The leading Ukrainian daily newspaper Segodnya (“Today”) will end its 22-year print run and transition to an online-only format. Readers will receive the last print issue on Sept. 27.
The newspaper’s parent company, Media Group Ukraine, said the decision was driven by rising print costs and poor distribution channels.
The holding will now focus on the Segodnya news website and a branded television news program that airs on the Ukraina television channel, which is also a part of the holding. Media Group Ukraine belongs to oligarch Rinat Akhmetov.
“The distribution system for the print press is practically destroyed,” the holding’s director, Yevheniy Bondarenko, said in a statement on Sept. 2. “Print is getting more expensive, and the tendency toward rising costs will continue. Readers in the regions often receive news from the day before yesterday (or news that is a week old). The situation has been getting worse lately.”
Andriy Romanenko, the CEO of Segodnya Multimedia, added that “it makes no sense to print a newspaper if there are no ways to distribute it.”
“Entire market segments ceased to exist: subscription agencies went bankrupt, a retail network for selling the print press closed. This is especially relevant for remote regions and towns with a population of 50,000 or fewer,” he said.
Oksana Romaniuk, executive director at the Institute for Mass Information, a media watchdog, said Segodnya is the leader of the market in terms of sales, and its print closure sends a signal to all players.
“We have been calling the print press a sinking ship for years now. Advertising revenues in print are incomparable with digital and television,” she told the Kyiv Post. “Segodnya is a successful newspaper, and if it shuts down then it must be a strategic step.”
On the other hand, she added, the exit of a national daily from the market might give a boost to the development of local newspapers.
Segodnya has published in the Russian language since 1997 and comes out five days a week, with a circulation of 149,951 copies and regional editions. It cost Hr 4 ($0.16) in kiosks.
Its closest Russian-language competitors, Vesti (“News”) and Den (“Day”), come out five and four times a week, respectively. The Ukrainian-language Ukraina Moloda (“Young Ukraine”) comes out three times a week.
