Amedia’s 14-Year-Old Strategy Drives 52% EBITDA Surge, Digital Subscription Growth

Norway’s Amedia, the country’s largest local media publisher, has achieved a 52% increase in EBITDA to NOK 593 million (€54 million) for 2025, according to the company’s recent financial report. This growth follows a strategic pivot initiated in 2013-2014, when the publisher faced near-bankruptcy and made “hard decisions” to prioritize long-term stability over short-term gains, CEO Anders Opdahl said during a presentation at the World News Media Congress in Marseille.

Amedia’s Long-Term Strategy: From Crisis to Stability

Amedia’s turnaround began during a financial crisis that threatened the company’s survival. Opdahl described the period as one of “extreme loyalty to meaningful decisions,” emphasizing a focus on foundational investments rather than fleeting trends. “We said ‘no’ to a lot of the hype stuff,” he stated, highlighting the company’s commitment to building a “strong, consolidated technical backend” and prioritizing data-driven operations.

The strategy paid off: Amedia now holds first-party data on 2.8 million of Norway’s 5.4 million residents, with 87% of pageviews coming from logged-in users. This data infrastructure has enabled personalized content delivery and targeted advertising, according to Opdahl, who noted that “knowing what users are doing” is critical for both commercial and editorial success.

The +Alt Bundle: Scaling Digital Subscriptions

Amedia’s 2020 launch of +Alt, a bundled subscription product offering access to over 100 newspapers and websites, became a cornerstone of its digital transformation. The basic plan costs 299 Norwegian crowns (€27), while the Premium version adds live sports and podcast access. By 2025, 80% of the company’s subscription revenue came from digital platforms, a shift accelerated by the bundle’s success.

Opdahl attributed the pricing model to early economic hardship. “In 2013-2014, we had to charge between 20 and 25 euros to survive,” he explained. The +Alt bundle later refined this approach, leveraging the company’s expanded portfolio—now spanning 260 titles across Norway, Sweden, and Denmark—to create value for users and publishers alike.

Expansion and Revenue-Sharing Models

Amedia’s bundling strategy has extended beyond Norway. The company launched +Alt in Sweden in 2022 through a partnership with Bonnier News Local and plans to enter the Danish market in 2026 via its acquisition of Berlingske Media. Opdahl called the model “a cross-border phenomenon,” citing “impressive” early results in Sweden.

A key component of the strategy is a revenue-sharing agreement that distributes earnings from bundle sales back to individual newspapers. “It’s highly important to incentivize the whole organization,” Opdahl said, adding that costs are also shared transparently. This approach has driven 60% of Amedia’s 850,000 Norwegian subscribers to adopt the +Alt product.

AI and Data Infrastructure: Future-Proofing the Business

Amedia’s investment in data and technical infrastructure has also positioned it to engage with AI providers. Opdahl emphasized the need for “strong backends and infrastructures” to negotiate with global tech companies, stating that such capabilities enable meaningful dialogue with AI actors. The company’s data structure, which provides insights at local, regional, and national levels, further supports targeted content creation and audience engagement.

As the media landscape continues to evolve, Amedia’s focus on long-term planning, data-driven decisions, and cross-border scalability offers a blueprint for sustainability in an industry often defined by rapid change.