Identifying Key Elements in Media Revenue Models
Keywords:
thematic analysis, media revenue generation, media economics, Revenue modelAbstract
This study aims to identify and conceptualize the key elements influencing revenue generation models in Iranian media organizations, focusing on economic sustainability and competitiveness in the digital era. This qualitative research employed a thematic analysis approach. The conceptual framework was first developed through a systematic literature review in the fields of media economics and business models. Data were then collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with ten media experts, including financial and economic managers from media organizations. Purposeful and snowball sampling methods were used to ensure maximum diversity and richness of information. Data were analyzed using MAXQDA software through three stages of open, axial, and selective coding. The credibility of the findings was ensured by applying Lincoln and Guba’s four criteria: credibility, dependability, confirmability, and transferability. The analysis identified 23 conceptual indicators grouped into 11 core components of media revenue models: flexibility, market orientation, revenue diversification, income stability, agility, creativity, competitiveness, transparency, content, audience orientation, and audience insight. Thematic interpretation revealed a triadic structure of revenue generation: (1) internal lever—organizational and strategic foundations (agility, transparency, flexibility, stability), (2) external lever—value creation and market strategy (content, market orientation, creativity, competitiveness), and (3) financial lever—revenue mechanisms and audience interaction (audience orientation, audience insight, revenue diversification). Together, these levers form the foundation, direction, and mechanism for sustainable media income. This study presents a localized and integrative framework for designing sustainable media revenue models in Iran. Findings emphasize that long-term economic resilience requires a transition from static, product-centered models toward dynamic, data-driven, and audience-centered models. Implementing the identified components can guide media executives in developing innovative, diversified, and sustainable revenue strategies while reducing dependency on unstable funding sources.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Meysam Ansari (Author); Neda Soleimani (Corresponding author); Ataollah Abtahi, Omid Arghish (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
