Sweden: State support to newspapers in transition

Abstract

Newspapers in Sweden have traditionally held a strong position in the media landscape. They have long been in the centre of public debate and stood out as dominant sources of local and regional news coverage in the country. Readership figures are still among the highest in the world, and until the 1990s, when the audiovisual sector was deregulated, the newspaper industry enjoyed an unrivalled position also on the advertising market. However, during the last decade, the shift has been dramatic. Competition from commercial Internet and TV companies has since cut deep into the newspaper advertising market share, and circulation figures dropped relentlessly year by year.