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Jonas Bonnier CEO, Bonnier
Bonnier AB Kungsgatan 49 ckholm SE-113 90 Sto
6 8 736 40 00 +4 .com info@bonnier bonnier.com
Sweden
Editor: Niklas Sessler Text: Niklas Sessler, Ganda Suthivarakom Graphic Design: Sofia Ekvall
Cover photo: Niklas Palmklint Photos: Niklas Palmklint, Jann Lipka, Mikael Olsson, Jesse Marlow, Andras Kralla, Tatyana Zubkova, Mats Kullander,
Heikki Saukkomaa / Lehtikuva / Scanpix, Sarah Amato, Magnus Skoglöf, Peter von Felbert, Pekka Mustonen, Antonina Baygusheva. 3
Film & Theaters, page 24 Magazines, page 14 We publish approximately 150 titles in the Nordic region, the Netherlands, Russia and the U.S. An American science publication is reincarnated as Illustreret Videnskab, flourishes in Europe and makes a triumphant return to the U.S. twenty years later.
Svensk Filmindustri (SF) is one of the oldest and most respected film companies in the world, and SF Bio is one of the most modern cinema chains in Europe. Welcome to Bergakungen – a spectacular palace of entertainment with VIP lounges, restaurants, gigantic screens and a world-class audio system.
Books, page 10 Bonnier is the leading publishing group in the Nordic region and one of the leaders in Germany. One unlikely pilgrim’s travelogue becomes Germany’s bestselling nonfiction book in 60 years.
Digital Media, page 28 No other media company can boast the digital product diversity and commitment to innovation that Bonnier can. From daily news to e-commerce to mobile, Bonnier’s reach in digital media goes deep and wide. See how Parenting.com helps U.S. moms show off their beautiful babies to the whole world.
The Bonnier World 4
Television, page 6 We operate the largest, most popular commercial TV channels in both Sweden and Finland – TV4 and MTV3, respectively – as well as C More, the Nordic region’s leading premium TV broadcaster. Follow the search for a superstar on Finnish Idols, with a concept that gives viewers the chance to watch the show anytime, anywhere.
Newspapers, page 18 We publish daily newspapers, mostly business dailies, and conduct online business in eleven countries. Meet the man who made the financial crisis understandable in Sweden. Also, hear how a newspaper launch in the Russian town of Krasnodar becomes an adventure in teaching freedom of speech.
To continuously reinvent the art of publishing Our vision is for Bonnier to become a leading media greenhouse full of new ideas, a place where the art of publishing will constantly be challenged and reinvented. By operating in all media channels, we believe we have a unique opportunity to enable new publishing ideas and create new forums where authors, storytellers, journalists and their audiences can meet.
Books Digital Media Film & Theaters Magazines Newspapers Television 5
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* A control room at TV4 in Stockholm. Flexibility is key to TV4’s news studio. The background, graphics and furniture can easily be changed.
Television Millions of people invite us into their homes each day when they turn on their televisions. We know that TV can be more than just a diversion – it should be a shared experience, an educational resource and a cultural touchstone. We operate the largest, most popular commercial TV channels in both Sweden and Finland – TV4 and MTV3, respectively – as well as C More, the Nordic region’s leading premium TV broadcaster. We are the largest news provider in Sweden and Finland. Our news channels’ current affairs teams deliver up-to-the-minute news from around the world to television screens, computers and mobile phones. The current affairs programs Kalla fakta in Sweden and 45 minuuttia in Finland tackle social issues and contribute to the daily debate. We broadcast the world’s top sporting events and entertainment shows. Our channels adapt domestic versions of major international formats such as Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and Idol. We also create local and original successes, like Sub’s hit travel series Madventures and TV4’s home redecorating show Äntligen hemma. We bring viewers the stories they want to tune into – 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Since 1997
Minutes spent watching TV per day (Sweden) MTV Media in Finland operates nine TV channels: the nation’s favorite channel, MTV3, the rapidly growing Sub channel, and pay-TV channels MTV3 MAX, MTV3 Fakta, Sub Leffa,
Sub Juniori, MTV3 AVA, MTV3 Sarja and MTV3 Scifi. Mtv3.fi, one of Finland’s most popular web destinations, and Radio Nova, Finland’s most listened-to commercial radio station, are also part of MTV Media.
170 165 160 155 150 145 140 135
TV4 is Sweden’s largest TV channel. The TV4 Group’s portfolio also includes TV4 Plus, TV4 Film, TV400, TV4 Fakta, TV4 Guld, TV4 Komedi, TV4 Sport, TV4 Science Fiction and the
web-based Nyhetskanalen, as well as 24 local TV stations. TV4 is available in high-definition. In 2008, the TV4 Group acquired C More Entertainment / Canal+, the Nordic region’s leading premium pay-per-view company. Its program portfolio contains blockbuster films, series and sports on 14 channels.
2005
2006
All, 3–99 years old
2007
2008
Men, 3–99 years old Women, 3–99 years old
Source: MMS.se
More than 6.2 million Swedes watch at least 15 minutes of any of TV4 Group’s channels per day, on average. MTV in Finland was established on April
29, 1957, making it the third-oldest commercial TV company in Europe after the U.K.’s ITV and Germany’s RTL.
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Television
Searching for a Superstar MTV3’s Idols has broken all TV records in Finland with help from the extremely popular 360° concept, which gives viewers the chance to follow Idols anytime, anywhere.
When 24-year-old Koop Arponen performed his winning song, Creedence Clearwater Revival’s classic hit Have You Ever Seen the Rain, the crowd of 6,500 at Helsinki Ice Hall erupted in wild celebration. Arponen, who is half-Finnish, halfDutch and has spent the majority of his life in England, pulled off a resounding win on Idols (Finland’s American Idol), with over 70 percent of all votes. But the win for MTV3 was just as big. Approximately two million viewers watched the program every week, while four million saw at least one episode – all this in a country with a population just over five million. Of autumn 2008’s list of Finland’s 25 mostviewed programs among 25- to 54-year-olds, 19 were episodes of Idols. “This is the fourth season of Idols,” says the show’s producer, Hanna Myller. “We broadcast two episodes a week on our main channel, MTV3, plus extra material (followup discussions, backstage clips and so on) on our secondary channel, Sub. So viewers have been able to follow Idols on two TV channels as well as on the web and on our radio channel, Radio Nova. We call this 360° thinking, where the show can be seen across many different media platforms.” Up to ten Idols news items were posted online every day. The news was composed primarily of interviews with Idols hopefuls, along with a host of material related to Finnish Idols. Meanwhile, web journalists took photographs for the site’s image gallery and filmed backstage with handheld video cameras. Fans devoured the bonus content. The Idols site had an average of 159,000 weekly unique visitors, with that number reaching over 200,000 during the peak of the season. Of those visitors, most were between the ages of 15 and 19, and 86% were female. The ‘Miss Backstage’ blog, written by the web team, also chronicled the idols’ every 8
move. Live chats allowed fans to talk to their favorite contestants while watching them live via webcam, and minute-by-minute backstage reports were updated live during each episode. Idols has become a TV show that is much more than just a TV show. “This year we teamed up with the Finnish National Opera,” says Hanna. “The conductor was on the jury during one performance, one of the semifinals was broadcast from the opera house, and contestants received voice lessons from professional opera singers. We have also collaborated with Sweden’s TV4. Among other things, we shared ideas and experiences we’d had with the format, and had Andreas Carlsson from the Swedish jury as a guest on our show. We were there for the Swedish final in December and broadcast excerpts from the show in Finland.” Many of the Idols artists have become commercially successful following their appearance on the show. Three of last season’s Finnish finalists released albums during the year, and all of them have reached the number one spot in the Finnish charts. “Idols has something for everyone,” says Hanna. “It’s a combination of reality show and live performance that makes for unbeatable entertainment.” And as for Koop Arponen – who was recently voted Young European of the Year by the Heinz-Schwarzkopf Foundation under the auspices of the European Parliament – the adventure has only just begun.
“The combination of reality show and live performance makes for unbeatable entertainment.” Hanna Myller
Facts / Idol in Sweden and Finland Swedish Idol is broadcast by TV4 with a 360° strategy, similar to the Finnish version. Each episode of Swedish Idol was viewed by an average of 1.1 million viewers in 2008; 1.6 million watched the finale. Episodes of Finnish Idols had an average of 1 million viewers; 1.2 million, or nearly one in four Finns, saw the finale. The Swedish Idol Web site attracted an average of 280,000 unique visitors per week; Finland’s had 159,000 uniques per week. A total of 26 million clips were streamed from the Swedish Idol site. The Swedish Idol finale at the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm had the largest live audience in the world, with 13,000 fans in attendance. The Finnish finale at Helsinki Ice Hall attracted 6,500 people.
Koop Arponen, winner of Finnish Idols 2008, performing at the Idols finale at Helsinki Ice Hall on December 14, 2008. That night, he won more than 70 percent of the votes. 9
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* Each year, Bonnier sells more than 100 million books, making us the leading publishing group in the Nordic region and one of the leaders in Germany.
Books
Since 1804
After more than 200 years in book publishing, we know that giving readers the best quality literature is a business idea that never goes out of style. Over the last two centuries, we have produced a wealth of books, including children’s titles, poetry collections and bestsellers. These stories are now spread around the world in print, as audio books and as e-books. Our international publishing business started with Albert Bonniers Förlag, founded in 1837. When Albert’s son Karl Otto Bonnier took over, it became Sweden’s leading publishing house, home to many of the country’s best-known authors including August Strindberg and Nobel laureates Selma Lagerlöf and Verner von Heidenstam. Throughout our history, we have debuted and nurtured the careers of many of Sweden’s most beloved writers. The keen instincts of savvy editors have always been key to our success in the book world. And the tradition continues. Bonnier’s German publishing house Carlsen Verlag inked a deal for the rights to the Harry Potter series before it became a world hit. In 2009, Carlsen succeeded in topping both the paperback and hardcover bestseller lists with Twilight and New Moon from Stephenie Meyers’ teen vampire series, selling more than 4 million copies in Germany alone.
New titles published Sweden’s largest publishing group. It is comprised of Albert Bonniers Förlag, Wahlström & Widstrand, Forum and more, as well as AdLibris (the largest online book store in the Nordic countries) and several book clubs. Norway’s leading publishing group publishes adult and children’s fiction, nonfiction, educational, and academic literature books. It also includes the bookshop chain Tanum.
5,000 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 0
2002
2003
2004
2005
All new titles
Germany’s leading publishing group of children’s books, through Carlsen Verlag and Thienemann Verlag. It also publishes fiction through Piper and Ullstein.
Comprised of children’s book publishers Templar and Autumn in the U.K., Weldon Owen in the U.S. and Australia, Five Mile Press in Australia and Piccolia in France.
The third largest publishing house and the leading children’s book publisher in Finland.
Fiction
2006
2007
Audio Books Nonfiction
Youth books
Source: Svenska Förläggareföreningen, SvF
Bonnier-owned publishing houses around the world have published 74 Nobel Prize winners in literature. Among them are Rudyard Kipling, George Bernard Shaw, Thomas Mann, Eugene O’Neill, Herman Hesse, T. S. Eliot, Bertrand Russell, Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck, Jean-Paul Sartre, Saul Bellow, William Golding, Toni Morrison, J. M. Coetzee and Doris Lessing. 11
Books
The Unexpected Pilgrim The publishers had high hopes for Hape Kerkeling’s book. Perhaps his fans would buy 50,000 copies. But selling over three million copies in German alone – that was something no one had ever dreamt possible.
Hape Kerkeling, a very popular comedian and TV host in Germany, made a living making fun of other people. “Even before the book was released, Hape Kerkeling was one of the most famous people in Germany,” explains Bettina Feldweg, editorial director of Malik, an imprint of Piper Verlag. “Once, he dressed up as Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and resembled her so closely that he nearly succeeded in joining an official dinner with the President of Germany.” But in 2001, Kerkeling developed several stress-related physical symptoms. His doctors wanted him to take a timeout. Instead, Kerkeling decided to embark on a pilgrimage along the Camino, the classic pilgrim’s trail to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. According to legend, the apostle Jacob is buried here, and thousands of spiritual seekers make this journey each year. His choice was especially surprising because Kerkeling isn’t your typical religious pilgrim. He has described himself as a mixture of Catholic and Buddhist. He is also an open homosexual which, he points out, entails “certain problems with the Pope.” So why would a self-described “couch potato” set out on such a spiritual journey? Besides seeking the deeper meaning of life, the trip was also meant to be a workout. But it was never meant to be a media event – he set off without telling anyone but his closest friends and relatives. “I just got up off my couch one day, after finishing a Diet Pepsi and a bag of chips, and started walking.” After returning home, he appeared on a TV talk show where he was asked what he’d done over the summer. That was the moment when he first spoke publicly about his pilgrimage. Bettina Feldweg’s colleague at Malik was watching. “The next day, at the coffee machine, my colleague said that she’d seen Hape Kerkeling on TV the night before, describing his pilgrimage. I was fascinated by the curious combination 12
of Kerkeling and a pilgrimage and said, ‘That should be a book.’ And that’s how we ended up contacting him,” says Bettina. Kerkeling was immediately interested, and as luck would have it, had kept a journal during the entire journey. But he refused to show his original handwritten material to anyone – it was too personal. Instead, he selectively dictated to his secretary.
“The Camino really begins after you’ve finished it.” Hape Kerkeling
Ich bin dann mal weg [I’m Off Then] is a richly personal travel journal, documenting a six-week hike that starts in the French Pyrenees and ends in Santiago. Kerkeling describes the people he meets – tourists, madmen and adventurers – and the historic locations he passes. Above all, Kerkeling’s warm self-irony makes his spiritual journey unlike any other. The publishing house had originally planned to release the book in March or April of 2006, but for a number of reasons it first appeared at the end of May. The elements were conspiring against them – the early summer was unusually warm, which always makes it difficult to sell books, and Germany was hosting the World Cup in soccer. It seemed unlikely that anyone would care about a book about a comedian’s semi-religious pilgrimage. But against all odds, it was a huge success. After debuting at number 18, Ich bin dann mal weg rocketed to first place in its second week on the shelves – a position it would hold for exactly one hundred weeks. Once the ball was finally rolling, it was unstoppable. The book has sold over three million German-language hardcover copies to date, making it Germany’s bestselling nonfiction book since the end of World War II. “There are a number of reasons for its extreme success,” explains Bettina. “The first is of course Hape Kerkeling himself – his character and popularity. Another was its subject of spirituality, which was also quite popular at the time. And finally, it’s an extremely good, funny book.”
Facts / Ich bin dann mal weg Has now been printed in 670 editions. Was released in paperback in April 2009 and has since sold more than 350,000 paperback copies. Was named Book of the Year in 2006, when Hape Kerkeling was also named Author of the Year by booksellers in Germany. Between 2006 and 2007, the book sparked a 71 percent increase in the number of German pilgrims traveling the Camino – a phenomenon known as the “Kerkeling Effect.” Has now been translated into eleven languages. I’m Off Then, the first American edition, was released in 2009 by Simon & Schuster. Will be followed by a German feature film, to premiere in 2010. Hape Kerkeling has declined to play the role himself.
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Hape Kerkeling’s spiritual journey to Santiago de Compostela took him through the hillsideMADRID village of El Acebo, Spain, pictured here. Ich bin dann mal weg has sold more than three million copies in Germany and has been translated into eleven languages. 13
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* Bonnier publishes approximately 150 magazines in seven countries, with titles for everyone from the teenage skateboarder to the CEO mom to the distinguished wine connoisseur.
Magazines Magazines entertain, enrich, inspire and influence – every week, every month. Our international roster includes titles for every taste, from broad subjects such as beauty and parenting to niche passions like motocross and sport diving. In many cases, we are the market leaders. Bonnier is committed to supporting a broad portfolio of titles because research shows that magazines continue to capture consumers’ full attention far better than any other medium. Our expertise in special-interest areas attracts readers who are passionately dedicated to our brands. Our magazines can be found across the Nordic region, as well as in the Netherlands, Russia and the U.S. We also work closely with licensed and cross-border publications. Our licensing company, Bonnier International Magazines, offers licensees both concept and trusted content from some of our most popular brands, providing one-stop shopping for publishers around the world. We publish approximately 150 titles in seven countries. In addition to magazines (specialinterest magazines, lifestyle magazines and trade press), we are also active in digital media, custom publishing, events and film production.
Since 1929
Digital revenues increase One of the largest consumer-publishing groups in America, with nearly 50 specialinterest magazines and related multimedia projects and events. Some of the largest circulation titles include Field & Stream, Popular Science, the TransWorld titles and Parenting.
100,000
Outlook
80,000 60,000 40,000 20,000
A leading media company in the Nordic region which publishes magazines in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. Some of the best-known titles are Illustreret Videnskab (Science Illustrated), health and fitness magazine I Form, and Bo Bedre, a home and garden monthly.
The largest consumer magazine publisher in Sweden with more than 50 titles, many of them market leaders in their niche. We publish both special-interest and lifestyle magazines covering fashion, decoration, cars, food, parenting, travel and more. Among the best-known titles are women’s lifestyle magazine amelia, fashion magazine Damernas Värld, food magazine Allt om Mat and business weekly Veckans Affärer.
0
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Circulations
Print advertising
Digital advertising Revenues ($ million) in the consumer magazine market (Global) Source: PwC, 2008
Popular Science, an American monthly magazine about science and technology, published its first issue in 1872, making it the oldest of Bonnier’s magazines. Popular Science has won over 58 awards, including National Magazine Awards for General Excellence in both 2003 and 2004. PopSci.com first came online in 1999.
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Magazines
Science for Everyone An old American science publication is reincarnated as Illustreret Videnskab, flourishes in Europe and makes a triumphant return to the U.S. twenty years later.
It’s survival of the fittest in the magazine business. Sometimes, a little transcontinental evolution can give your genes a lifeline. Such was the case for Illustreret Videnskab (Science Illustrated), Bonnier’s greatest magazine success. Though Illustreret Videnskab is now headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, the magazine was a direct descendant of Science Digest, a magazine launched in the 30s by Hearst. Seeing growing interest in the science magazine genre in the U.S. and a gap in the publishing market, a Danish journalist pitched the idea of bringing Science Digest to the Nordic countries. The publisher took a leap of faith on the new title, launching Illustreret Videnskab simultaneously in Denmark, Sweden and Norway in January, 1984. “It was the first time ever that a magazine was launched in three different countries in three different languages. That was a big investment,” says Jens Henneberg, Executive Vice President and Editorial Director at Copenhagen’s Bonnier Publications. The magazine was an instant success, turning a profit on the initial investment within the first year. The core business model astonished U.S. Bonnier Corporation Group Publisher Gregg Hano. “The first part of their success—great editorial product, obviously. The second part was the fact that they were able to sell subscriptions to people for a very high annual subscription price—in the ballpark of $150 USD.” An average of about 85% of Illustreret Videnskab’s income is derived from subscription and newsstand sales of the magazine. The magazine celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. Over the last quarter century, Illustreret Videnskab has evolved with its readers’ interests. The four cornerstones of their editorial focus are now culture, technology, medicine and nature. “A magazine is not like a Coca-Cola, where you can rely on the same recipe,” says Jens. “Of course, there is some element of the recipe 16
that remains with the magazine, but you have to develop all the time, the way we tell the story, the way we design the magazine, the topics we cover.” In the early 00s, Bonnier Publications began to rekindle an interest in the American market. “It was kind of an old dream, because the interesting thing is that it’s a magazine that’s truly international in its concept,” says Jens.
“A magazine is not like a Coca-Cola, where you can rely on the same recipe.” Jens Henneberg
In 2008, Illustreret Videnskab returned to its birthplace, this time as Science Illustrated. Six of Illustreret Videnskab’s hefty “spine” issues are translated into English and published by the U.S. Bonnier Corporation, which also publishes Popular Science. “Obviously it was a perfect match because with Popular Science on board, you had a team that knew the topic and knew the right people to market to,” says Jens. “People love it. They absolutely love it,” says Gregg Hano. “I’d love for it to be brought into the home by mom or dad, and have the kids look at it and go, ‘Wow! This is amazing!’, and to have them become fascinated with the subject matter, the images, the stories all by themselves.” This year, Illustreret Videnskab celebrates its 25th anniversary, with editions in 13 countries—Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Holland, Belgium, Iceland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Australia, New Zealand and the U.S. “An elephant in Africa is interesting in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and so on,” says Jens Henneberg. “The editorial formula is universal, and has been able to attract Greek people in the Mediterranean, Finnish people in the dark area of Scandinavia and so on.” Jens says it’s always entertainment combined with information. “You should have a great time reading the magazine and when you’re done, you should feel that you’re a little bit smarter. So you haven’t wasted your time,” he laughs.
Facts / Illustreret Videnskab Is published in 13 countries—Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Holland, Belgium, Iceland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Australia, New Zealand and the U.S. Has produced 358 issues and 30,000 pages. Has approximately 3.5 million readers, worldwide. 4,536 readers have purchased every issue of Illustreret Videnskab. The magazine has generated enough revenue to purchase a Boeing 747 and fly it around the world for a year. The core subscriber is a male 35-50, but the magazine has a high ratio of female readers.
Illustreret Videnskab was an instant success when it debuted in 1984. Today it is published in many different countries. Top, left to right: Sweden, Lithuania, Holland. Middle, left to right: Norway, Iceland, United States. Bottom, left to right: Finland, Latvia, Greece. 17
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* Committed to freedom of speech: Bonnier publishes morning papers, evening papers and business papers all over Europe.
Newspapers Absolute freedom of speech rules our newspapers. In southern Russia, we’re just getting started. In Sweden, we’re the market leaders. Our morning papers are serious in editorial tone; our evening papers are more entertaining. Our news reaches readers in print, online, and on their mobile phones. From business reporting across Europe to daily papers in Sweden, we never abandon our founding principle: credibility is king in the newspaper world. The newspaper operations consist of the Swedish morning papers Dagens Nyheter, Sydsvenskan, Kristianstadsbladet, Ystads Allehanda and Trelleborgs Allehanda, the evening papers Expressen, Kvällsposten and GT, the free newspapers Stockholm City and City Malmö Lund, as well as Bold Printing Group and an array of digital media. We publish daily business newspapers and conduct online business in eleven countries. In addition to Dagens Industri in Sweden and Børsen in Denmark, we run sister publications in Russia, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia and Bulgaria. Medicine Today International consists of seven independent news magazines published in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Poland, Estonia and Slovenia, which are targeted at policy makers in the health sector.
Since 1924
Dagens Nyheter, founded in 1864, is Sweden’s largest morning paper. By tradition, its mandate is to produce a quality newspaper with broad appeal that functions as the most important social and democratic civic arena in Sweden. Expressen is a Swedish evening paper, founded in 1944 in an effort to counteract Nazism. Expressen was the first Swedish newspaper to let readers comment on their articles online. The Expressen media house also publishes the evening papers GT and Kvällsposten. Sydsvenskan, founded in 1848, is the largest newspaper in southern Sweden. It is the parent newspaper of the SDS Group, which also publishes local newspapers around the region. Dagens Industri, Sweden’s largest financial daily, monitors all industries and disciplines in the private and public sectors in Sweden and abroad. It is the most lucrative daily in Sweden. The newspaper, its magazines and online service di.se are read by almost half of all business decision-makers in Sweden. Børsen, founded in 1896, is the leading financial daily in Denmark. Børsen’s multimedia platform also includes the site Borsen.dk, the magazines Business and Pleasure, and Børsen TV.
As adults mature, readership increases (US) 80 % 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
18-24
25-34
35-44
Daily Newspaper Redership
45-54
55-64
65+ years
Sunday Newspaper Readership
Source: NAA / Scarborough Research, 2008
All of Bonnier’s printing plants (Bold Printing Group) in Stockholm, Malmö and Borås are powered with lowemission electricity. We can track how the electricity has been produced, with hard data on its total carbon footprint. Bonnier is committed to reducing the negative environmental impact of its operations and nurturing sustainable community development. 19
Newspapers / Dailies
Explaining the Financial Crisis The task was clear: “Make the financial crisis understandable!” Many tried and most failed. But the news cartoonists at Dagens Nyheter embraced the challenge, creating one of the newspaper’s most talked-about, prize-winning pieces.
“As a news cartoonist, I’m constantly looking for subjects that people are talking about, but that no one can really explain,” says Johan Jarnestad at Dagens Nyheter. “When you’re working on your own projects it can be a bit of a challenge to get them published in the newspaper, but this job came straight from the financial news editors. The goal was to ‘make the financial crisis understandable!’ This, for me, was a perfect situation.” To tackle this topic, Johan first scanned the internet to gather as much background information as possible. He then worked in close cooperation with business reporter Dan Lucas, who composed the introductory text while Johan illustrated. Periodically, they compared notes and ideas. “It actually started as two independent tracks that came together in the end. Fortunately, the result was a complete success.” In the autumn of 2008, the collapse of the American home mortgage bubble was a topic on everyone’s lips – even in Sweden. It would be the harbinger to one of history’s most devastating financial crises. But understanding the underlying causes was a different matter altogether. “I had of course thought about the financial crisis before this job came in,” Johan explains. “I had met experienced people who worked in the financial sector, but none of them could explain what was happening. And if they didn’t know, who did?” Johan began gathering input from many sources. He understood that to simplify and explain a complex subject, he would need good information, especially since he didn’t start out understanding the subject himself. “To be able to dive into something and gain that expertise is very exciting,” he says. “I got to withdraw myself from my usual work in order to focus on this project for two weeks, a privilege I’m sure no other newspaper in Sweden can offer its staff.” 20
Johan chose a classic method of storytelling, allowing the reader to follow the fictional Gonzales family through the ups and downs of the American home mortgage roller coaster. “The toughest part was to find an appropriate level of language. Usually, I tell stories with a bit of humor, even if the subject is quite serious. The average reader browses for about six seconds before turning the page – before this happens, you need to capture their interest.” The readers’ responses were instantaneous and unequivocal. Johan’s inbox was flooded with e-mails, all saying the same thing: “Thank you! Now I understand!” What’s more, the Society for News Design – a veritable World Cup of newspaper design – honored his work with an Award of Excellence. The competition’s Scandinavian equivalent awarded him a bronze medal. “Dagens Nyheter take the financial crisis down to earth by literally beginning at the beginning and giving the reader a step-by-step guide to understanding the nature of the crisis. There is a fine balance between humor and seriousness,” said the jury. “When you win awards, it reinforces your confidence and encourages you to devote more time to certain projects. This alone is worth a lot. And it doesn’t hurt that Dagens Nyheter is very good about telling its readers when one of its staff has received some kind of honor.” Johan is always looking for inspiration for new works – it can be a comic series like Tintin, a program on his favorite TV channel Discovery, magazines such as National Geographic, the works of animator Don Hertzfeldt, artworks, road signs or airport billboards. But what is his dream project? “To explain what happens to people when they burn out or suffer from depression. This, I think, is a subject that a lot of people are interested in.”
“The average reader browses for about six seconds before turning the page.” Johan Jarnestad
Facts / Dagens Nyheter Sweden’s only morning daily with nationwide distribution. First published on December 23rd, 1864. Has correspondents stationed in Malmö/ Copenhagen, New York, Washington, Beijing, London, Jerusalem, Johannesburg, Moscow, Brussels, Buenos Aires, Berlin and Helsinki. Is read every day by almost 10 percent of the Swedish population aged 15 to 79. Attracts approximately 1.1 million unique visitors per week to the Web site DN.se. Has approximately 580 employees, half of whom work in the editorial office, where the gender ratio is 50-50.
15
Lehman Brothers faller tungt Den 15 september 2008 går investmentbanken Lehman Brothers i konkurs och finanskrisen når stormstyrka över hela världen.
14
13
CDO:erna runt om i världen börjar lukta illa. Vem sitter på Svarte Petter? Alla, visar det sig - eftersom de dåliga lånen i CDO-mixen drar ned de bra. ”Toxic loans”, säger man i USA.
Paret Gonzales förlorar sitt hus
Paret Gonzales kan inte längre betala. Till slut förlorar de sitt hus till banken. Husköpet resulterade i en havererad familjeekonomi och stora skulder. Den 16 mars blir Bear Stearns finanskrisens första offer bland de stora investmentbankerna. Banken köps upp av konkurrenten JP Morgan Chase.
Procentandel huslån med 60 dagars förfallna betalningar, 1:a kvartalet 2008.
CDO:erna är förgiftade
12 200
E AL RS
FO
Huspriserna sjunker!
Husägare med problem ställer in lånebetalningarna och deras hus övergår i bankens ägo. Överskott på hus Dec 2007: -13,9% trycker ned priserna. jämfört med dec 2006.
8
+15%
200 7
+5% 0
-5%
Lågkonjunkturen 2001 -00
-01 -02
-03 -04
-05 -06
-07
-15%
Källa: NY Times
200
Källa: NY Times
11
Motorn börjar hacka
5 FED har nu höjt räntan till 5,25%.
Va! Kastar du räkningarna i kaminen?!
Motorn i hela karusellen, de ökande huspriserna i USA, börjar hacka något. Samtidigt gör styrräntans nivå på 5,25% att Gonzales får problem att betala sina räkningar - och de är inte ensamma.
Fem elefanter 10 släpps lösa
2006
Ja, det är ju det enda vi har som kan värma upp huset.
200
Nu slipper fem banker begränsningarna för skuldinnehav: Goldman Sachs, Merril Lynch, Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns och Morgan Stanley. Bankerna ökar sina skuldinnehav markant och tjänar stora pengar - men tar samtidigt enorma risker.
4
Oj vad huspriserna stiger!
Kolla vad mycket tillgångar alla har! Det går bra nu!
WA L L
n sprick er!
2001
11 septem börserna ber: fa oljepriset ller, stiger.
STR
EE
T
nker FED 2003 sä till 1%, an nt rä yr år. st vån på 45 lägsta ni
Hemliga lådan är född
Banken har de senaste åren köpt upp olika skulder som man blandar i sina CDO-paket: bolån, billån, kontokortsskulder och annat. Problemet är bara att blandningen av långa, korta, bra och dåliga lån är knivig att överblicka. CDO:n blir till en ”hemlig låda”.
HEMLIGA LÅDAN
?
7
Här är det lite skakigt, men huspriserna sjunker inte.
Hemliga lådan försäkras
Bankerna vill försäkra sina tillgångar (alltså skulder), om något oförutsett skulle hända. Världens största låneförsäkringsbolag AIG säljer sådana försäkringar.
DO
C
AIGRING
K RSÄ FÖ
2003
9
2002
6
ja r hö börja en. FED äntan ig r styr
8
Nä, huspriser kan inte sjunka.
...och nu säljs paret Gonzales skuld ännu en gång
CDO:erna är en lysande affär, de rankas högt av rådgivare och anses som en säker investering. Investmentbankens enda problem just nu är de regler som begränsar hur mycket skulder de får äga – för de vill äga fler skulder.
Risken får semester
Lådorna med de mest riskabla skulderna blir svåra att sälja, så de måste investmentbanken behålla själv. Det finurliga är att man kan ”gömma” risken med lådorna i ett systerbolag i ett skatteparadis. Då ser inte revisorerna tillgångarnas totala risk i balansräkningen. Många investmentbanker gör likadant och risken byggs på i det dolda.
SK RISK
RI
A
IT-bubb la
RN CAY MANÖA
KÄLLA: NY TIMES, BBC, DAGENS INDUSTRI, WALL STREET JOURNAL
The financial crisis is not easy to explain in layman’s terms. But Johan Jarnestad succeeded by mixing facts and humor in this illustration of the plight of a fictional family (second section shown here). 21
Newspapers / Business Press
A Town Called Krasnodar A fledgling weekly business newspaper in Russia faces off against a touchy mayor, extortionist thugs and advertisers used to preferential treatment. Sounds like a post-Communism novel, but the editors of Delovaya gazeta Yug fight challenges like these regularly.
The Russian economy can be described in simple terms. First comes Moscow. Then comes nothing. Next comes St. Petersburg. Then comes nothing. Finally, there are just over a dozen cities with populations around or above one million. These were the cities – along with their surrounding regions – that Bonnier decided to start researching in 2006. “We visited a number of places throughout Russia and surveyed the situation of media markets, which was not a simple task because the markets are quite insular,” says Andrus Vaher, CEO of Delovoy Peterburg and Delovaya gazeta Yug. “Many of the larger cities had also had well-established business newspapers for many years. In the end, we had a shortlist of five cities. From this list, we chose Krasnodar.” Krasnodar is known as the center of the Kuban Cossacks’ struggle against the Bolsheviks. And the spirit of the “grasshoppers of the steppes,” or the “blue-eyed wolves,” as the Cossacks were called by their enemies, survives to this day in the form of widespread suspicion of authority. Here, 1,500 kilometers (900 miles) south of Moscow and 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the Black Sea coast, Bonnier has published the weekly business newspaper Delovaya gazeta Yug since 2007. “We already had a newspaper in St. Petersburg, Delovoy Peterburg, which has worked very well there,” explains Andrus. “So it felt logical to test the concept in other cities.” Although the city of Krasnodar has a population of less than 800,000, it is the center of Krasnodar kraj, a region with a population of over five million. Krasnodar kraj is also home to Novorossiysk, the largest Russian port on the Black Sea, and Sochi, the country’s most popular seaside resort and the host city of the 2014 Winter Olympics. Krasnodar ranks third among cities where most new vehicles are purchased per capita, after Moscow and St. Petersburg. The May 2009 Russian edition of Forbes magazine recognized Krasnodar 22
as “the best city for business in the country.” Despite all of this, Krasnodar lacked its own business newspaper. “Most Russian newspapers are fairly uncritical toward the local city government and potential advertisers, to say the least,” says Andrus. “But that’s not how we work. Our concept, besides writing about the people behind the companies, rather than just the companies themselves, is to remain independent and to avoid all ties with local industries. So it was extremely difficult to explain to our advertisers that we didn’t plan to write positively about them simply because they advertised with us.”
“Most Russian newspapers are fairly uncritical toward potential advertisers, to say the least.” Andrus Vaher
And the process of establishing a newspaper in Krasnodar hasn’t been easy. One day, two men stepped into the editors’ offices. They explained that they had come on behalf of the tax authorities and were there to check that the newspaper had paid licensing fees on its computer software. They threatened to seize all of the computers, which would have been completely devastating for the newspaper. At the same time, they hinted that an appropriate sum of money might just solve the problem. “Our Managing Director, Dmitry Volkov, called me and said, ‘What should we do, Andrus? They want to take our computers,’” says Andrus. “I said, ‘We can’t allow this.’ After discussing for a while, Dmitry came out and said that if you take our computers we’ll write about it – not only in our paper, but in all of the European business newspapers within our group. This would spread some pretty bad publicity to the region’s potential investors. After a bit of deliberation the men disappeared. And we haven’t heard from them since.” Currently, Delovaya gazeta Yug is published only once a week, but the staff plans to increase its frequency. A newspaper that dares to speak out should have no trouble succeeding in the hometown of the Cossacks.
Facts / Bonnier Business Press in Russia Bonnier has been present in Russia since 1993, when the business newspaper Delovoy Peterburg was launched. Today, Delovoy Peterburg is the leading business daily in St. Petersburg as well as the country’s third-largest in terms of paid circulation. Apart from Delovoy Peterburg and the online business news site www.dp.ru, the company has a delivery service and handbook publishing operation, as well as a weekly business newspaper in Krasnodar, Delovaya gazeta Yug. The strategic objective for Bonnier Business Press is to take the business model of the already successful Delovoy Peterburg to other major cities in Russia.
The 14-meter (45-foot) statue of “Aurora�, a young soldier in the Red Army during the Russian Revolution of October 1917. The Ivan Shmagun sculpture was unveiled in 1967 and is now a famous landmark in Krasnodar. 23
*
24
* The Skandia movie theater in Stockholm opened in 1923. It was designed by one of the world’s most respected architects, Gunnar Asplund. Many of the 20th century’s most famous artists have contributed to the theater’s interior decoration.
Film & Theaters Svensk Filmindustri (SF) is one of the oldest and most respected film companies in the world. Since its establishment in 1919, the company has produced some of the silver screen’s best known films. SF’s classic silent films helped define the era, with master works like The Legend of Gösta Berling from 1924, starring a young Greta Garbo. SF also brought Astrid Lindgren’s much-loved characters to the big screen, including Pippi Longstocking, Emil in Lönneberga, The Children of Bullerby Village, Karlsson on the Roof and many others. More than 20 of Ingmar Bergman’s films came out of SF, including the Oscar-winning The Virgin Spring and Through a Glass Darkly. SF Bio is Sweden’s largest movie theater chain and one of the most modern cinema chains in Europe. SF Bio offers all film lovers the ultimate movie experience, from the latest sound systems and widescreens to luxurious seating. SF Bio also sold 8.5 million liters of popcorn in 2008, an average of 0.8 liters per visitor. While Bonnier is constantly looking towards the future of film, we never forget that we have an important historical legacy to preserve.
Since 1973
Worldwide Box Office Sales US $ Billions
Worldwide box office sales grow 30
Svensk Filmindustri is the second-oldest film company in the world. Over the years, the company has produced some of the world’s most well-known films, worked with internationally-renowned actors and directors, and accumulated a collection of rights to over 1,200 titles. SF has produced over 500 feature films and is also the leading distributor of film and video in the Nordic region.
25
24,9
23,1
Homeenter is the largest mail order/internet club service specializing in entertainment products in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Poland.
26,7
20 15
15,7
14,3
16,3
17,1
18,3
9,2
8,8
9,1
9,6
9,8
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
10 5 0
International
SF Bio is the largest movie theater owner in Sweden and one of the largest in Norway. SF Bio operates 43 movie theaters with 292 screens in 29 cities in Sweden and Norway, with almost 34,000 seats. Approximately 12 million people visit an SF theater every year.
26,7
25,4
US
US $ Billions. Source: MPAA, 2009
SF has earned many movie awards through the years, including three Oscars: Best Documentary for Symphony of a City (1948), directed by Arne Sucksdorff, Best Foreign Film for The Virgin Spring (1961), directed by Ingmar Bergman, and Best Foreign Film for Through a Glass Darkly (1962), directed by Ingmar Bergman.
25
Film & Theaters
A Night at the Movies There are movie theaters, and then there’s Bergakungen – a spectacular palace of entertainment with VIP lounges, restaurants, gigantic screens and a world-class audio system.
It’s Saturday night at Bergakungen. Three anti-aircraft spotlights sweep slowly across the night sky as they might at an Oscars gala. The concessions line snakes through the foyer; the air is filled with expectation, excited chatter and the smell of popcorn. By the time the credits fade on the evening’s final film, over 6,500 people have sunken comfortably into their seats and glued their eyes to the big screen.
Bergakungen is a haven for film buffs. THXstandard theaters, Dolby SRD and DTS digital audio systems guarantee perfect sound quality. But they have also lavished attention on the details – at restaurant Danilo, named after the Italian director Federico Fellini’s costume and lighting director Danilo Donati, blackand-white neorealist films are projected onto curtains. In true Hollywood Boulevard style, a painting composed of twelve handprints from stars such as Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins hangs in the inner foyer.
Gothenburg’s Filmstaden Bergakungen, which opened in 2006, is Scandinavia’s most spectacular movie theater complex, with “Bergakungen is entirely in a class of its own,” Sweden’s largest screens, mind-blowing says Mats Kullander, Director of Building digital sound and the most comfortable seatand Development at SF Bio. “It has everying available. Part of the largest theater, a thing we wanted to offer. And when it comes 10,000-square-meter (107,000-square-foot) to audio quality, you won’t find better sound space, is nestled deep within the cliffs beat any movie theater in the world.” neath Burgårdsparken, with a 400-squaremeter (4,300-square-foot) glass façade. The Moviegoers obviously appreciate the Berfoyer is also home to a café and a restaurant. gakungen experience. In its first year, BerBergakungen houses an exclusive VIP secgakungen attracted 1.2 million people – well tion with leather armchairs and a VIP lounge, over the 800,000 SF Bio had estimated. the first of its kind in Sweden. Each of the two largest theaters is equipped with 21 “At premieres I always stand at the entrance extra-wide seats with spacious legroom. to the best theater and listen to people’s reactions. By far the most common reactions are, “We’d been searching for a movie theater loca‘Wow, what a theater!’ or ‘This is the coolest tion in Gothenburg for many years,” explains movie theater I’ve ever seen!’” says Mats. Jan Bernhardsson, CEO of SF Bio. “We had “This is the greatest reward for me.” wanted to blast a large theater space into the cliffs near Konserthuset, hence the name Ber- As early as 1923, world-famous architect gakungen – the king of the mountain. But this Gunnar Asplund wrote that movie theaters turned out to be impossible, and after several should be designed so that people “gradually rounds of discussions, the project moved.” become accustomed to the darkness.” This is precisely how Bergakungen is constructed. One particularly cold winter’s day, Jan walked to the site with some project team “The way you enter and leave a movie theater members, trying to envision how to bring is vital to the overall experience,” Mats business to the remote area. They decided explains. “At most theaters, you either enter they needed to turn the theater into a destifrom the rear, where you only see a mass of nation unto itself, complete with a restaurant, seatbacks with the screen in the distance, bar and café. “We needed something that or you enter from the front, where you can’t would turn an average night out at the moveven see the screen. At Bergakungen 1 and 2, ies into a genuinely special occasion,” says you emerge at the seventh row. From there, Jan. “This is how we came up with the idea you have a great perspective of the entire of the VIP lounge – something people would space, and at the same time you can take in really talk about. And as they say, the rest is the enormous screen – 18 meters (60 feet) history.” wide. So you see, size does matter.” 26
“You won’t find better sound at any movie theater in the world.” Mats Kullander
Facts /Bergakungen The Nordic countries’ largest, most modern and most spectacular movie theater complex. 14 screens and 2,260 seats, with 150 films and 22,000 screenings per year. Completely digital foyer with 104 flat-screen displays. 170,000 meters (558,000 feet) of film shown per day, amounting to 62,000 kilometers (38,500 miles) of film per year, or a distance of one and a half times around the earth’s equator. Sweden’s most expansive screen: 18.1 meters (60 feet) wide and 7.6 meters (25 feet) high, the equivalent of 573 28-inch TV screens.
Bergakungen, clockwise from top left: Restaurant Danilo; spotlights sweep across the sky at the theater entrance; the exclusive VIP lounge; the bar in the VIP lounge; the largest movie screen in Sweden; the circular external foyer. 27
*
28
* The pixel is the smallest unit of information in a digital image. Bonnier’s global digital media reach is deep and wide, with leading sites and mobile content for news, lifestyle, e-commerce, gaming, community and more.
Digital Media
Since 1995 Internet Usage Among Kids
Fostering and championing great media ideas has always been in our company’s genes. The digital realm is no exception. No other media company can boast the digital product diversity and commitment to innovation that Bonnier can. From daily news to e-commerce to gaming to mobile, Bonnier’s reach in digital media goes deep and wide, with hundreds of sites and millions of unique visitors daily. Our companies are collaborating on crossplatform services. TV4 and evening newspaper Expressen have created Väderkanalen.se, a personalized weather site offering mobile content, real-time satellite reports, weather blogs and the latest television forecast videos. And we are investing in the future. Our Research & Development team uses market intelligence to identify opportunities for innovation and initiate business development. B.Vision, our idea lab, is a breeding ground for new media concepts, investing in and harvesting the knowledge that will shape the future of the media industry. As an international company, we are creating digital strategies across a number of platforms to address different market needs around the world.
News, Magazines & TV sites The sites for Dagens Nyheter, Expressen, Dagens Industri and TV4 receive a total of about 16 million unique visitors per month. 5 million online videos are played monthly on Finland’s MTV Media sites. Our U.S. magazine sites averaged over 50 million page views per month in 2008. Mobile Dagens Nyheter broke ground with the world’s first newspaper mobile phone. Top downloaded iPhone applications include Vinvin for Allt om Mat’s wine reviews and SF Bio’s popular movie ticket booking system. E-commerce Discshop.se is one of the largest online stores for films and games in northern Europe. AdLibris, an online bookstore, sells 3.5 million books a year throughout the Nordic region. Social media Denmark’s Style Gallery garners 1.7 million page views per month with user-generated fashionista photos. Newsmill.se in Sweden is the leading online crowdcasting forum for debate. Boktipset.se is a social networking site for book lovers, with over one million book ratings from over 10,000 members.
Earlier internet usage among kids (Sweden) 100
%
80 60 40 20 0
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 When did today’s 12-15 year-olds start using the internet?
13
When do children start using the internet today Source: World Internet Institute, 2008
TV4’s Play lets viewers watch their
favorite programs for free, full-screen and on demand. Users can share their favorite videos instantly through social bookmarking sites like Delicious or by embedding the player on their own sites. The player features an application which allows viewers to post a Facebook comment to their profile while watching a specific video. 29
Digital Media
Oh Baby Every year, hundreds of thousands of mothers submit photos to the Parenting and Babytalk cover contests in the hopes of getting their child in the spotlight. Parenting.com found a way to help more of those moms show off their beautiful babies to the world.
The Parenting/Live with Regis and Kelly Beautiful Baby Search and Babytalk/GMA Cover Contest receive pictures of 350,000 adorable babies a year, but only two actually get to grace the magazine covers. So how do you keep the other 349,998 mothers from sending in angry letters? “Parenting.com started doing photo galleries a couple of years ago. We realized that we could deliver more reader satisfaction and make a lot more moms happy by making galleries of a tiny fraction of the entries. So even if your baby doesn’t make it onto the cover, you can see them on our Web site,” says Director of Parenting.com Rachel Fishman Feddersen. Parenting.com is the online home of Parenting and Babytalk magazines, which are published by the U.S. Bonnier Corporation’s Parenting Group. In the ten years since Babytalk’s first cover contest, the web has become a driving force connecting mothers together. More than ever, the web has helped moms from all backgrounds to band together, forming a diverse, vocal contingency with political clout and purchasing power. Parenting.com is one of the web destinations where moms can go to share their love for their children with a community who understands. Each year, the Parenting and Babytalk cover contests receive hundreds of thousands of photo entries in their search for America’s cutest crawlers. “I think that every mom in America thinks her baby is the most adorable child on earth and wants the world to see how gorgeous her child is. People want to capture that moment when their child is innocent and special.” The contest also helps capture that moment in a mother’s life when her world is filled with the precious, uncomplicated joy her baby gives her. “When a woman becomes a mother, the center of her gravity changes. It’s not that she becomes a different person, but all of her 30
energy is directed at nurturing this new human being. You make time for your children in ways that you would never do for yourself,” explains Rachel. “Some people are very comfortable with self-promotion, some people are not; but everyone is comfortable with promoting their child when there’s a chance of getting something wonderful for them.” Parenting.com has expanded the Babytalk cover contest into an eight-month long program. The online coverage complements and extends what’s in print. “At the end of the day, the magazine can only really use two pages and showcase around 50 babies when they do their contest article. We’ll do that in a single week, and showcase hundreds of adorable entrants over the course of the contest,” says Rachel. As digital cameras have become ubiquitous and affordable, the number of digital entries has increased exponentially – now, the majority of contest entries are submitted through the web. “Since the galleries are so popular, they’ve become their own piece of the business. We now sell sponsorships around the galleries as a component distinct from the contest itself. We’ve also brought on new sponsors based on the galleries’ success,” says Rachel. This year’s contests have generated nine million page views (and counting). Parenting.com expects traffic to continue to grow through the summer and build up around the time that the Babytalk cover contest winner is announced on ABC’s morning show, Good Morning America. But can there be such a thing as cute overload? Rachel doesn’t think so. “I love looking through the photo galleries. The babies are so adorable and happy; it never gets old for me.”
“People want to capture that moment when their child is innocent and special.” Rachel Fishman Feddersen
Facts / Parenting.com Parenting.com’s Beautiful Baby Search television partner Live with Regis and Kelly receives over 25 million viewers during their Beautiful Baby Search week, which happens every year during sweeps. The cover contest galleries generate the most page views of any of Parenting.com’s programs. The Babytalk cover contest is in its 10th year in print. Parenting.com was a finalist for the American Society of Magazine Editors’ Award for General Excellence Online in 2009. Parenting.com’s Cover Maker Tool lets any mom create her own magazine cover.
1-year-old Soraya Dennis of San Clemente, California stood out from among 300,000 other adorable baby photos to win the 2009 Beautiful Baby Search. Each year, Parenting.com creates photo galleries featuring hundreds of cute baby pictures. 31
The Story Bonnier represents more than 200 years of sustainable media entrepreneurship through seven generations of the Bonnier family. From the beginning, the family has promoted high-quality media products while collaborating closely with authors, journalists and publishers.
1901 The Swedish book publishing company Wahlström & Widstrand publishes a collection of poems by the first Nobel Prize laureate in literature, Frenchman Sully Prudhomme.
1804
1912
Gerhard Bonnier opens a bookstore in Copenhagen and publishes an anthology of crime stories called Underfulde og sandfærdige kriminalhistorier [Strange and true criminal histories]. The name on the cover of the book is that of German writer Henrik Spiesz, but Spiesz claims that he didn’t actually write it. The true identity of Bonnier’s first published author remains a mystery to this day.
Åke Bonnier establishes the Albert Bonnier Publishing House in New York to promote Swedish literature in the U.S. The company is later transformed into a bookshop and eventually, in the 50s, becomes an exclusive department store at 605 Madison Avenue specializing in Swedish handicraft.
1837 The book-publishing house Albert Bonniers Förlag is founded in Stockholm. The company’s first title is an essay by Jean-Baptiste Pérès called Proof That Napoleon Never Existed.
1924 Bonnier acquires enough stocks to claim majority partnership of the Swedish daily newspaper, Dagens Nyheter.
August Strindberg’s short story collection Giftas, published by Albert Bonniers Förlag, is charged with blasphemy. Strindberg is in Switzerland at the time and does not want to return to Sweden. Karl Otto Bonnier travels to Geneva and convinces him to come home. Strindberg is acquitted by the municipal court in Stockholm. 32
1945 The Swedish evening newspaper Expressen is the first paper in the world to report that Germany has surrendered. The front page is dominated by the word FRED (PEACE).
1947 Roy and Walt Disney come to Sweden to try to convince Bonnier to publish Donald Duck. Bonnier says no, stating, “Talking ducks are not for us.”
1950 1929
1884
journalism. The magazine actively combats Nazism and Swedish sympathizers during World War II.
Bonnier becomes Sweden’s leading magazine publisher after purchasing the publishing company Åhlén & Åkerlund.
1938 Se, an illustrated magazine, is founded in 1938 as Sweden’s first news-in-pictures publication. Using American Life magazine and Look as its role models, Se creates what for Sweden is an entirely new type of photo-
The Swedish comic book publisher Semic is founded. Their first title is The Phantom, followed by favorites such as Blondie (1951), Tarzan (1951) and Buffalo Bill (1952).
1955 Printing plants are established in Colombia and Brazil under the name Interprint. The Colombian operation ceases, but the Brazilian operation flourishes with an English partner.
1959–61 The international magazine project Continental Key is launched and terminated in Paris.
simultaneously in Sweden, Denmark and Norway. Today it is published in 13 countries.
1987 1965
Cappelens Forlag in Norway is purchased, marking the first real attempt to internationalize book publishing operations.
The Australian publishing house Five Mile Press, a general publisher of adult and children’s titles for the Australian and international market, is acquired.
The special-interest magazine publisher Specialtidningsförlaget is founded and Veckans Affärer (Business Week) starts. Among their successful titles are the interior magazine Allt i Hemmet (founded in 1956) and the food magazine Allt om Mat (founded in 1970).
2005 1989
1973 Bonnier acquires the major Swedish film company Svensk Filmindustri, SF, known for producing most of the films by Ingmar Bergman and the film adaptations of Astrid Lindgren’s children’s books Pippi Longstocking and Karlsson on the Roof.
1976 Expressen is the only newspaper in the world with the image of the wedding kiss between Sweden’s King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia. The issue sells 957,000 copies, still the record for a single-copy of a Swedish newspaper.
2004
Bonnier creates the newspaper Äripäev to assist the democratic movement in Estonia. The newspaper is printed in Stockholm and shipped to Estonia for free distribution to the people. In an effort to counteract the Estonian resistance, the Soviets cut off oil supplies to Tallinn, but Äripäev’s Swedish sister publication, Dagens Industri, leases a tanker and deliver fuel to the ailing nation, after collecting money from readers. Enough money is left over to set up a training fund for Estonian journalists. Over the next few years, Bonnier continues the free press initiative by setting up daily papers in Latvia, Lithuania and Russia.
1995 15-screen multiplex Filmstaden Sergel opens in Stockholm.
In collaboration with Proventus, Bonnier acquires the Finnish TV channels MTV3, Sub and Radio Nova. They form Nordic Broadcasting.
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2006 Bonnier becomes part-owner of the American company World Publications, a magazine publisher dedicated to passions like surfing, sailing, food and gardening.
2007 Bonnier, together with partner World Publications, acquires Time4Media and The Parenting Group in the U.S., forming the Bonnier Corporation as a result.
2008 1997 1976 The Swedish business daily Dagens Industri is launched, with the concept that people, not companies, make decisions. The paper is the first of a successful group of financial newspapers in countries throughout northern and eastern Europe.
1978 Bonnier attempts to enter the U.S. magazine market through a joint venture with the publishing house 13-30 Corp./Esquire. Further attempts would follow: 1981 with Lark Communications, 1984 with Washington Dossier, 1986 with Cook’s Magazine and 1991 with the Bonnier Publications project Fashion and Craft.
1984 The first successful international magazine project, Illustreret Videnskab, is launched
Bonnier becomes a joint owner of the largest Swedish TV channel, TV4. Ten years later it has acquired 98.9% of the company’s shares. The match between Sweden and Denmark in the European soccer championship in 2004 was watched by 3.8 million viewers, making it TV4’s most popular program ever.
1998 The first book in J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series is published by Carlsen Verlag in Germany and becomes an instant success. Today, they have sold about 30 million copies of the German editions. According to a study, 25 percent of all Germans over the age of 14 have read at least one Harry Potter book.
1998 The free magazine Vi i Villa, which reaches all Swedish houseowners, is acquired. Today, there are international versions in all Nordic countries.
Bonnier creates the idea lab B.Vision to collect interesting business ideas and form a meeting place for entrepreneurs. B.Vision aims to find and develop new products to meet tomorrow’s media consumers’ needs.
2008 Bonnier acquires the leading premium payTV company C More Entertainment in the Nordic countries, offering world class films, TV series and sports events like NHL ice hockey and English Premier League soccer.
2009 Swedish TV channel TV4 and newspaper Expressen form TV4 Expressen Mobilab, a joint venture for mobile services. Their first major project together is Väderkanalen, an online, mobile, TV and print weather service. 33
The Future Perfect What’s next? We’re not waiting to find out. Bonnier is taking an active role in shaping the future of media. Our companies have always innovated in all areas of media, and today, we have two teams at our corporate headquarters to bolster those efforts.
As an international company with businesses in all media channels, Bonnier understands that in addition to finding the best talent in the world, we must also provide our employees with the tools they need to succeed in a rapidly-morphing media world. Research & Development The media business is changing, but Sara Öhrvall, head of the Bonnier Research & Development team, stresses that there are opportunities for new business everywhere. “When you say that book reading will change dramatically, some people can perceive this as a threat. But the company that can provide the new consumer experience will be the winner,” says Sara. Bonnier Research & Development was created to jumpstart such creative product development in every media channel. They use market intelligence to identify opportunities for innovation and develop new business around those ideas. “The major challenge will be transformation across our extensive media into new digital platforms. That’s not just web media; that also means defining and developing the future film or TV experience, the future magazine and newspaper reading experience and so on,” says Sara. In keeping with Bonnier’s longstanding tradition of putting their trust in creatives, the R&D team gives the power of concept and execution to the individual entrepreneurs who are already experts in their business areas. R&D strives to be an inspiring and thought-provoking business development partner who can provide valuable support in identifying key business opportunities and developing consumer media concepts. The empowerment of individual companies, coupled with a focus in niche interest areas, will enable Bonnier to best serve consumers’ needs. “The culture of this company will help us move forward,” says Sara. “Our long-term perspective will help us be persistent enough to find the areas where future opportunities for growth are.” 34
Bonnier Media University BMU is the networking and knowledge hub for the company’s best and brightest. Since 1997, over 10,000 people have participated in courses, seminars and conferences organized by BMU. Few other media companies in the world can offer the same level of training and international networking opportunities for both leaders and up-and-coming achievers. Bonnier Media University Executive Director Stefan Mehr says that though cross-platform collaboration is the norm today, it was not common when he began working with BMU in 1997. “At that time, a journalist and a book person would never meet. They were different species. There were even people who didn’t want them to meet, because they didn’t want the different cultures to mix.” But today, cross-media cooperation is a core part of Bonnier’s business. “BMU’s purpose is to realize the vision of Jonas Bonnier to be the most attractive media company in the world. We need a university to create the network – the network has become the most essential strategic part, for business reasons.” Stefan was himself a participant in the second Bonnier Publishing Program in 1991. Now, as BMU’s director, he hopes to instill courage and confidence in the next generation of Bonnier digital media leaders. “There is no better way to spread Bonnier culture,” says Stefan. BMU’s track record is impeccable. As Stefan
explains, “Most of the people sitting in high positions today have attended Bonnier Media University.”
Facts / R&D’s activities Centers of Excellence develop key skills and knowledge within business-critical areas of development, with a special focus on digital media. The Global Media Map is an annual trend report covering trends in different media channels and regions. The Spark bi-monthly trendletter shares the latest research across all media types. Quarter by Quarter attacks select a new media opportunity to focus on, with workshops with external and internal experts, focus studies and concept development. B. Vision is our “idea lab”, a hub for knowledge exchange with entrepreneurs. The New Media Council, the Mobile Media Network and the Consumer & Market Intelligence Network help leaders find shared opportunities in emerging media markets. Facts / BMU’s course offerings The Bonnier Publishing Program is a media education and business development course on digital media. GROW is a unique global work exchange pro-
gram which allows employees to experience life at a Bonnier company in another country for three months.
GRID is an annual conference that combines
performances, speakers and face-to-face meetings with Bonnier colleagues from around the world.
Bonnier Leadership Program is a nineday course to help managers improve their coaching and communication skills. The New as a Manager Program trains newly promoted managers with leadership skills such as negotiation and conflict resolution.
Charlotta Friborg DN.se, Sweden
Zach Stovall Tony Gerard Caribbean Travel & Life, United States Five Mile Press, Australia
Jennifer Abbasi Science Illustrated, United States
Elin Fundell Damernas Värld, Sweden
Tomaz Cepon Finance, Slovenia
Albert Bonnier Bonnierförlagen, Sweden
Birgit Slomski Carlsen Verlag, Germany
Paulina Modlitba Söderlund Bonnier AB, R&D, Sweden
Amadou Khan Samdistribution, Sweden
James Oseland Saveur, United States
Cathy Hertz Bonnier Corporation, United States
Erika Ericson TV4, Sweden
Michael Horgan Five Mile Press, Australia
Maaretta Tukiainen Sub, Finland
Igor Rõtov Äripäev, Estonia
Kaisa Filppula Bonnier Publications Oy, Finland
Jens Henneberg Bonnier Publications, Denmark
Trude Løtvedt Cappelen Damm, Norway
Christophe Alphonse Discshop, Sweden
Bettina Feldweg Piper Verlag, Germany
Aleksandra Żurada Puls Biznesu, Poland
Päivi Koskinen MTV Oy, Finland
Souad Azahaf SF Bio, Sweden
35 Andrus Vaher Delovoy Peterburg, Russia
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