Mobile business models and paid content strategies were the focus of the Digital Conference of the Austrian Magazine and Specialist Media Association (ÖZV) in Vienna on Monday. "The downward trend in print continues. But print will still be stronger than digital in absolute terms in 2020," said Niklas Wilke of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), reporting on the major international media trends.

Digitalization is a "great opportunity" for the media, especially for trade media. New business models could ensure future viability. "There will always be room in niches," Wilke explained. In 2019, 85 percent of revenues would still come from print. Print will remain the "great driving force," but the growth momentum will be in the digital area.

According to Wilke, this also applies to the print market in Austria. "Newspapers are very stable in Austria, but we expect a decent decline phase in the next few years," said the PwC partner. The auditing firm expects declining circulations for newspapers and magazines, while experts anticipate a positive development for trade journals due to the massive increase in digital editions. "The future is digital," Wilke said.

Meanwhile, Nils Oberschelp, CEO of Gruner+Jahr subsidiary DPV Deutscher Pressevertrieb, said he was convinced that people are increasingly willing to pay for digital content. However, the current core business will "certainly continue to be the main source of income" for the next ten years. Oberschelp recommended that the media "invest in brand and content."

Claudia Michalski, Managing Director of Verlagsgruppe Handelsblatt with a focus on trade media and investment management, explained how trade media can strengthen their core business. The core business will be supplemented by diversification of the range of products and services, not only in consumer media but also in specialist media. "Established brands that are well-known in the target groups are extended to include digital products, databases, events, workflow solutions, services and much more. Assuming a consistent umbrella brand strategy, diversification not only leads to market expansion, but also has a positive effect on the core brand and stabilizes the trade media business in the long term," says Michalski.

Marco Olavarria of Kirchner + Robrecht Management Consultants addressed the topic of paid content strategies for trade media and magazines at the Digital Conference. For Olavarria, the opportunities offered by paid content lie primarily in focusing on customer needs and optimizing the company's own quality.