The recent White paper on media states that:
the government must facilitate freedom of speech, press freedom and freedom of information, good news production throughout the country and a broad and open public conversation in digital media. Media policy must stimulate innovation and new creation and at the same time preserve the traditions and basic values of the free press in a new era. The government wants media support that is predictable and unbureaucratic, having the greatest possible distance from political authorities.
Newspapers
There are approximately 230 newspapers in Norway with a total circulation of 2,5 million (2021) including both digital and analogue paper (1,4 million are analogue).
In the beginning of the twenties century, both the circulation, the number of readers, the number of subscribers and the income of printed media dropped significantly in Norway. However, the latter years this trend has turned and both the circulation, the media economy and the numbers of subscribers have been steasy. However, there has been a large change in subscription from analogue to digital. In 2014, 9% of the Norwegian population subscribed to a payment service for digital newspapers, in 2021 this share has increased to 36%1.
Politically, there is a broad consensus in Norway that a diversified press is a democratic asset. In the 1950s, the rising costs of newspaper production led to the demise of many newspapers. In 1966, the press organisations appealed to the authorities for economic support in order to be able to maintain a wide variety of newspapers, and thus to ensure the democratic exchange of opinions. Three years later a state subsidy scheme was established for the daily newspapers. Today, the press support is provided by the Ministry of Culture administrated by the Norwegian Media Authority and regulated through a special juridical regulation. Both printed and digital press may receive support. In 2021 newspapers received a total amount of NOK 388 million. In addition to this, newspapers also receive indirect support through exemptions from outgoing VAT.
Broadcasting
The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) was established by the Parliament in 1933. The Corporation was a state monopoly financed by public licensing fees. The first decades NRK just distributed radio signals, but in 1960 the first TV channel was opened. In 1996, the NRK became a joint stock company with the state as the sole owner. Advertising is still prohibited in the NRK, but a limited number of sponsored programmes have been allowed. Parties other than the NRK must hold a licence in order to engage in broadcasting. Until 2020, NRK was financed by a mandatory annual license fee payable by anyone who owns or uses a TV or a device capable of receiving TV broadcasts. From the start of 2020, NRK funding is an item in the national budget and the costs are covered through taxation for each individual liable for income taxes in Norway
Until the beginning of the 1980s, media policy was largely concerned with NRK. However, during that decade, media policy was liberalised and the way was paved for private broadcasting financed by advertising. The broadcasting of satellite television through the cable network led to a greater need for regulation and administration. The Ministry of Culture issues licences for national and local broadcasting. In 1991, the Ministry established a department of Media Policy and Copyright to be responsible for broadcasting legislation, copyright issues, press subsidies and films. Today, several administrative responsibilities in the media sector are delegated to the Norwegian Media Authority.
The “public service” ideology has been central to media policy in Norway. The public service duties of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation are manifested in its statutes. However, the licences granted to the television channel TV 2 and the radio station P4 in the early 1990s, as well as the radio station Radio Norge in 2004 established channels with dual objectives. As privately owned entities, they were to generate the greatest possible profits for their owners, while the frameworks of the licences imposed mandatory public service broadcasting obligations on them.
Today, the commercial TV 2 has an agreement with the government that ensures cable broadcasting of the channel. In turn, TV 2 has obligations concerning the location of their headquarters and news production, and content obligations such as 50% of programming being in Norwegian. The current agreement expires by the end of 2016, and a new agreement has been announced for 2017-2019. In the new agreement, most of the content obligations have been eliminated. The announced agreement is open for all applicants.
Digital media
In recent years (from 2008), there has been a considerable development of optical fibre and other high-speed internet and television supplies, as well as a full digitalisation of the TV signals. This has led to an increase in public access to different TV channels.
Access and the use of the Internet have also increased. Today (2021), 98,9% of all Norwegians have access to the Internet at home2.
The recent White paper on media states that:
the government must facilitate freedom of speech, press freedom and freedom of information, good news production throughout the country and a broad and open public conversation in digital media. Media policy must stimulate innovation and new creation and at the same time preserve the traditions and basic values of the free press in a new era. The government wants media support that is predictable and unbureaucratic, having the greatest possible distance from political authorities.
1All data from MediaNorway (http://medienorge.uib.no/english/)
2https://data.oecd.org/ict/internet-access.htm
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