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An explorative study of revenue models implemented by three South African news media companies to ensure the survival of their newsrooms in a post-COVID-19 world
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2022.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | en_ZA |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2022
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| _version_ | 1867613959882801152 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Fild, Lucienne |
| author2 | Rabe, Lizette |
| author_browse | Fild, Lucienne Rabe, Lizette |
| author_facet | Rabe, Lizette Fild, Lucienne |
| author_sort | Fild, Lucienne |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2022. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/126037 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | en_ZA |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:44:25.612Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| publishDateRange | 2022 |
| publishDateSort | 2022 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/126037 An explorative study of revenue models implemented by three South African news media companies to ensure the survival of their newsrooms in a post-COVID-19 world Fild, Lucienne Rabe, Lizette Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Journalism. Journalism -- Technological innovations Mass media and globalization -- South Africa Broadcasting of news -- Economic aspects -- South Africa Revenue management -- Media -- South Africa News agencies -- South Africa News 24 Arena Holdings Daily Maverick (South Africa) Covid-19 Pandemic, 2020- World Health Organization (WHO) UCTD Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2022. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Within two weeks of the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring COVID-19 a pandemic on 11 March 2020, news media companies around the globe lost at least half of their advertising revenue and saw print circulation numbers significantly reduced. By the end of 2020, the world’s news media had suffered revenue losses of around $30 billion. The pandemic did not spare the South African news media and in 2020 several hundred news media jobs were lost while numerous print titles had to close permanently. News media experts agree, however, that the revenue crisis facing news media companies has been at least ten years in the making and that the pandemic simply accelerated an existing problem. With traditional revenue models no longer able to sustain news media companies, there has been a strong shift towards innovating reader revenue models. This study therefore explored the revenue models deployed by three South African news media companies (News24, Arena Holdings and the Daily Maverick) since the start of the pandemic. The main aim was to contribute answers to the central research question of which revenue models are most likely to be supported by South African audiences in a post-COVID-19 world – thereby ensuring the survival of quality journalism in South Africa. The focus on news media business strategies and revenue models places this study in the field of media entrepreneurship and innovation, a sub-field of media management and economics (MME). This study was a mixed method exploratory multi-case study, with the aim of positioning the research as a baseline for future longitudinal research of revenue models deployed by South African news media companies. Mixed method research combines qualitative and quantitative research methods to provide descriptive and analytical information. The application of both methods made it possible to build a “multi-case” study via semi-structured in-depth interviews, underpinned by quantitative data to illustrate the impact of some of the business decisions taken by the news media companies included in the study. This approach produced three data sets: the revenue model case studies, statistical data, and insights from independent news media experts. The findings highlight the importance of presenting this study as the baseline for a longitudinal study of the same news media companies. Reader revenue models are a relatively new concept worldwide, especially membership revenue models, and South African news media companies are no exception with digital publishers still in the experimental phase of what works. While it is too early to draw conclusions on which revenue models will find support from South African audiences, the findings confirm that the local news media industry is cautiously optimistic that readers are willing to pay for the news. The value of this study lies in presenting candid insights from senior representatives of local news media companies into the strategies driving their revenue models, which they hope will be supported by audiences over time. Not only do these insights contribute data that can be measured over time, but this information also provides important learnings for digital publishers considering reader revenue models. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Binne twee weke nadat die Wereldgesondheidsorganisasie op 11 Maart 2020 COVID-19 tot ’n pandemie verklaar het, het nuusmediamaatskappye wereldwyd se advertensie-inkomste met minstens die helfte gekrimp terwyl gedrukte koerante se sirkulasiesyfers dramaties gedaal het. Teen die einde van 2020 het die wereld se nuusmedia sowat $30 miljard se inkomsteverliese gely. Die Suid-Afrikaanse nuusmedia het nie ongeskonde daarvan afgekom nie, met honderde nuusmediaposte wat in 2020 in die slag gebly het terwyl verskeie gedrukte titels hul deure permanent moes toemaak. Kundiges in die nuusmediabedryf is dit egter eens dat die inkomstekrisis waardeur nuusmediamaatskappye in die gesig staar word al minstens tien jaar in wording is en dat die pandemie bloot ’n bestaande probleem verhaas het. Met tradisionele inkomstemodelle wat nuusmediamaatskappye nie meer volhoubaar gemaak het nie, was daar ’n definitiewe skuif na innoverende leser-inkomstemodelle. Hierdie studie is dus ’n ondersoek na die inkomstemodelle wat drie Suid-Afrikaanse nuusmediamaatskappye (News24, Arena en Daily Maverick) sedert die begin van die COVID-19-pandemie ontplooi het. Die vernaamste oogmerk was om antwoorde te vind op die sentrale navorsingsvraag, naamlik watter inkomstemodelle in ’n na-COVID-19-wereld die grootste kans het om deur die Suid-Afrikaanse leserspubliek ondersteun te word – en dus die oorlewing van gehalte joernalistiek in Suid-Afrika verseker. Die fokus op nuusmedia se besigheidstrategiee en inkomstemodelle plaas die studie in die vakgebied van media-entrepreneurskap en innovasie, ’n subvakgebied van mediabestuur en ekonomie (MME). Die studie was ’n gemengde-metode ondersoekende, meervoudige gevallestudie met die doel om die navorsing te posisioneer as ’n basislyn vir toekomstige longitudinale navorsing oor die inkomstemodelle wat deur Suid-Afrikaanse nuusmediamaatskappye ontplooi word. Gemengde-metode-navorsing kombineer kwalitatiewe en kwantitatiewe navorsingsmetodes om beskrywende en analitiese inligting te verskaf. Deur albei metodes te gebruik, kon ’n meervoudige gevallestudie deur semi-gestruktureerde indiepte-onderhoude gedoen word, aangevul deur kwantitatiewe data om die impak van sommige van die sakebesluite wat deur die nuusmediamaatskappye geneem en by hierdie studie ingesluit is, te demonstreer. Hierdie benadering het drie datastelle opgelewer: die inkomstemodel-gevallestudies, statistiese data, en die insigte van onafhanklike nuusmedia-deskundiges Die bevindings beklemtoon die noodsaaklikheid om hierdie studie as die basislyn vir ’n longitudinale studie oor dieselfde nuusmediamaatskappye voor te le. Leser-inkomstemodelle, en veral lidmaatskap-inkomstemodelle, is wereldwyd ’n betreklik nuwe konsep, en Suid-Afrikaanse nuusmediamaatskappye is geen uitsondering nie met digitale uitgewers wat nog in die eksperimentele fase is om te bepaal wat werk en nie werk nie. Hoewel dit te vroeg is om enige gevolgtrekkings te maak oor watter inkomstemodelle deur die Suid-Afrikaanse leserspubliek ondersteun sal word, bevestig die bevindings dat die plaaslike nuusmediabedryf versigtig optimisties is dat lesers gewillig is om vir nuus te betaal. Die waarde van die studie le in senior verteenwoordigers van plaaslike nuusmediamaatskappye se onbevooroordeelde insigte in die strategiee wat hul inkomstemodelle dryf en wat hulle hoop mettertyd deur die Suid-Afrikaanse leserspubliek ondersteun sal word. Hierdie insigte dra nie net by tot data wat oor tyd gemeet kan word nie, maar dien ook as ’n belangrike bron van kennis vir digitale uitgewers wat leser-inkomstemodelle oorweeg. Masters 2022-06-03T11:01:38Z 2023-01-16T12:46:53Z 2022-06-03T11:01:38Z 2023-01-16T12:46:53Z 2022-12 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/126037 en_ZA Stellenbosch University ix, 151 pages : illustrations application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Journalism -- Technological innovations Mass media and globalization -- South Africa Broadcasting of news -- Economic aspects -- South Africa Revenue management -- Media -- South Africa News agencies -- South Africa News 24 Arena Holdings Daily Maverick (South Africa) Covid-19 Pandemic, 2020- World Health Organization (WHO) UCTD Fild, Lucienne An explorative study of revenue models implemented by three South African news media companies to ensure the survival of their newsrooms in a post-COVID-19 world |
| title | An explorative study of revenue models implemented by three South African news media companies to ensure the survival of their newsrooms in a post-COVID-19 world |
| title_full | An explorative study of revenue models implemented by three South African news media companies to ensure the survival of their newsrooms in a post-COVID-19 world |
| title_fullStr | An explorative study of revenue models implemented by three South African news media companies to ensure the survival of their newsrooms in a post-COVID-19 world |
| title_full_unstemmed | An explorative study of revenue models implemented by three South African news media companies to ensure the survival of their newsrooms in a post-COVID-19 world |
| title_short | An explorative study of revenue models implemented by three South African news media companies to ensure the survival of their newsrooms in a post-COVID-19 world |
| title_sort | explorative study of revenue models implemented by three south african news media companies to ensure the survival of their newsrooms in a post covid 19 world |
| topic | Journalism -- Technological innovations Mass media and globalization -- South Africa Broadcasting of news -- Economic aspects -- South Africa Revenue management -- Media -- South Africa News agencies -- South Africa News 24 Arena Holdings Daily Maverick (South Africa) Covid-19 Pandemic, 2020- World Health Organization (WHO) UCTD |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/126037 |
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