Swedish newspaper Expressen built an online video channel to take on traditional TV

Expressen, one of Sweden's oldest tabloid newspapers, is aiming to position itself as the "home of breaking news" in the country using online video.

The publisher has recently invested in two additional studios, that will use innovative technologies such as 3D and virtual graphics to produce more video for Expressen TV, its on-demand video platform.

"Print is no longer our only operation," Bella Levy, head of Expressen TV, explained yesterday (11 October) at the World Publishing Expo in Vienna.

"In 2015, we made the decision to expand Expressen TV. This was something we felt we had to do because of a massive market shift to breaking-news focus in 2014 – our old studio from 2005 was just too small."

Expressen is owned by Bonnier Group, a global media company with 8,000 employees in 16 countries around the world.

Originally launched as a print publication in 1944, Expressen now reaches an online audience of 2.1 million per day, and hopes Expressen TV will help place it at the forefront of video news in Sweden.

"From June to September 2015, our online video channel grew from 20 members of staff to 60, as we recruited reporters, anchors and editors," Levy said.

"We don't use things like virtual sets in Sweden, so this is a way for us to challenge linear TV storytelling in new ways."

We can also use mobile phones and selfie sticks to report... quality comes second when it comes to breaking newsBella Levy, Expressen TV

Expressen TV aims to report the news differently to their competitors, with reporters able to use drones, GoPro cameras, virtual sets and augmented reality technology to produce stories – all part of the publisher's goal to be seen as a modern, non-traditional broadcaster.

The news organisation's online strategy is to produce 100 video clips per day, featured on the website alongside written articles. This is not an easy task, especially as the team aims to go live within 180 seconds of any breaking news event.

"This sounds expensive but it is not, because we can also use mobile phones and selfie sticks to report, enabling us to be first at the scene.

"Our audience wants to know what's going on, and they don't care if the reporter is in a taxi, holding a shaky iPhone, because she's telling us all what is happening. Quality comes second when it comes to breaking news."

One of Expressen TV's virtual sets, used while covering the Euro 2016 tournament

The news organisation streams live for 16 hours per day, with a daily core team consisting of just an anchor, editor and technician. To change the look and feel of the bulletins throughout the day, they use three different studio sets, called Morning, Live and Primetime.

"During the terrorist attacks in Brussels, we had 16 reporters at the scene, and broadcast a continuous live stream on Expressen TV for the first 40 hours.

"In addition, we took advantage of Facebook Live, and re-purposed our footage for a documentary on the attacks, which gained more than 1 million views."

Expressen TV is currently gearing up for the upcoming US Presidential election, and is now a Swedish affiliate of CNN, which trained 55 Expressen staff members to shoot better video. The organisations frequently use each other's material when stories break, as well as for other news packages they want to broadcast.

"All of our editorial staff contribute to Expressen TV. They have to, because breaking news sets our agenda," Levy said.

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