Newsletter 31st of May

NEWSLETTER

31 May 2023

 

These are the main topics this week:

  • Mediavision: 2 million pirates in Sweden
  • The French Open is underway
  • Swedish gaming company Embracer Group’s stock fell heavily

PIRACY

Mediavision: 2 million pirates in Sweden

 

Piracy is a big problem for the film and TV industry in Sweden. According to figures recently published by Mediavision, illegal downloading and streaming of films and series have increased for the second year in a row. The problem is particularly widespread in younger target groups.

 

A quarter of all Swedes aged 15–74 state that they have downloaded or illegally streamed films or TV series in the past month. That is considerably more than during the same period last year, when the corresponding share was 20 percent. The problem is particularly widespread in the younger target groups. Among 15-24-year-olds, more than half admit to being pirates.

 

 

The same survey also shows that illegal IPTV is increasing. According to Mediavision, close to half a million households in Sweden have this type of pay TV service via the internet, which provides illegal access to a great number of TV channels and streaming services.

 

– Piracy is a major challenge for the industry, comments Natalia Borelius, senior analyst at Mediavision. It is particularly noteworthy that piracy is increasing and reaching such high levels among the young. We also note that an increasing number of households have illegal IPTV. Both these factors point at a continued increase if no action is taken.

Insight: Nordic TV & Streaming

This analysis covers both the TV- and streaming markets in the Nordic countries. It rests on three pillars: the consumers, the market, and the actors. Analyzing the consumers takes us far – but not all the way. Studying the actors and the market as a whole is just as important.

 

Viaplay Group signs new Polish distribution deal with Play

 

The Witcher is getting a fifth season on Netflix

 

Eurovision Song Contest reaches 162M viewers

 

Skyshowtime’s Yellowjackets season finale is being delayed

 

SPORTS

The French Open is underway

 

This year’s French Open tennis tournament is underway. The tournament is held in Paris and is one out of four Grand Slam tournaments of tennis.

 

As the qualification rounds to French Open ended last Friday, the tournament has now entered its final knockout stage. In the men’s class, two players from the Nordics are among the favourites. It is the Norwegian player Casper Ruud, and the Dane Holger Rune. Casper Ruud, who played the final in last year’s French Open, advanced to the next stage yesterday by winning against the Swede Elias Ymer. In the women’s class, Swedish Rebecca Peterson is the only Nordic player left in the tournament. She will play for a continuation in the tournament tomorrow, against the Chinese Xinyu Wang.

 

 

Tennis is a sport with great history, that generates high interest globally. In the Nordics, 9 percent of individuals aged 15-74 expresses interest in watching tennis in general, and around 5 percent specifically the French Open. In Denmark and Norway, viewing interest of tennis is increasing and possibly driven by the success of Casper Ruud and Holger Rune. At the moment, the two players are ranked 4 (Rune) and 6 (Ruud) on the official world ranking.

 

More on tennis in Mediavision’s Sports Analysis 2023. The analysis covers 19 sports and over 100 leagues/tournaments. Sports Analysis 2023 offers a comprehensive overview of the most important KPIs related to consumer preferences and sports viewing behaviour. For more information, please contact adrian.grande@mediavision.se.

Sports Analysis

For the fifth consecutive year, Mediavision presents the Sports Analysis. The analysis provides a comprehensive overview of the current Nordic sports rights market and an in-depth analysis of consumer interest, willingness to pay and pay rate. It covers 19 sports and +100 specific sports rights.

 

The NBA is the next major US sports right up for grabs

 

Norlys launches app as a replacement for the TV box

 

TikTok is testing an in-app AI chatbot called Tako

 

Ludwig Göransson makes the music for upcoming SVT series

 

GAMING

Swedish gaming company Embracer Group’s stock fell heavily

 

Mediavision follows the Nordic gaming industry closely. Last week, the Swedish gaming company Embracer Group was all over the news as the company was about to enter a partnership deal, reportedly worth more than USD 2 billion. But in the last minute, the deal was unexpectedly cancelled by the counterpart. This came as a shock for Embracer Group, according to CEO Lars Wingefors.

 

“All documentation was finalized and ready to go as of yesterday,” Embracer Group’s CEO Lars Wingefors told investors last Wednesday. “We asked for the execution of the agreement before our Q4 announcement. However late last night we received a negative outcome from the counterparty”.

 

The news of the cancelled deal sent the company’s stock down a full 40%. Embracer Group is the owner of games such as Tomb Raider, Dead Island, and Lord of the Rings games, among others.

 

 

This spring, Nordic households spend around EUR 9 an average month on gaming, including both subscription services and individual purchases. However, the majority of the spend goes to individual purchases. Around 20 percent of the Nordic households subscribe to a paid gaming subscription service. The most popular service in the Nordics is Playstation Plus, followed by Xbox Game Pass.

Consumer Device Habits

Mediavision has conducted an analysis of media devices in the Nordics covering both penetration of hardware and usage. The focus is on video-related devices, including TVs, media centers/gaming consoles and smartphones. For more information, contact info@mediavision.se

Mediavision in the News

Marie Nilsson: Nya rekord för hushållens medieköp trots vikande konjunktur – Dagens Media

 

Så mycket dyrare har bio, konserter och böcker blivit – Dagens Nyheter

 

Antalet betalande poddlyssnare har fördubblats – Sveriges Radio

 

Poll: Illegal streaming on the rise in Nordic countries – Yle

 

Betalväggen funkar – vi betalar mer än någonsin för poddar – Breakit

 

Report: Podcast payments double in Sweden – Advanced Television

 

Danske og svenske husstande bruger flere penge på medieabonnementer – Mediawatch

 

Hushållens köp av mediatjänster fortsätter att öka – Di Digital

 

Mediavision: Streaming growth in Finland, pushed by telcos – Broadband TV News

 

Industry Events

 

Copenhagen Future TV Conference, 7 June 2023, Copenhagen, Denmark**

 

MIPCOM, 16-19 October 2023, Cannes, France

 

Stockholm Film Festival: 8-19 November 2023, Stockholm, Sweden

 

* Mediavision will attend
** Mediavision will present