Tzekis, A.1*, Spiliopoulos, P.2
1Department of Communication, Media and Culture, Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences, Syngrou Avenue 136, 17671, Athens, Greece.
2School of Journalism and Mass Media Communication, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 46 Egnatia, Thessaloniki, 54625, Greece.
*Contact Corresponding Author: 
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the business tactics followed by the owners of the sports newspaper Live Sport which was initially published in Greece in 2012, and is still in circulation up to date. That is, a) in the midst of the country’s economic crisis and also simultaneously the crisis in the field of the print media industry around the world and b), during flourishing of broadband connections that made the Internet a medium which allowed the transmission of high quality of information in all forms (image, video, sound) The research was based on the qualitative method and employed the approach of the case study, with a methodological triangulation in data collection. Documents and other type of data were examined, a direct observation was made with the physical presence of the first author in the workplace of the newspaper and three in-depth interviews with senior executives of the publication were conducted with a semi-structured guide. The results showed that the newspaper followed a) the overall cost leadership strategy when it was released and b) when it was established, the differentiation strategy. Thus, it managed to survive financially and climb to the top of the market, receiving a significant market share and more than doubling its sales revenue. However, there is no absence of financial problems, along with organizational ones. The findings agree with similar case studies in Greece and the research covers a serious gap in the field of sports media, since to the authors’ knowledge, the specific issue has not been researched internationally. In conclusion, the implementation of business strategies that have already been adopted by several European Media, seem to show the way to support the sports press.
Keywords: Business strategy; sports press; financial crisis; qualitative research; case study.
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