Value creation and new intermediaries on Internet. An exploratory analysis of the online news industry and the web content aggregators

The traditional news industry is changing and transforming itself into a digital, online news industry. This paper analyses this phenomenon from the value chain and value creation perspectives and explores the creation of value by new intermediaries. An exploratory study has been conducted based on strategic informants, web content analysis of 56 companies’ websites and 5 received questionnaires (of 24 web content aggregators contacted). Companies from USA, Canada, Spain, France, Germany, UK, and Switzerland have been analysed. The information gathered provided a knowledge base to describe the value chain of the industry, the main players of the sector, and its roles in the value chain activities. Furthermore, we could identify the Web Content Aggregators (WCAs) as new players that provide third part content to other companies, institutions and end-users. They mainly concentrate in the content packaging and the distribution stages of the value chain, and aggregate the supply and demand in the industry, collect, organize, and evaluate dispersed information, and they also provide infrastructure to other industry players. The four drivers [Amit, R., & Zott, C. (2001). Value creation in E-Business. Strategic Management Journal, 22, 493–520.] (efficiency, complementarities, lock-in, and novelty) of value creation model has been applied specifically to them. Limitations, managerial implications and preliminary conclusions are proposed.