Maturity and Decline in Press Markets of Small Countries. The Case of Austria

Abstract

Digitalisation, changes in consumer behaviour and the repercussions of the Great Recession seriously threaten the traditional business models of print media. The paper at hand contributes a small state perspective on these issues by analysing the daily newspaper market in Austria in its maturity and decline. We provide a comprehensive overview of the developments and current state of the newspaper industry for the period 2000-2016, with a special emphasis on the move to digital. Thus we examine trends in circulation, online reach and revenue structures. In addition, ownership structures are explored, followed by an analysis of media concentration. We address how media policy, including subsidy schemes, have contributed to the status quo of the Austrian media landscape and evaluate how proposed policy changes take digital transition into account. Finally, core company strategies employed by newspaper enterprises are identified.