Gudbrandsdølen Dagningen: Weekenders to subscribers

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Norway | Project Type: Large | Gudbrandsdølen Dagningen | Amount Awarded: €300,000

In Norway, cabins are a way of life. Every Friday, thousands of city dwellers pack skis, bikes and provisions into their cars and head out to rural cabins for a couple of days of fun activities. While the doubling of its population every weekend has long supported the economy in Lillehammer, it’s now also the inspiration for a digital initiative that is set to transform the financial prospects of the town’s long-established daily magazine.


“We believed that weekend visitors were a huge market for both our existing stories and for content targeted around their interests and needs,” comments Espen Rønning, Business Developer at Gudbrandsdølen Dagningen (GD). “We wanted to discover the best way to reach these weekenders, and whether they’d subscribe to this sort of content. The DNI Fund enabled us to work with a digital consultancy, evaluate the options available and build an appropriate solution.”

The funding enabled us to work with a digital consultancy, evaluate the options available and build a solution.

Espen Rønning
Business Developer at Gudbrandsdølen Dagningen (GD
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Espen’s team – which thanks to the DNI Fund’s support has grown to include a full-time journalist as well as a project group – initially considered creating an app before opting for a website because of the opportunities to reuse existing content. Within a few weeks of launch in March 2018, GDhytte.no had already gained 3,350 subscribers, each paying 39 Kroner (€5+) per month. The site also carries paid-for advertising.


Espen now has plans to roll out the concept to other niche audiences in the Lillehammer area over the next six months. “GDFamilie and GDUtflytter will target families and young people,” he adds. “Our parent company Amedia, which has 64 titles across Norway, is following our progress with great interest so the long-term impact of GD could be significant.”

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