What Harstad Tidende does

Harstad Tidende AS is a regional newspaper company headquartered in Harstad, Northern Norway, founded in 1887 and operating under the Polaris Media media group. The company serves the Harstad municipality and surrounding Troms og Finnmark region with local journalism spanning news, sports, culture, weather (Himmel og hav), opinions (Meninger), and sustainability (Bærekraft) topics, along with community services such as obituaries and announcements.

The company operates a multi-format content platform: the primary website ht.no, a digital newspaper edition (eAvis) accessible via e-pages.pub, and TV & podcast programming at tv.ht.no. Editorial operations are led by Editor-in-Chief and Managing Director Kjell Rune Henriksen, with a team of 11-50 employees supported by a Marketing Director, News Editor, and Sales Manager. The technology stack is a digital news platform built around the e-pages.pub eAvis integration and a multiad.no classifieds/advertising self-service portal, with no disclosed proprietary AI or ML systems.

Revenue is generated through two primary streams: recurring subscription revenue (Abonnement) for print and digital access, and advertising (Annonse / Annonsørinnhold sponsored content) from local businesses and private advertisers. The company operates under the Norwegian Vær Varsom-plakaten press ethics framework and holds Miljøfyrtårn environmental certification, reflecting regulatory compliance with Norwegian press and sustainability standards. Customer-facing distribution is single-country domestic, targeting individual subscribers and SMB advertisers within the Harstad geography.

Name

Harstad Tidende

Legal name

Harstad Tidende AS

Website

https://ht.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

1887

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Harstad Tidende is a regional newspaper serving the Harstad municipality and Troms og Finnmark region of Northern Norway with local news, sports, culture, and weather content distributed via print, website (ht.no), eAvis digital edition, and TV & podcast channels, monetized through subscriptions and local advertising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Newspaper

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (51311), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

National & General-Interest Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAA)

Keywords

• Regional newspaper
• Local news media
• Digital newspaper
• News subscription
• Community journalism

Headquarters

HQ city

Harstad

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Subscription revenue: Newspaper subscription services providing access to print and digital content
2. Advertising: Business and private advertising placement in newspaper and digital platforms

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Harstad Tidende is a regional Norwegian newspaper founded in 1887 that publishes local journalism covering news, sports, culture, weather (Himmel og hav), and opinions (Meninger) for the Harstad region in Northern Norway. It distributes content through a main website (ht.no), a digital e-newspaper edition (eAvis) hosted on e-pages.pub, TV and podcast programming, and traditional print. The company sells subscriptions (Abonnement) granting access to digital and print content, and accepts advertising from local businesses (Bedriftsannonser).

Product overview

Harstad Tidende is a local newspaper serving the Harstad region in Northern Norway. The company operates a unified news platform offering digital content through its website (ht.no), an eAvis (digital newspaper) accessible via e-pages.pub, and TV & podcast content. The product portfolio centers on local journalism covering news, sports, culture, business, and weather. Subscriptions are available for both digital and print access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• eAvis (Digital newspaper edition)
• ht.no (News website)
• TV & Podcast
• Abonnement (Newspaper subscription)
• Bedriftsannonser (Business advertising)

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Polaris MediaminorOthersHarstad Tidende AS is part of the Polaris Media group, a Norwegian media conglomerate. The company references Polaris Media's transparency policy (åpenhetsloven) compliance.
• Miljøfyrtårn (Environmental Lighthouse)minorOthersHarstad Tidende AS holds Miljøfyrtårn (Environmental Lighthouse) certification, demonstrating environmental compliance. Statistics are reported through their Miljøfyrtårn portal.
• Vær Varsom-plakatenminorOthersHarstad Tidende operates under Vær Varsom-plakatens rules for good press practice, the Norwegian press ethics guidelines managed by the Norwegian Press Association.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bergens Tidende: Major Norwegian regional newspaper based in Bergen, published by Schibsted. Comparable as a regional subscription-based newspaper with digital editions, local journalism focus, and similar revenue mix of subscriptions and advertising, though at significantly larger scale.
• iTromsø: Local Tromsø newspaper also part of Polaris Media. Competes for Northern Norway reader attention and regional advertising budgets; comparable digital+print newspaper model serving a similarly sized Northern Norwegian city market.
• Stavanger Aftenblad: Regional newspaper in Stavanger published by Schibsted. Comparable subscription and advertising model, digital news platform, and local journalism focus for a Norwegian regional city market — useful benchmark for operating model and digital monetization.
• Adresseavisen: Trondheim-based regional newspaper under Polaris Media. Direct comparable on business model (subscription + advertising), Polaris Media ownership, and regional Norwegian city focus, though serving a larger market than Harstad.
• Nordlys: Tromsø-based regional newspaper covering Northern Norway under Polaris Media. Most directly comparable peer given shared regional geography, common Polaris Media ownership, and similar subscription-plus-advertising business model serving adjacent Northern Norway audiences.
• Fædrelandsvennen: Regional newspaper based in Kristiansand under Polaris Media. Directly comparable regional newspaper business model under shared ownership, providing a peer benchmark for Polaris Media's regional title economics.

Broad incumbents

• Amedia: Largest Norwegian local and regional newspaper publisher, competitor to Polaris Media. Comparable as a broader incumbent operating many regional titles with shared technology, advertising networks, and subscription platforms that compete for the same advertisers and readers.
• VG (Verdens Gang): Major Norwegian national tabloid newspaper. Comparable as a Norwegian subscription and advertising-supported news platform that competes for the same reader attention in Northern Norway and offers a benchmark for digital subscription economics at national scale.
• Polaris Media: Parent media group that owns Harstad Tidende AS along with multiple other Norwegian regional newspapers. Comparable as the broader group whose shared infrastructure, technology, and editorial standards Harstad Tidende operates within.
• Aftenposten: Norway's largest paid national newspaper published by Schibsted. Comparable as a subscription-led newspaper with strong digital presence that competes with Harstad Tidende for national advertisers and the attention of Northern Norway readers seeking higher-quality journalism.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/harstadtidende
• Facebookfacebook.com/HarstadTidende
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mediehuset-harstad-tidende

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Harstad Tidende