Cascading Media Synergy: Trans-media induced Business Model Innovation in chinatimes.com

新聞媒體正遭遇重大挑戰，使用者閱聽習慣的改變使報紙與電視媒體收視節節下降。相對地，新媒體則透過網際網路蓬勃發展，電腦、手機、社交媒體讓溝通方式更顯多樣化。在此劣勢狀況下，傳統媒體應該如何擁抱新媒體，又如何能轉型商業模式呢？本論文以《中時電子報》為研究個案，探討傳統新聞媒體企業如何運用開放式創新方式，串連各種形式的媒體，開拓嶄新的服務方式，更建構了複合商業模式。本研究發現，新媒體可透過各種科技與傳統媒體串連，並分為紙媒、電視、廣播以及社群平台四種策略，彼此間可交互運用。不過，要形成此串媒體策略前，必須先重新建構環境、使用者及競爭對手所施予的制約。串媒體策略會引導出三項創新。第一，形成以使用者為中心的服務，串連文字、圖片、影音及廣播，整合各種媒介之新聞內容；第二，各式媒體的串連將匯聚網路流量；第三，網路流量帶動點閱率的增加，使商業模式能靈活多樣，創造更多營收來源。觀念上，本論文將解釋在制約中企業如何形成複合商業模式，說明如何以媒體做為服務，來融合新舊商業模式。實務上，複合商業模式點出串媒體策略中的不同串連效應，提供新聞媒體未來更多創新的想像。News media is in the face of a major challenge, as the audience’s shifting reading habits seem to cause rapid decrease in newspapers and televisions. Comparatively, due to the rise of Internet, the wide spread of new media enables novel modes of communication via computers, mobile phones and social media. Under this disadvantage situation, how may the traditional media embrace new media, while transform its business model? This thesis investigates the case of Chinatimes.com and explores how traditional news media firm may employ open innovation methods to align various forms of media and develop brand new methods of services and business models. The findings point out that new media could be linked with traditional media to establish four types of trans-media strategies interchangeably, including newspaper, television, radio broadcasting, and social media. However, to establish these trans-media strategies, firms must reconstruct the constraints stemming from the environment, user and competitors. The strategy of trans-media will guide three kinds of innovation. First, it establishes user-centric services, cascades texts, graphics, audio-video and radio, and integrate news contents from various media; second, the cascading of various media will converge Internet traffics; third, the traffics increase click rates and enable a flexible business model while generating more sources of revenues. Conceptually, this thesis explains how a hybrid business model could be built under constraints, describes how news media could be used as a service to blend in the old and new business models. Practically, the hybrid business model will explain various cascading effects created by trans-media strategies and highlight more imaginations of innovation for media firms in the future