Swedish Dagbladet part of the new newspaper group – Swedish Dagbladet

– The most important with the deal is to create a large media group which has weight and power to cope with the challenges of the newspaper market while developing the digital journalism, says Schibsted Sweden’s CEO Raoul Grünthal.

During Tuesday unveiled media groups Mittmedia and Schibsted a letter of intent to collect their Swedish morning papers in a new group. Schibsted for the Svenska Dagbladet in the new company. Mittmedia do the same with 18 local morning newspapers from northern Sweden and the majority of shares in the subsidiary Promedia, which owns ten morning newspapers in central Sweden.

The plan is that Schibsted will own 30 percent of the new group and Mittmedia 70 percent.

How is Svenska Dagbladet’s readers will notice this?

– In a first step, not at all. Then it depends on which strategy the management of the new group chooses. I hope that SvD’s journalism will be able to reach more when the magazine will be included in a “allsvensk Group,” said Raoul Grünthal.

How is journalism?

– Positively. It is obvious that the newspaper market we see ahead of us will be under intense cost pressure. The advantage of this deal is that SvD end up in a large group with several newspapers who are facing the same challenges. It means that journalism can be maintained at a high level, says Grünthal.

According to Grünthal the Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet press support, which for 2015 is 47.9 million crowns, will not be affected by the deal.

Is it a first step to sell the magazine completely?

– No, we are a long term investor. Instead of owning more than 99 percent of a newspaper, we will own 30 percent of the 29 newspapers, says Grünthal.

Is this an offensive or defensive move?

– Offensive. That’s the point. Someone has to take the initiative to change the newspaper market in Sweden. It is better to be with and drive change than just influenced by what’s going to happen, says Raoul Grünthal.

Even from SvD’s leadership, the picture was that the deal is a result of the newspaper market develops.

– This collaboration is exciting and feels very logical and forward-looking. We morning newspapers are facing similar challenges and opportunities, to continue working with our digital transformation while developing subscription and ad deal. In the planned new joint group are several opportunities to strengthen and develop the business, not least on the digital side, said SvD’s CEO Gunilla Asker.

A sight , which also awarded the Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet editor in chief, Fredric Karen:

– We see great potential with a future group. It gives us more strength to develop quality journalism and obvious opportunities for product and technology collaborations. This is a group with proper resources are more likely to succeed than if we tried to do the conversion every man for himself, says Fredric corps.