A new survey shows that 66% of young people aged between 18 and 29 do not have a newspaper subscription. 59% of the target group were also not willing to pay for the news. Now, Telenor will work with VG newspaper to make news more accessible.
‘’We know that many young people are in a life situation where it can be challenging to make ends meet. Then it is clear that one does not necessarily prioritise the purchase of newspaper subscriptions. Therefore, we are opening the way for them to have full access to VG + in their mobile subscriptions if they are aged between 18-28 years” said Bjørn Ivar Moen, acting head of Telenor Norway.
Challenging to reach the young
The new study from Norstat showed that six out of ten who are aged between 18 and 29 do not have a newspaper subscription. Over time, the emergence of online newspapers has made news readily available at low or no cost, and thus the media industry is in a challenging position. Findings from Norstat’s survey also show that the majority of the
age group in question are also not willing to pay for the news that they do read. By including VG + in the mobile subscription, Telenor opens the way for the media to reach young people on completely new interfaces.
‘’Today’s young people are committed but have to make the necessary priorities. We have a strong belief that our cooperation with VG will please many of our customers, and believe that this partnership will benefit the customers, the media, and society in general’’ said Moen.
Collaborating to meet the challenges
It is not necessarily the case that young people do not read news, but as media use over time has moved to digital surfaces, most young people are satisfied with free online newspapers. By becoming part of Telenor’s universe, VG now has the opportunity to meet potential readers in a whole new way. Norway’s most read newspaper looks forward to the opportunities.
‘’We have taken many active steps to attract younger audiences and have a good portion of young readers. Still, few young people have a newspaper subscription. We want to make it even easier for them to access our quality news, and hope that this collaboration will benefit both current and future readers’’ said Hilde Øier, VG’s user payment director.
‘’Our Yng customers can now get full access to all VG + articles, which also include 400 documentaries’’ said Erik Getz Skotvedt, head of ‘’Yng’’ in Telenor Norway.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
