Schibsted Media Group

The story begins in 1839 when Christian Schibsted established a publishing house in Oslo. This venture would lay the groundwork for a media powerhouse, starting with the founding of the Aftenposten newspaper in 1860, which played a key role in shaping Norwegian national identity. For over a century, Schibsted operated as a family-owned newspaper business. A major transformation occurred in 1992 when the company went public on the Oslo Stock Exchange. This set the stage for a period of expansion and, crucially, a pivot toward the internet. Recognizing the shift from print to digital, Schibsted began investing heavily in online classifieds, launching successful marketplaces like Finn.no in Norway and acquiring Sweden's Blocket.se. This strategic foresight into the power of digital marketplaces became the company's new engine for growth. The most significant evolution in recent years came in 2019, when Schibsted spun off its international online classifieds operations into a separate, publicly listed company named Adevinta. This move allowed Schibsted to focus on its Nordic media houses and marketplaces. In 2024, the company underwent another strategic split, selling its news media operations to its largest shareholder, the Tinius Trust, and rebranding the remaining publicly listed marketplaces company as Vend. This created two distinct entities: a media company dedicated to journalism and a pure-play marketplaces company focused on digital commerce.