Online Reporter
Business Writer
INTEGRATED media house Zimpapers Limited is aggressively expanding its digital revenue streams to secure long-term sustainability as traditional media businesses worldwide grapple with mounting disruption from digital platforms and changing consumer behaviour.
Chief executive oicer Mr William Chikoto told the company’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Harare yesterday that legacy media organisations are facing increasing pressure from social media and digital platforms that have fundamentally altered and, in many cases, undermined traditional business models.
For Zimpapers, he said, the changing media landscape has necessitated a strategic transition towards a digitally driven business model to cushion the company against declining print advertising and circulation revenues, although these segments have remained relatively resilient compared to trends observed in other parts of the world.
Mr Chikoto said that following the successful integration of the group’s newsrooms, Zimpapers had embarked on an intensive drive to diversify its revenue base by targeting non-traditional income streams to offset pressure on its traditional operations.
“Traditional media business models are collapsing, driven by shifting audience behaviour, platform fragmentation and the rise of digital consumption,” Mr Chikoto told shareholders. Having laid a strong foundation through newsroom transformation, our focus now has shifted decisively to digital revenue diversification.”
In line with evolving global media trends and industry best practices, Mr Chikoto outlined a three-pronged revenue framework aimed at maximising returns from the group’s extensive audience base while reducing dependence on traditional print advertising.
Under its “publisher as a retailer” model, Zimpapers is leveraging its established and market-leading media brands to drive e-commerce activity and product-based transactions.
The company is also unlocking value from its audience networks through high-impact corporate-sponsored events and experiential engagements under its “publisher as an event organiser” strategy.
Through its “publisher as an educationist” initiative, the group is creating new high-margin revenue streams by introducing professional development programmes, technical training services and corporate media literacy courses.
Mr Chikoto said the new monetisation strategies are already producing positive results, contributing significantly to growth in non-traditional revenue streams and helping reduce the company’s reliance on legacy printing operations.
“These initiatives reflect a deliberate shift towards multi-stream revenue generation. Our audiences are growing, our content model has been modernised and our revenue streams are diversifying. Most importantly, we are moving from a traditional media house to a digitally driven enterprise. Zimpapers is not reacting to change; we are proactively reshaping our business to lead in a digital future,” Mr Chikoto said.
Zimpapers chairperson Mrs Doreen Sibanda said the group’s reduced profitability was largely attributable to a legacy industrial cost structure that is no longer aligned with the demands of a fast-changing, digital-first media environment.
She said addressing this structural imbalance remains a key priority for the board, which is working closely with management to implement critical strategic and operational reforms.
Mrs Sibanda added that the board remains focused on driving structural transformation while strengthening corporate governance systems across the business.
She also expressed cautious optimism about the company’s future prospects, noting that sustainable growth would be anchored on the ongoing digital transformation programme.
“The transformation journey we have undertaken will continue to gather momentum, guided by disciplined execution, strategy clarity, and a firm commitment to long-term sustainability. While the operating environment is expected to remain complex, we are confident that the foundations being laid, particularly in digital evolution, cost realignment and governance, will position the group to unlock new growth opportunities.”
Mrs Sibanda outlined a four-point strategic focus for the board moving forward: accelerating digital transformation, aligning cost structures with emerging revenue streams, strengthening capital discipline and enhancing stakeholder confidence through greater transparency.
Presenting a trading update, chief finance officer Mrs Prisca Makandwa said the group reduced its operating losses by 18 percent year-on-year during the first five months of the year, driven by aggressive cost-containment measures and strong growth in its broadcasting and digital business units.
She said although the company continues to operate in a challenging environment, strategic operational efficiencies are helping steer the business towards profitability.
For the five months ended May 31, 2026, Zimpapers recorded a significant reduction in operating losses compared to the corresponding period last year.
“The improvements we are seeing today — strong margins, reduced losses and growing digital momentum — are clear signals that our strategy is working. With continued discipline, innovation and focus, we are confident that the group will emerge stronger, more resilient and positioned to deliver sustainable value,” Mrs Makandwa told shareholders.
Despite facing liquidity constraints, the group demonstrated operational resilience after generating positive operating cash flows of ZiG$6,5 million.
The financial performance was underpinned by a gross profit of ZiG123 million generated from turnover of ZiG245,9 million.
Although overall revenue declined marginally due to changing advertising patterns and evolving consumer preferences, disciplined cost optimisation measures helped strengthen margins.
Performance across Zimpapers’ key divisions was mixed, although management reported encouraging signs of recovery and business transformation.
The broadcasting division remained the group’s strongest performing segment, delivering solid revenue growth and sustained profitability.
Meanwhile, challenges in the traditional print business were partly mitigated by accelerated digital transformation initiatives, including new subscription models and targeted advertising products, which boosted digital revenues and narrowed divisional losses.
The commercial printing division continued to face industry-wide structural challenges, prompting management to implement a major restructuring programme aimed at repositioning the business towards higher-value opportunities.
To address working capital pressures, Mrs Makandwa said management had intensified cash-flow management measures and accelerated debt recovery efforts.
Looking ahead, the group expects a gradual but sustained recovery as restructuring initiatives gather momentum and digital platforms continue to expand and contribute a larger share of revenues.
