Newsletter December 12th: Netflix fuels Nordic SVOD growth and inks deal with YouSee

12 December 2018

Nordic consumers show an unwavering appetite for paid streaming services (SVOD), as shown in Mediavisions bi-quarterly analysis of the Nordic video market that is published this week. Netflix has recently inked a deal with Danish operator YouSee and keeps adding subscribers at a rapid pace. Let’s take a closer look.

TDC-owned operator YouSee and Netflix recently signed a collaboration deal which will see Netflix embedded into YouSee’s digital TV service. This marks the first deal of its kind in the Nordics. However, Netflix has a similar deal in place with Sky in the UK. Bundling on-demand services with a traditional TV package acts as an incentive for consumers to retain their traditional TV package. On the other hand, it gives Netflix access to new customers. It remains to be seen what effect this will have in the Nordics, and whether more actors will sign similar deals. According to a press release, YouSee currently has 200.000 customers eligible for the Netflix offering.

Out of the SVOD services on the Nordic market, Netflix is unparalleled in reach with a market leading position across all Nordic countries. Over the past 12 months Netflix has added 600 000 subscribing households in the Nordics, now totaling at 3.5 million subscribing households.

Nordic households (000′) with Netflix subscription, fall 2017 vs fall 2018
In the analysis of the Nordic video market fall 2018, Mediavision has found that the segment of households with both a traditional pay TV- and SVOD subscription is growing fast. Following the collaboration with YouSee we might see more actors across the Nordics signing similar deals, fueling growth moving forward.

Mediavision blogs:

The Swedish gambling market: The upcoming re-regulation, part 1
2018 will go down as a very eventful year on the Swedish gambling market. With a new legislation starting Jan 1, 2019, the market will open up for new companies, operating from abroad. A license system will govern both Swedish and off-shore operators, […].

Mediavision press releases:

Mycket stor dominans från USA i skandinaviskt streamingutbud
Nyligen presenterade EU ett förslag om innehållskvoter för streamingtjänster. Redan i december kan förslaget om minst 30 procent lokalproducerat innehåll bli verklighet.

Industry news:

Amazon web services launches in Sweden
Amazon announced today the opening of Amazon Web Services (AWS) in Stockholm. Stockholm marks AWS fifth region in Europe, joining France, Ireland, Germany and the UK. Several Nordic companies are already using AWS, such as IKEA, Telia and Finnair.

Strive to launch linear TV channel
IMG’s sport streaming service Strive has announced in a press release that it is recruiting Nordic casters as well as launching on new platforms. Strive will launch as a linear TV channel as well as an app for Apple TV.

Stillfront acquires Playa Games
Swedish games developer and publisher Stillfront acquires German games developer Playa Games for 20 million Euro. According to a press release Playa Games has about 70 million registered players, the company’s flagship title is an MMORPG called Shakes & Fidget.

Tencent Music’s IPO
Tencent Music Entertainment’s IPO is the largest listing in the US since Alibaba’s in 2014. Tencent Music priced its IPO at the low end of expectations at 13 USD a piece. The share sale gave the company a market value of 21.3 billion USD.

Broadband too slow in a quarter of UK homes
More than a quarter of UK homes do not have fast enough broadband to meet a typical family’s internet needs such as streaming films and series, according to the level media regulator Ofcom. An estimated 28 million households are getting by on speeds of less than 10Mbps.

Mediavision in the news:

Betway and Betclic among latest to receive Swedish licences
Betway and Betclic Group-powered Expekt.com have been granted Swedish licences by the Swedish gambling regulator Spelinspektionen. Both firms have received betting […]

Industry events

  • CESJanuary 8-11, Sweden

*Events where Mediavision will be presenting