Managing Digital Transformation in Nigerian Newspaper Organisations

This study examines the strategic management of digital transformation in Nigerian newspaper organisations, assessing how legacy print publishers are navigating the transition to digital-first operations. Nigerian newspaper circulation has declined consistently as advertising revenue migrates to digital platforms and audiences shift to online news consumption. Managing this transformation requires simultaneous innovation in content strategy, revenue models, organisational culture, and technical infrastructure. This study uses a qualitative case study methodology, conducting interviews with 28 senior editorial, commercial, and digital managers across four legacy newspapers (The Punch, Vanguard, Thisday, and the Guardian) and two digital-native news organisations (The Cable and Premium Times). Document analysis of annual reports, editorial strategies, and digital product launches supplements interview data. Innovation diffusion theory and organisational change models guide analysis. Findings reveal significant divergence between legacy and digital-native organisations in digital transformation readiness. Legacy newspapers report persistent revenue model tensions between print and digital, difficulty retaining digital talent, and editorial culture resistance to data-driven content strategies. Successful digital innovations are concentrated in subscriber-only content models and mobile-optimised news applications. Paywalls show early revenue potential but face audience resistance. Digital-native organisations demonstrate more agile product development but struggle with long-form investigative content sustainability. The study concludes that Nigerian newspaper digital transformation requires both technical and cultural organisational change. It recommends digital transformation leadership training, reader revenue diversification, and editorial-commercial integration as priority management strategies for Nigerian print publishers.

Keywords: digital transformation, newspaper management, Nigeria, media business, print-to-digital.