SVOD satisfaction and consumer rights

27 March 2019

The European Parliament is soon to vote on increased consumer protection, for example when purchasing digital content such as TVOD (transactional video on-demand) and SVOD. So, on that subject: How satisfied are the Nordic consumers with their online streaming services? And, how would the new EU proposition make a difference?

Mediavision is following consumer satisfaction in the Nordic households regarding subscriptions on TV and streaming. On an overall level, the consumers are more pleased with their streaming subscriptions than with traditional pay TV, but with significant differences between the actors. Another interesting finding, maybe not surprising, is that satisfaction correlates closely both to the Net Promotor Score (NPS) and to actual churn. There are also indications from several sources that internet speed and stability play an important role; high-speed fiber households being more satisfied than those with slower connections. Keeping the customers happy will become more and more important as the SVOD market matures and penetration levels push towards 60% in the Nordics.

NPS in the Nordics, SVOD average and Netflix, Fall 2018


Meanwhile, the market is getting increasingly crowded. The latest actor to officially reveal its entrance is Apple. Along with a credit card and a gaming service, the company announced its streaming service Apple TV+ on Monday.

If the EU proposition on increased consumer protection is voted through and implemented, customer retention and satisfaction will probably play an even more important role – faulty products and services would then cause a greater backlash. Adding to this the EU content quota regulation, 2019 looks to be a momentous year for the streaming industry.

Mediavision blogs:

Who will win the Nordic streaming war?
Competition on the Nordic streaming market is ramping up with several new services about to launch. Content investments are escalating and only partly offset by price increases. In the US, Netflix recently announced +13-18% on subscription fees.

Mediavision press releases:

Household media spend on the rise
Swedish households continuously spend more money on media services. During 2018 an average Swedish household spent 450 SEK per month on media subscriptions. The appetite for video services remain high, video spend has increased by […].

Industry news:

Apple announce video streaming service
On Monday Apple announced several new services at its “Showtime” event, most notably, its streaming service Apple TV+. The service will launch in more than 100 countries, further details will be announced this fall.
EU passes vote on controversial link tax
On Tuesday the EU Parliament passed the vote on the controversial article 11 and 13, commonly referred to as link tax and internet filter. The immediate effects remain unclear, but Google has said its news search function may be shut down.
NENT IPO draws near
NENT Group is expected to make an entrance on the stock exchange on March 28th. The MTG stock has traded without the right to NENT stocks since Monday. Morgan Stanely values NENT at SEK 13.4 billion.
Spotify acquires podcast company Parcast
Spotify has announced its acquisition of the Los Angeles-based podcast company Parcast, a studio which focuses on story-based series. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2019.
La Liga launches OTT service
Spanish top football league La Liga has launched a new OTT TV service that offers a range of sports. The service which will mostly be available free-to-view is intended as a way to distribute coverage of multiple sports disciplines.
Danish media skeptic toward Apple News+
Jysk Fynske Media, TV 2 and Egmont find it hard to see the appeal of Apple’s news subscription service, Apple News+. The main reason being the low monthly cost of $9.99. Apple News+ will initially be launched exclusively in the US.
In April last year, Altibox reached 500.000 customers, and at the end of the year the total customer base had grown to 536.000. This represents a growth of 42.478 TV and internet customers during 2018.
Danish publisher Tellerup enters the audiobook market as co-founder of the newly created company Lydbogsforlaget.dk. The initiative which has been started by Tellerup and niche publisher Dreamlitt will focus on minimizing production costs.

Mediavision in the news:

Domestic video providers have a relatively large share of the Nordic market compared with the rest of Europe, according to consultancy Mediavision. It said Netflix and Amazon Prime Video […].
The Nordic region is seeing local players able to rise above the challenge of US streaming giants Netflix and Amazon. Stockholm-based consultancy Mediavision found that between them […].

Industry events

  • MIPTV: April, 8-11, Cannes, France

*Events where Mediavision will be presenting