What to Read in the Morning? A Niche Analysis of Free Daily Papers and Paid Papers in Korea.

Since Metro was first launched in Seoul, Korea in May 2002, multiple local titles followed, and free daily papers (FDPs) have been building up their own niches through competition with paid papers for readership and sales as well as expanding their competitive power. In addition, despite their short history, FDPs influence readers' usage behavior and create changes in the morning paid paper market through competition. How do readers perceive FDPs in terms of need satisfaction? This study analyzed the competition among three types of papers (paid newspapers, paid sports papers, and FDPs) in Korea through using niche theory and a uses and gratifications perspective. The findings revealed that FDPs are generally better than sports papers in terms of niche breadth, overlap, and competitive superiority in gratification factors. There has also been competitive displacement between FDPs and sports papers—paid newspapers in consumer usage. In conclusion, FDPs have been successfully established to threaten sports papers and paid newspapers in the morning paper market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]