Media Innovation Through the Corona Crisis (MICC) - how news media can build and implement innovation ability

The project "Media Innovation through the Corona Crisis" (MICC) addresses the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic for the Norwegian news media industry and how news media are pivoting their strategies for business opportunities in order to ensure their role in society. Our central objective is to offer a business perspective on how news media can increase the total value created for all stakeholders, including audience, employees and society as a whole. A key project outcome will be the development of a framework which identifies and analyses factors affecting news media innovation ability and value creation. Our theoretical hypothesis is that news media will create more value if they increase their innovation ability instead of improving their innovation capacity. Combining qualitative and quantitative methods, we will analyze the ability layers of news media organizations which include customer experiences, service systems and business models. The research project will address knowledge needs among policy makers, regulators, and practitioners in the media sector, as well as in the academic field of media and business innovation. Questions are being raised concerning the business model of news media and the value of the Norwegian generous press subsidy system. As the press is overall a conservative industry, stakeholders are also concerned that cultural obstacles and centralized management limit innovation ability. Another concern is the lack of user involvement and customer experience management in media innovation processes.