A newsletter from Nordicom at the University of Gothenburg. Editor: Tobias Lindberg, researcher at Nordicom |
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Nordic news media continue to enjoy high public trust, but the sector is facing mounting economic pressure. In this year’s second issue of Nordic Media Policy, we report on how falling advertising revenues, rising distribution costs, and growing platform competition are reshaping the conditions for journalism across the region. The issue also covers key media policy developments and new research on how Nordic audiences navigate an increasingly hybrid news environment, where editorial news media and social platforms both play central roles.
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Finland to launch €1.05 million state aid package for national news agency The Finnish Ministry of Transport and Communications has proposed a 1.05 million euro state aid package for the national news agency STT, aimed at ensuring the continuation of its operations. The proposed one-off measure comes amid ongoing structural changes in the media sector that have significantly affected the economic foundations of news media. According to the Ministry, Finland’s advertising market has seen little overall growth since 2000. In recent years, most advertising revenue growth has instead been captured by multinational digital platforms, further weakening the financial position of traditional news organisations. | Scandinavians combine editorial and social media for political news The political information environment in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden is hybrid: Citizens access political news through both editorial news media, including public service outlets, and social media platforms. While both sources are widely used, most people still prefer online news from newspapers and public service media. Young people (18–24 years) rely heavily on social media but consume online news from traditional outlets to a similar extent, according to a new report from the Centre for News Research at Roskilde University. The report is part of the Interreg project “Cross‑border commuting across the Øresund – with a focus on young people”. | Nordic news media – high trust and growing economic pressure Advanced digital news use, high public trust, and strong democratic institutions continue to set the Nordic countries apart. A new Nordicom report shows that despite these strengths, Nordic news media face growing economic pressure, as digital advertising increasingly bypasses journalism and reshapes the conditions for sustaining professional news. Aftonbladet enters Swedish national radio market In February, the Swedish Agency for the Media announced that the three national licences for analogue commercial radio broadcasting had been awarded to Bauer Media Audio (Mix Megapol), Kilohertz (Rix FM), and Aftonbladet Hierta (Aftonbladet Radio). According to Aftonbladet’s publisher Lotta Folcker, the newspaper is now taking a historic step into national radio and plans to develop a new editorial concept for the Swedish audio market. The licence will take effect on 1 August 2026, with broadcasts scheduled to begin at that time. The decision also means that the radio station NRJ will lose its national licence, reports SVT. All licences are valid until 31 July 2034. For local commercial licences, nine companies have applied for analogue licences and eleven for digital ones. | First-of-its-kind Nordic survey on media literacy Four in ten adults in the Nordic countries report that they avoid commenting on social media posts out of fear of being attacked. Social media is also the primary source of news for young people. These are some of the findings of the Nordic Council of Ministers’ study, the Nordic Media Literacy Survey. The results show that although media literacy is generally high in the Nordic countries, there are significant differences in knowledge between age groups. The study is the first of its kind to provide comparable data on media literacy across the Nordics. | Finnish Posti announces major price increase for daily delivery Finland’s postal service Posti will raise daily delivery prices by 10% in early April, following a 12% increase last June, Suomen Lehdistö reports. At the same time, Posti introduces a regional pricing model for magazine distribution based on population density. Delivery to sparsely populated areas will become more expensive than in core areas. The change may significantly raise costs for some newspapers and non-profit magazines with many subscribers in peripheral regions. | Greenland’s public service broadcaster adopts new strategy
Public service company KNR in Greenland has adopted a new strategy for the coming four years, KNR itself reports. According to the plan, the company will, among other things, focus on developing its news coverage and strengthening audience-engaging journalism. Production in Greenlandic will also be increased, writes Journalisten DK. | DSA implementation delayed in Norway The work to incorporate the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) into Norwegian law has been delayed. The reason is that negotiations with the EU on the necessary adaptations to the EEA Agreement are taking longer than expected, the Ministry of Digitalisation and Public Governance reported in late January. The ministry is also working on a consultation document on the implementation of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in Norwegian law. This is planned to be sent out for consultation during the first half of 2026. | |
Nordic media policy bulletins | New reports and statistics on the Nordics | Don't forget our EU newsletterDid you know that Nordicom has another newsletter about the media policy sector in the EU? It is called European Media Policy. |
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About the newsletter
The newsletter Nordic Media Policy reports on media policy developments in the Nordic countries and at the Nordic level. It presents new legislative proposals, parliamentary debates, and new media policy decisions and initiatives. The newsletter also draws attention to new reports and studies in the media field from the Nordic countries. Nordic Media Policy is published with support from the Nordic Council of Ministers.
Editor
Tobias Lindberg, researcher at Nordicom
tobias.lindberg@nordicom.gu.se Publisher
Nordicom University of Gothenburg
PO Box 713
SE-405 30
Gothenburg
Sweden
www.nordicom.gu.se
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