Name

VK Media

Legal name

VK Media AB

Website

https://vkmedia.se

Company type

Private

Founded year

1900

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Media and Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Digital Magazine & Newspaper Subscription Platforms (Paywalls, Membership) (MPAJAMAD)

Keywords

• Local newspaper publishing
• Digital news subscriptions
• Commercial printing services
• Broadband internet services
• Digital marketing agency

Headquarters

HQ city

Stockholm

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Subscription Revenue (Print & Digital): VK Media generates revenue from print and digital newspaper subscriptions across its family of titles including Västerbottens-Kuriren (VK), Folkbladet, Västerbottningen, Lokaltidningen, Mellanbygden, and Nordsverige. VK has over 32,000 subscribers and has grown subscriptions for 3 consecutive years. eFolkbladet provides digital-only subscriptions.
2. Advertising Revenue (Print & Digital): The company sells print and digital advertising, including programmatic and targeted digital ad placements. Advertising solutions include full-service offerings, digital-only advertising, and print newspaper advertising. The acquisition of Grit Media adds spetskompetens (specialized expertise) in digital marketing, expanding the commercial advertising portfolio.
3. Printing Services (Daily Print): VK Media's wholly-owned subsidiary Daily Print i Umeå AB operates a commercial printing facility that prints VK and Folkbladet as well as external clients including DN, Aftonbladet, and direct response advertising. The facility is ISO certified and Svanenmärkt (Nordic Swan ecolabel certified).
4. Broadband Services (Fiber8): VK Media's subsidiary Fiber8 offers broadband internet services to residential customers in Västerbotten and beyond, bundled with media subscriptions. Fiber8 also provides white-label broadband solutions to other media houses, enabling them to sell internet services under their own brand. Expanded with NTM partnership in 2022.
5. Digital Marketing Agency Services (Grit Media): Grit Media (60% owned by VK Media since January 2025) operates as a full-service digital marketing agency with clients including Panasonic, Celsius, Boliden, Skellefteå kommun, and Rototilt. Grit reported 2023 revenue of 67 MSEK with approximately 4.2 MSEK net profit.
6. Real Estate (Gazette AB): VK Media holds a 50% stake in the real estate company Gazette AB, co-owned with Balticgruppen AB. This represents a diversified revenue/investment stream contributing to economic sustainability.
7. E-commerce / Digital Marketplace (Roséns saluhall): VK Media launched a digital food hall (Roséns saluhall) enabling local producers in the Umeå region to sell products online. VK Media acts as the platform operator, earning revenue from the marketplace. Launched in August 2025.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

VK Media is a local Swedish media house publishing a portfolio of print and digital newspapers led by Västerbottens-Kuriren (VK), the largest daily in Norrland. The company also sells digital advertising, commercial printing via its Daily Print facility, broadband internet through Fiber8 / VK Media Bredband, digital marketing services via Grit Media, and operates the Roséns saluhall digital food marketplace connecting local producers with Umeå consumers.

Product overview

VK Media is a multi-brand local media house operating a portfolio of newspaper and digital media products, broadband services, and a certified printing press. The core offerings include Västerbottens-Kuriren (Norrland's largest daily) and Folkbladet newspapers, supplemented by regional weeklies (Västerbottningen, Lokaltidningen, Mellanbygden, Nordsverige) acquired through Tidningar i Norr. Commercial services include VK Media Bredband/Fiber8 broadband, Grit Media digital marketing agency (acquired 2024), VK Media Partner advertising solutions, and the Daily Print Swan-certified printing press. Recent additions include Roséns saluhall digital marketplace (2025). The portfolio reaches over 100,000 people daily across Västerbotten, Sweden.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Västerbottens-Kuriren (VK): Norrland's largest daily newspaper and one of Sweden's leading local newspapers, the flagship title of VK Media
• Folkbladet
• Daily Print
• Fiber8
• Grit Media
• Roséns Saluhall
• VK Media Partner

Products and services

• Västerbottens-Kuriren (VK) Norrland's largest daily newspaper and one of Sweden's leading local newspapers, published in print and digital formats. Flagship journalism brand of VK Media reaching over 100,000 people daily in Västerbotten, with 32,000+ subscribers and 3 consecutive years of subscription growth.
• Folkbladet Local newspaper serving Västerbotten, published in both print and digital formats as part of VK Media following the 2001 merger with VK. Distinct editorial voice with independent newsroom.
• Västerbottningen Local weekly newspaper serving Västerbotten, part of the Tidningar i Norr portfolio acquired by VK Media in 2021.
• Lokaltidningen Local weekly newspaper serving Västerbotten, part of the Tidningar i Norr portfolio acquired by VK Media in 2021.
• Mellanbygden (Västerbottens Mellanbygd) Regional weekly newspaper serving the middle region of Västerbotten, part of the Tidningar i Norr portfolio acquired by VK Media in 2021.
• Nordsverige Northern Sweden regional newspaper, part of the Tidningar i Norr portfolio acquired by VK Media in 2021.
• eFolkbladet Digital-only edition of Folkbladet, launched in 2016 as a seven-day digital newspaper for Västerbotten readers.
• Daily Print commercial printing Commercial newspaper and direct-response printing service operated by Daily Print i Umeå AB. ISO 12647-3 and Nordic Swan ecolabel certified. Prints VK, Folkbladet, DN, Aftonbladet, and direct mail for external publishers and advertisers.
• Fiber8 broadband platform and VK Media Bredband Fiber8 is a broadband service platform offering a complete management and sales solution. Sold directly to consumers under the VK Media Bredband retail brand and white-labeled to other Swedish media houses (including NTM) to enable bundled internet and media subscriptions.
• Grit Media digital marketing agency Full-service digital marketing and advertising agency with offices in Skellefteå, Umeå, Luleå, and Stockholm. Specializes in digital marketing, programmatic advertising, and multi-channel campaign strategy. Serves clients including Panasonic, Celsius, Boliden, AFA Försäkring, Skellefteå kommun, and Rototilt.
• Roséns saluhall digital marketplace Digital marketplace connecting local food and beverage producers in the Umeå region (e.g., Järvtjärns utegrisar, Norums Fiskrökeri, Svedjan Ost, Norrlands Kombucha) with local consumers via weekly home delivery or pickup. VK Media acts as the platform operator and earns commission on sales.
• VK Media Partner media agency Media agency offering integrated marketing and advertising solutions for clients, accessible via the annons.vkmedia.se portal alongside full-service, digital-only, and print newspaper advertising products.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 32,000 VK subscribers, growing for 3 consecutive years with 1,400 added in 2021 alone — fastest-growing local newspaper outside Swedish metros.
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Grit Media (Nornan Invest AB / Norran)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024VK Media acquired 60% of Grit Media in October 2024 (completed January 2025). Remaining 40% held by five employees. Grit Media's former owner Nornan Invest AB (Norran, led by Anders Westermark) sold its stake. Grit operates independently with offices in Skellefteå, Umeå, Luleå, and Stockholm, serving clients including Panasonic, Celsius, Boliden, Skellefteå kommun, and Rototilt.
• NTM ABcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2023VK Media partnered with NTM AB to create Svensk Hemleverans Norr AB, a joint distribution company for Västerbotten and Norrbotten. The partnership optimizes newspaper and package distribution networks. VK Media takes over newspaper distribution in Västerbotten for bud-distributed newspapers. NTM also invested in Fiber8 as a minority shareholder.
• Fiber8coreOthers · 1 December 2022Fiber8 is VK Media's wholly-owned subsidiary (via Västerbottens-Kurirens Media AB) offering broadband services. In 2022, Fiber8 entered a partnership with NTM AB to expand broadband services to NTM's geographies, with NTM also becoming a minority shareholder in Fiber8.
• Tidningar i Norr ABcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021VK Media acquired 90.1% of Tidningar i Norr AB in 2021. Tidningar i Norr publishes Lokaltidningen, Västerbottens Mellanbygd (Mellanbygden), Nordsverige, and Västerbottningen. The acquisition expanded VK Media's regional footprint across Västerbotten.
• Balticgruppen ABminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVK Media and Balticgruppen AB co-own the real estate company Gazette AB (50% each). Gazette was formed in 2009, described as 'Sveriges största fastighetsaffär' (Sweden's largest real estate deal) at the time. The partnership provides economic sustainability through property investment.
• Posten / Svensk DirektreklamminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVK Media's printing facility Daily Print works closely with Posten (Swedish Post) and Svensk Direktreklam for newspaper and direct mail distribution. Finished newspaper bundles are plastic-wrapped and strapped, with delivery coordinated through postal and logistics partners.
• Roséns saluhall / Local ProducersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVK Media launched Roséns saluhall, a digital food hall partnering with approximately 10 local producers including Järvtjärns utegrisar, Norums Fiskrökeri, Svedjan Ost, and Norrlands Kombucha. VK provides the digital marketplace platform; producers supply local food products delivered weekly to Umeå customers.
• SAMSPEL InitiativeminorOthersVK Media supports the SAMSPEL initiative for safe club activities for children and youth. As a sponsor, VK requires participating clubs to obtain limited police record extracts and have anti-bullying action plans, promoting child safety in sports and cultural organizations.
• Polaris / Nya WemlandstidningenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2019, VK Media joined with Norwegian group Polaris and Nya Wemlandstidningen to form PNV Media AB. PNV Media acquired Stampen in Gothenburg (including Göteborgs-Posten) early that year.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Polaris Media: Polaris is a Norwegian regional media group. Direct peer as a multi-title regional media company and a co-owner in PNV Media AB with VK Media, sharing operational and strategic overlap.
• NTM AB: NTM is a Swedish regional media group operating multiple local newspaper titles across northern Sweden. Directly comparable to VK Media as a multi-brand regional newspaper house; also an actual partner via Svensk Hemleverans Norr AB and Fiber8.
• MittMedia: MittMedia is a Swedish regional media group with titles across northern and central Sweden. Direct peer operating in overlapping northern Swedish geography with comparable local-news subscription models.
• Gota Media: Gota Media is a Swedish local media group operating multiple regional newspaper titles. Direct peer in the Swedish local/regional newspaper and digital subscription space.
• NWT Media (Nya Wermlands-Tidningen): NWT is a Swedish regional newspaper publisher operating in Värmland. Direct peer in Swedish local/regional newspaper publishing; co-partner with VK Media in PNV Media AB (formed 2019).
• Stampen Media Group: Stampen is a Swedish media group anchored by Göteborgs-Posten. Direct peer in Swedish regional newspaper publishing and printing; was acquired by PNV Media AB (which VK Media co-owns).

Broad incumbents

• Bonnier News: Bonnier News is Sweden's largest news publisher (Dagens Nyheter, Expressen, Sydsvenskan). Broad incumbent competing for national and regional advertising/subscription budgets that overlap with VK Media's market.
• Schibsted: Schibsted is a major Nordic media group operating newspapers and digital marketplaces across Scandinavia. Broad incumbent with comparable subscription and digital advertising dynamics to VK Media's portfolio.

Others

• Aller Media: Aller Media is a Nordic media house operating magazines, newspapers, and digital properties. Comparable as a diversified Nordic media operator, though Aller focuses more on magazines and B2C brands than VK's local-news core.

Regional players

• Amedia: Amedia is Norway's largest local newspaper publisher. Comparable business model (local subscription + digital) but primarily Norwegian; relevant cross-border peer and partner candidate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/vkmedia.se
• Facebookfacebook.com/vkmediaumea
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/v-sterbottens-kuriren-ab

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about VK Media