But as everywhere sales online is not enough

See a newsstand Italian, balancing the newspapers as the "Corriere della Sera", the first daily newspaper in the country with approximately 650,000 best sold, or "La repubblica", number two with some best 560.000 per day to count their supplements, one might think that the transalpine press is doing well. Yet the opposite is. Despite comfortable prints, the Italian dailies see their readership fray, even though "La repubblica" took its investigations on the antics of Silvio Berlusconi to save an increase in its sales. Their turnover also suffers severe erosion related to the decline in advertising revenue, while production costs do not fall enough. This little rider table is is still clouded in 2008 and 2009, the global crisis, and should hardly to improve before 2010, the Italian Federation of newspaper (FIEG) publishers.

The sector key figures are little engaging: in 2008, newspapers have seen their sales decline of 2 and advertising revenues decline by 6. Their gross operating income represents 3 of turnover. A number deemed insufficient to allow publishers to invest as they should on Internet and mobile phone. Ebitda (gross operating surplus) associate 57 newspapers identified by the FIEG tumbled from 61.3 in 2008. In short, the Italian press, who believed found a lifesaver in the coupled sale of books or CD with the dailies, had confronted: these products - the Bible, jazz, songs by Mina... - which accounted for 14 of the turnover at the top weighed more than 9.9 in 2007 and 6 in 2008. Households were the impasse on this type of purchase as the crisis has felt its effects. Periodic press has not been spared by the crisis. In 2008, it has lost 5 of its advertising revenue and saw its sales decline by 4.4. Most affected are newsmagazines and the female, while the journals in the cars and motorcycles and health have progressed. More generally, the magazines (economic, for men, children or lovers of gardens) fired their PIN of the game, but their prints are low the eye weekly and monthly information to the female.

The good will of Berlusconi

As elsewhere, the newspapers responded by creating Web sites. Among news sites, those newspapers are among the most popular Italian Internet users (about 60 of the population has access to the network). According to data November 2008 Audiweb, newspapers sites recorded 3.6 million contacts per day for 36 million page views. But, as everywhere, sales online is not enough.

For the FIEG, the fall in sales of newspapers is their poor distribution, with "broth" (unsold rate) too important, and the weakness of the portage at home. The absence of a policy for the press is also severely felt: support for the sector funds have suffered clear cuts. In addition, the FIEG points the finger at "an advertising market highly unbalanced televisions and insufficient protection of content, including the copyright in the editorial content.

To address this crisis both structural and cyclical and avoid a gradual marginalization of the written press, publishers seek public aid plan similar to the France has recently adopted after the States General of the press. Remains whether if Silvio Berlusconi really wants to fly to the rescue transalpine newspapers. Unlike private television channels controlled by his group Mediaset, the Italian press does not hesitate to criticize its policy and taunting his dissolute privacy!