Aftonbladet
Aftonbladet is Sweden's largest daily newspaper, reaching ~3.5 million daily readers via web, mobile, e-tidning, and video, and monetizes through Plus subscriptions (~250,000 paying subscribers as of 2024) and digital advertising, with 91% ownership by Schibsted and 9% by LO.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1830
- HeadquartersStockholm, Sweden
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Aftonbladet does
Aftonbladet is Sweden's largest daily newspaper, founded in 1830 by Lars Johan Hierta, and operates as a comprehensive digital and print media platform serving Swedish-speaking consumers. The company publishes news, sports (via the Sportbladet sub-brand), entertainment (via Nöjesbladet), and breaking news (via Aftonbladet Direkt), producing approximately 500 articles per day alongside continuous video, podcast, and TV programming distributed through its website (aftonbladet.se), mobile applications, and an e-tidning digital newspaper. The company reaches an audience of roughly 3.5 million daily readers and viewers across these channels, with the largest single engagement surface being the web and mobile news platforms.
The core platform combines a free, ad-supported news and video destination with a recurring subscription layer called Plus. Plus provides paying subscribers with premium articles, an ad-free reading experience, digital magazines, podcast access, the 1830-to-present Historiska Arkivet, and interactive elements including daily puzzles (Minispel, Ordsvansen) and quizzes; approximately 250,000 Swedes were Plus subscribers as of 2024. The product portfolio has expanded beyond text into Aftonbladet TV (on-demand video and live sports), a podcast network, and browser-based casual games, all distributed through self-serve digital channels.
Monetization is dual-stream: (i) recurring subscription revenue from Plus, sold direct-to-consumer on a monthly billing cadence at undisclosed but market-rate Swedish pricing; and (ii) digital advertising across the website and mobile platforms, including display and sponsored-content formats. Aftonbladet is privately held under Norwegian media conglomerate Schibsted (91%) with Swedish trade union confederation LO (Landsorganisationen) holding the remaining 9%, and is operationally headquartered in Stockholm.
Aftonbladet firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Aftonbladet
- Legal name
- Aftonbladet
- Website
- https://aftonbladet.se
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1830
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Aftonbladet is Sweden's largest daily newspaper, reaching ~3.5 million daily readers via web, mobile, e-tidning, and video, and monetizes through Plus subscriptions (~250,000 paying subscribers as of 2024) and digital advertising, with 91% ownership by Schibsted and 9% by LO.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Aftonbladet industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Newspaper Publishing
- NAICS
- Newspaper Publishers (513110), Periodical Publishers (513120), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Digital Magazine & Newspaper Subscription Platforms (Paywalls, Membership) (MPAJAMAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- News & Content Aggregation Portals (BPAMAAAI), Digital Newsstand & Aggregation Platforms (Magazine/News Apps, Bundles) (MPAJAKAE), Digital Content & Media Subscriptions (CRAFAIAA), News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO), Long-Form Writing & Article Platforms (MPACAIAC)
Keywords
Where Aftonbladet is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Stockholm
- HQ country
- Sweden
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Aftonbladet business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Subscription Revenue (Plus): Aftonbladet Plus is a subscription service offering premium content, digital magazines, historical archive access, and exclusive articles. Approximately 250,000 Swedes are subscribers.
- Advertising: Digital advertising on the website and mobile platforms, including display ads and sponsored content such as CasinoGuiden integration.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Plus subscription with premium content access |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
Aftonbladet product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Aftonbladet is Sweden's largest daily newspaper and digital media platform, publishing breaking news, sports coverage, entertainment, and lifestyle content across its website, mobile applications, video streaming service, podcasts, and digital newspaper. The Plus subscription service provides premium content, an ad-free experience, the e-tidning digital newspaper, and full access to the historical archive dating back to 1830, reaching approximately 3.5 million readers and viewers daily.
Product overview
Aftonbladet operates as a comprehensive digital media platform providing news, sports, entertainment, and lifestyle content across multiple channels. The core offering consists of the Aftonbladet news platform with its dedicated Sportbladet sports sub-brand. Premium features are delivered through the Plus subscription service, which unlocks exclusive content, the digital e-newspaper, historical archive access, ad-free experience, and interactive elements including podcasts, mini-games, and quizzes. The platform is complemented by a TV streaming service and is owned by Schibsted (91%) and LO (9%).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Sportbladet: Sports section and brand covering football, hockey, motorsport and other sports
- Plus
- Nöjesbladet
- Aftonbladet Direkt
Products and services
- Aftonbladet news platform Sweden's largest online news platform providing breaking news, sports coverage, entertainment, and lifestyle content across web, mobile, and print, reaching approximately 3.5 million readers and viewers daily.
- Sportbladet Dedicated sports section and brand covering football, hockey, motorsport, and other sports with live results, news, blogs, and fantasy games.
- Aftonbladet Plus Premium subscription service offering exclusive articles, e-newspaper access, historical archive access, podcasts, quizzes, mini-games, and an ad-free reading experience.
- Aftonbladet TV Video streaming platform featuring news clips, live sports coverage, entertainment shows, and original programming.
- Aftonbladet Podcasts Collection of audio podcasts covering news, sports, entertainment, and true crime content, available via the Aftonbladet platform.
- Dagens E-tidning (Digital Newspaper) Digital replica of Aftonbladet's daily newspaper edition accessible to Plus subscribers via etidning.aftonbladet.se.
- Historiska Arkivet (Historical Archive) Digital historical archive providing access to Aftonbladet's published content from 1830 onwards, included with the Plus subscription.
- Nöjesbladet Entertainment sub-brand of Aftonbladet covering film, music, TV, and celebrity news.
Companies that use Aftonbladet
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Aftonbladet technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Aftonbladet partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- TV4 PlayminorPart of the broader Schibsted media ecosystem including TV4 Play for cross-promotion and content partnerships.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Aftonbladet competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- BBC News: Publicly funded but still one of the world's largest digital news brands, comparable in scale (tens of millions of users), breadth (news, sport, video, podcasts), and multi-platform distribution model (web, app, video).
- Bonnier News: Swedish media group owning Expressen, DN, Sydsvenskan, and Dagens industri. Direct competitor via its newspaper portfolio and Sweden's largest news subscription player (over 1M digital subs across titles).
- Schibsted (parent portfolio): Norwegian media conglomerate that owns 91% of Aftonbladet and operates VG, Aftenposten, Bergens Tidende, TV4, and Nordic marketplaces. Operates overlapping Nordic news and digital subscription capabilities at much larger scale.
- TV4 Group: Swedish commercial broadcaster and streaming service (TV4 Play) owned by Schibsted. Competes with Aftonbladet TV in video/streaming but complements via cross-promotion partnerships within the same Schibsted ecosystem.
Direct peers
- Verdens Gang (VG): Norway's largest online newspaper, owned by Schibsted and structurally analogous to Aftonbladet (news + Sportbladet-equivalent + VG+ subscription). Closest international functional peer for benchmarking paywall, video, and engagement strategy.
- Expressen: Sweden's other major tabloid daily, owned by Bonnier. Direct competitor in Swedish news, sports, and entertainment, with a comparable subscription (Expressen Premium) and Plus equivalent product targeting the same consumer base.
- Göteborgs-Posten (GP): Sweden's largest regional newspaper (Gothenburg region), also part of the Stampen/local media landscape. Competes for Swedish news readership and digital subscription share with comparable news+sport coverage and paywall structure.
- Dagens Nyheter (DN): Sweden's leading daily newspaper (broadsheet), owned by Bonnier. Competes head-on with Aftonbladet in national news coverage and operates a comparable digital subscription model (DN+) for premium journalism.
- Svenska Dagbladet (SvD): Stockholm-based daily owned by Schibsted, so a sister title under shared ownership. Competes directly with Aftonbladet in Swedish national news and operates a parallel digital subscription (SvD Premium).
Emerging players
- BuzzFeed News / digital-native publishers: Although US-based and no longer publishing original news, BuzzFeed's history exemplifies the digital-native subscription/news model that traditional publishers like Aftonbladet are competing against (alongside newer entrants like Semafor, The Athletic, and De Correspondent). Useful as a peer for benchmarking digital subscription economics.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Aftonbladet social profiles
Digital presenceAftonbladet financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Aftonbladet leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Aftonbladet subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Aftonbladet funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Aftonbladet M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Aftonbladet
What does Aftonbladet do?
Aftonbladet is Sweden's largest daily newspaper and digital media platform, publishing breaking news, sports coverage, entertainment, and lifestyle content across its website, mobile applications, video streaming service, podcasts, and digital newspaper. The Plus subscription service provides premium content, an ad-free experience, the e-tidning digital newspaper, and full access to the historical archive dating back to 1830, reaching approximately 3.5 million readers and viewers daily.
Is Aftonbladet a public or private company?
Aftonbladet is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Aftonbladet founded?
Aftonbladet was founded in 1830. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Aftonbladet based?
Aftonbladet is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, in the Europe region.
How does Aftonbladet make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Subscription Revenue (Plus) is the primary driver. The others are advertising.
Who are Aftonbladet's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are BBC News, Bonnier News, Schibsted (parent portfolio) and TV4 Group. Direct peers are Verdens Gang (VG), Expressen, Göteborgs-Posten (GP), Dagens Nyheter (DN) and Svenska Dagbladet (SvD). BuzzFeed News / digital-native publishers is listed as an emerging player.
Does Aftonbladet have an API?
No public API is recorded for Aftonbladet.
What industry is Aftonbladet in?
Aftonbladet's product category is Digital Newspaper Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAMAD, Digital Magazine & Newspaper Subscription Platforms (Paywalls, Membership), with a secondary code of BPAMAAAI, News & Content Aggregation Portals. Its NAICS code is 513110 and its SIC code is 2721.