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Print Media: Online Presence
Just before the turn of the millennium, all of Austria’s major dailies and weeklies finally went online. The first daily in the entire German-speaking area launching an Internet edition was Der Standard (online since February 2nd, 1995)
As far as online presentation is concerned, different offers and strategies of the media entrepreneurs can be identified which can be categorized along the following criteria:
Online editions of the print version, i.e. a more or less 1:1 transfer of the print version into a hypertext version, complemented by additional customer and information services, as offered by “Kurier” (www.kurier.at), “profil” (www.profil.at), Die Presse (www.diepresse.com), News-Networld (www.news.at);
Online editions with selected content of the print versions, e.g. “Falter (www.falter.at);
Additional online services added to the hypertext version of the print edition or special online services, e.g. Der Standard (www.derstandard.at), which provides a web service specially designed for women (www.diestandard.at);
Portals and Internet platforms, with the hypertext version of the print edition forming part of a wide multi-media service range, such as “Salzburger Nachrichten” (www.salzburg.com), “Vorarlberger Nachrichten” or Vorarlberg Online (www.voralrberg.com).
The economic downturn registered since 2001 has had a profound impact on the Austrian mass media. Cost-cutting programmes have also affected online offers, especially since the anticipated revenues in the online sector failed to materialize. Various business models are under discussion for the online sector. Both paid-content services and exclusively ad-financed models have been announced and the strategy of an Internet platform adopted by Eugen Ruß has proven profitable. The publisher and owner of “Vorarlberger Nachrichten” established a network of regional online services that extends from Austria’s westernmost province over the entire country. Aside from the hypertext version of the regional paper, a wide range of services is offered, supplemented by business offers tuned to each location. The successful concept has also been adopted by “Kleine Zeitung”, “Salzburger Nachrichten” and “Oberösterreichische Nachrichten”.
The Internet
Austrians are fans of technology. Similarly to mobile telephony, Internet use has shown a highly dynamic trend (a market penetration of more than 70% was achieved within just a few years). Since 1996 the number of users has more then quintupled. In the second half of 2002 more than 3.76 million Austrians aged over 14 were already connected to the Internet. Internet use for private purpose has also climbed to a remarkable rate by international standards, i.e. 36% of the population.
Professional use of the Internet also continues to increase. In the next years the Internet boom is expected to expand above all among older people taking advantage of their professional experience in their third, post-professional life phase and/or who are “infected” by younger relatives or friends. This will enable them to communicate not just by cell phone but also by email in a mobile society.
Structural data on Internet users show that the degree of Internet use depends on socio-economic parameters: older people, person without completed higher secondary education, women, people living in villages and small towns, and the inhabitants of Lower Austria, Burgenland, Styria and Carinthia register below-average rates of Internet use. Similar to most states, Austria is confronted with the vital challenge of the information society, i.e. taking measures against an emerging “digital gab” between households with PCs and Internet access and those without.
Cinema and Film
Although Austrian cinematographic film productions have lately met with great interest from the audience and critics and some have even been awarded prizes (e.g. Michael Haneke’s “Funny Games” or “The Piano Teacher”, Barbara Albert’s “Northern Skirts” or Ulrich Seidl’s debut feature film “Dog Days”), the share of films produced uniquely for the cinema comes to just 11% of the total film production volume. About 90% of the annual values of production are commissioned productions and about 10% are independent productions (Austrian films produced by Austrian filmmakers or Austrian-foreign co-productions). Excluding subcontracted services, the ORF and actors, the Austrian film industry employs between 700 and 1,499 film creators in the strict sense of the word, subject to seasonal fluctuations. The industry’s annual total turnover is about 145.25 million Euros.
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