The article focuses on innovation and social media strategies in
newspaper companies in the US and three Scandinavian countries (Sweden,
Norway and Denmark). Many previous studies have focused on the state of
journalism and media industry in single countries, although media have
distinct features in different countries. Through the comparative
setting, it is possible to examine the differences in media innovation
strategies and study what factors affect innovation in media production,
business models, sources of funding, and social media strategies. The
qualitative part of the paper consists of semi-structured in-depth
interviews (N = 65) with media managers and experts, which were carried
out in Scandinavia in 2016 and in the US in 2017. The quantitative
market data covers the years 2006–2016; this timespan corresponds well
with the accelerating digital transition in the newspaper business.
According to the results, new business models are mostly new
combinations of existing revenue streams, while adaptation of new
technology is slow, with few exceptions.