introducing the e-newspaper – audience preferences and demands

ELPUB 2007, Vienna, June 14th 2007

Introducing the e-newspaper –Introducing the e-newspaper –Audience Preferences and Audience Preferences and

DemandsDemands

Carina Ihlström Eriksson&

Maria Åkesson


The DigiNews projectThe DigiNews project

• GoalAn end-to-end solution for the future e-newspaper, from production to distribution to consumer

• ParticipantsPhilips Applied Technologies, Belgium – project leader with company and university partners from Belgium, Spain, Sweden, England and France

• Duration 1/7-04 – 30/6-06


PartnersPartners


Designing Ubiquitous Media Services Designing Ubiquitous Media Services through Action Research – ”UbiMedia”through Action Research – ”UbiMedia”

ANYTIME, ANYWHERE

IT convergence, media convergence, more mobile users

”Multitude of devices and contexts”


UbiMediaUbiMedia

• GoalTo explore how ubiquitous information environments can be designed to support production and distribution of profitable ubiquitous media services leveraging user value.

• Participants9 Swedish newspapers, The Swedish Newspaper Publishers´ Association and Stampen (a parent company for several newspapers, printing houses and distribution companies).

• Duration 1/7-06-30/6-08


E-paper technologyE-paper technology


Sony ReaderSony Reader

•Sony Reader

•6-inch screen, 9 ounces,7.500 page views, up to 80 eBooks

•Sony Connects


iRex iLiadiRex iLiad

•8.1 inch screen with 16 levels of grey and 160 dpi resolution

•De TIJD was tested on the iLiad

•Yantai Media Group has started to publish their newspapers on iLiads during 2006


Polymer visionPolymer vision

Concept Readius - rollable display technology


Plastic LogicPlastic Logic

Flexible e-paper


FujitsuFujitsu

Color e-paper in 2007


LG PhilipsLG Philips

LG.Philips' 14.1-inch color e-paper

4,096 colors


Tokyo displayTokyo display


E-paper technologyE-paper technology


MotorolaMotorola

"Electronic paper" has long been hyped as the future of newspapers and books, but products like e-books have been slow to take off. That may soon change, say executives involved in the pioneering technology. David Jackson, director of marketing and planning at E Ink, also points to the E Ink display on the circuit board for a Motorola cellular phone. Picture taken March 29, 2007. REUTERS/Brian Snyder


The e-newspaperThe e-newspaper

”A newspaper published on e-paper technology”

Source: Svenåke Boström, Sundsvalls Tidning


The surveyThe survey

Newspaper URL Unique visitors/day No. of respondents

Aftonbladet aftonbladet.se 1.200.000 3757

Göteborgsposten gp.se 41.500 135

Sundsvalls Tidning

st.nu 14.500 447

Table 1: Newspapers hosts for questionnaires and number of respondents

3.626 respondents


The evaluationThe evaluation

• User evaluations in 2006• 10 families• E-newspaper presented in iRex

iLiad• Duration 2 weeks

– Questionnaire– Daily activites with online diary etc– Semi-structured interviews – 90

minutes– Questionnaire


Sundsvalls Tidning in Sundsvalls Tidning in iRex iLiadiRex iLiad


Theoretical frameworkTheoretical framework

Factor Reference

Observability and trialability Rogers (1995)

Exploration, experimentation and assessment of experience

Sarker and Wells (2003)

Exposure (trial, communication, and observation)

Khalifa and Cheng (2002)

Trial of service (not technology) Carlsson, et al. (2005)

Use situation and mobility Mallat et al. (2006)

Table 2: Summary of factors related to use experience


Demographic and Demographic and background data - surveybackground data - survey

Demographic data All Men Women

No of 3626 2216 1410

% 100 61,1 38,9

Mid age 37,1 37,9 35,7

Background data in percentage of total data set

Occupation

Full time 55

Income

Low 30,0

Part time 7,7 Medium 41,9

Unemployed 5,8 High 28,1

Senior citizen6,3

Education

Elementary

9,1

Student 19,0 Grammar 45,5

Sick leave 3,6 University 44,0

Other 2,6 Other 1,5

Newspaper subscriber

Read online newsPossession of mobile

phone

Use mobile services

Yes 48,8 99,4 97,5 53,8

No 51,2 0,6 2,5 46,2

Table 3: Demographic and background data of the questionnaire respondents


Demographic and background Demographic and background data – test personsdata – test persons

• 3 women and 9 men with the average age of 39,7 • Educational level:

– elementary (2)– grammar (5)– university level (5)

• Occupation:– full time work (9)– students (2) – senior citizen (1)

• Media habits:– subscribers (9), non-subscribers (2)– online news readers (12) – mobile service users (5)


Reasons for exchangeReasons for exchange

What reasons are critical if you sometime in the future would exchange your traditional printed newspaper to an e-newspaper?

SurveyTest

persons

Mean Std dev Mean

Environmental reasons 3,6 2,59 4,8

Cost savings 4,0 2,64 5,6

Time savings 3,9 2,76 3,9

Availability anywhere 4,8 2,69 6,3

Satisfaction with new technology 4,0 2,64 6,1

Added value such as new services 4,2 2,60 6,0Table 4: Reasons for exchanging traditional newspaper


PreferencesPreferences

Apart from reading the news, what added services do you think should be included in the e-newspaper?

SurveyTest

persons

Mean Std devMean

Personalization 4,4 2,65 5,3

Community information 4,4 2,64 5

Personal information 2,9 2,40 3,4

General information 3,7 2,51 4,6

Archive 5,1 2,62 6,2

E-commerce 3,5 2,50 3,6

Entertainment 4,0 2,58 4,5Table 5: Added services preferences


Cost levelCost level

What cost level is acceptable for you to change to an e-newspaper?

Survey Test persons

No %No %

Cheaper than the traditional printed newspaper

2119 58,4 5 45,4

Same price 371 10,2 4 36,4

Can be more expensive if there is added value

281 7,7 2 18,2

Price is unessential 171 4,7 0 0

Missing 684 18,9 0 0

Total 3626 100 11 100Table 6: Acceptable cost level


Finance of deviceFinance of device

How do you think the e-paper device should be financed/ paid for?

Survey Test persons

No %No %

Hire-purchase 281 7,7 2 18,2

Buy the device 711 19,6 1 9,1

Included in subscription 1708 47,1 8 72,7

Other 592 16,3 0 0

Missing 334 9,2 0 0

Total 3626 100 11 100

Table 7: Finance of device


Willingness to exchangeWillingness to exchange

Would you consider to, some time in the future, exchange your traditional printed newspaper for the e-newspaper?

Survey Test persons

No % No %

Yes 2431 67,1 11 100

No 1070 29,5 0 0

Missing 125 3,4 0 0

Total 3626 100 11 100Table 8: Willingness to exchange the traditional newspaper


TimeframeTimeframe

Within which time frame are you ready to read your newspaper on e-paper?

Survey Test persons

No %No %

Today 1521 41,9 6 54,5

Within 5 years 683 18,8 5 45,5

Within 10 years 209 5,8 0 0

Within 20 years 88 2,4 0 0

Never 223 6,2 0 0

Missing 902 24,8 0 0

Total 3626 100 11 100Table 9: Time frame


Influencing factorsInfluencing factors

How important are the following factors for you choosing to read your newspaper on e-paper?

Survey

Mean Std dev

The appearance of the device 4,0 2,72

Continuous updates of news 4,8 2,80

Added functions such as chat 3,1 2,46

Easy to use and handle 4,6 2,81

Stable technology 4,9 2,81

Observability of use 1,9 1,87

Environment friendly 3,8 2,72

That it is the latest technology 3,0 2,41

Easy to find content 4,9 2,82Table 10: Influencing factors


ConclusionsConclusions

For a succesful launch of the e-newspaper:• the e-newspaper need to contain archive functions• providing added value by personalization and by offering

community information would increase the potential adoption• if the newspaper organizations offer added value according to

the audience preferences, they could expect the same willingness to pay as for the printed edition

• as most respondents preferred to have the device financed by inclusion in the subscription, this could be considered as the initial alternative

• as almost half of the respondents stated that they were ready to start reading the e-newspaper already today, it is time for the newspapers to start preparing for the e-newspaper introduction

• however, before launching the e-newspaper, the navigation has to be improved as well as the refresh rate of the display


Thank you!Thank you!

Carina Ihlström [email protected]

Maria Å[email protected]

media-it.hh.se

introducing the e-newspaper – audience preferences and demands

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