ett examensarbete utfört åt kvällstidningen Expressen. Undersökningen syftar till att utreda den strukturella marknadssituationen för svensk dagspress och dess förutsättningar rörande framtida närvaro i surfplattan. Via intervjuer med branschexperter söks tolkningar om läsartrender och behov i surfplattan, paketeringsstrategi och behovet av personifierade nyhetsflöden. Undersökningen och dess tolkningar understöds av en inledande litteraturstudie vilken behandlar den svenska dagstidningsmarknaden, dess digitala transformation och tekniska förutsättningar gällande surfplattan och rapporterade konsumenttrender. Studien visar bl.a. att den svenska dagstidningsmarknaden är utsatt för en hög intern konkurrens vilket ställer höga omställningskrav på bolagen i en digital era. Den läsartrafik som besöker nyhetstidningarna via surfplattan är mycket sannolik att fortsätta öka liksom behovet av mer tidsfördrivande och sammanfattade nyheter. Studien visar vidare att tidningarna bör anamma en plattformsneutral paketeringsstrategi med grafisk anpassning till surfplattan. Det ökade utbudet av nyhetsinnehåll på nätet ökar även vikten av att kunna erbjuda personifierade nyheter och rekommenderat innehåll. Inför framtiden kommer det bli viktigt att erbjuda en bra nyhetsupplevelse i surfplattan även om de digitala finansieringsutmaningarna i stort blir av större vikt för tidningarna att finna lösningen på. / This study of the digital market for Swedish newspapers is a master thesis carried out for the evening newspaper Expressen. The purpose of the study is to investigate the internal market structure of the Swedish daily press and its qualifications regarding offering tablet news in the future. Through interviews with industry experts an attempt is made at collecting interpretations about reading trends and user needs in the tablet, packaging strategies and the need of personalized news. The investigation and its assessment is supported by an initial literature study which examines the Swedish market for daily newspapers, its digital transformation and technical pre-conditions regarding the tablet and reported consumer trends. The study shows among other things that the Swedish market for daily news is exposed to a high degree of internal competition which sets high requirements on the firms concerning changeover abilities in a digital era. The amount of user traffic that reads news on tablets is very likely to keep on increasing as is the need of shorter news. The study shows further that the newspapers should adapt a platform neutral packaging strategy with graphical adjustments to the tablet. The increased offering of online news also increase the need for personalized news and recommended content. It will be important to offer a good news experience on the tablet in the future despite the fact that the digital financing issues in general are of greater importance for the newspapers to solve.