Newsletter September 19: Traditional TV viewing under pressure in the UK & Nordics

19 September 2018

Historically the traditional TV market has proven very resilient, but that might be about to change. This week we are delving into the traditional TV market and the effects of an ageing key demographic along with the digitalization and the fleeting numbers of young consumers.

The decline in TV viewing has been a hot topic for a long time. And in a recently published report in the UK, by Enders Analysis, this development is discussed. According to the report, the decline in viewership will accelerate as a combined effect of the digitalization and the traditional TV viewers increasing age. Public service broadcaster BBC is expected to take the largest hit, as 60 percent of BBC1 and BBC2’s viewers are aged 55+ (compared to 31 percent of the UK population).

A similar development is taking place on the Swedish market; daily reach for trad TV in the general population (3+) has decreased by 12 percent since 2011. As revealed in Mediavision’s analysis Swedish TV Market, daily viewing decreased across all age groups for the first time last year. Daily viewing in ages 60+ decreased by 4 percent YOY, the older viewers have previously somewhat compensated for the decline among younger viewers. But as the key demographic of 60+ grow older and the traditional TV audience replenishes at a slowing rate, traditional TV viewership is likely to decrease faster in the coming years.

Traditional TV, audience share by age group in Sweden, 2012 vs. 2018 YTD

The Emmy awards
Netflix managed to tie with undisputed champion HBO at the 70th installment of the Emmy awards. HBO won 29 statuettes last year, this year ended with a tie between Netflix and HBO with 23 wins each. Netflix scored wins with Black Mirror, Godless, Seven Seconds, The Crown, Queer Eye among others. Following the strong showing at the Emmys Netflix stock rose by 5 percent.

Mediavision blogs:

Summer TV viewing and the FIFA WC
As many of us are now returning to work after a splendid summer, we’re taking a quick glance at the development of the 2018 traditional TV viewing so far. It’s of course with a special focus on summer ratings, particularly since Sweden this year outperformed all expectations and made it to the quarter finals in 2018 FIFA World cup in July.

Mediavision press releases:

Sports contributes to increased online TV consumption
When summarizing the second quarter of the year, no decrease in the Swedes appetite for video streaming services is to be seen. Yet again a new record is noted as half of the Swedish households now subscribe to at least one streaming service.

Industry news:

Blind auction to settle pursuit of Sky
Comcast and 21 Century Fox have been locked in a battle for British broadcaster Sky for the better part of two years. Now the contest is entering its final phase. Unless a final offer is submitted by the end of the week the contest will be settled with a blind auction.

Schibsted to be split in two
Nordic media conglomerate Schibsted is to split its business in two. Its international business will be separated from its Nordic business. The Nordic business which includes Aftonbladet, Blocket and SvD among others will keep the name Schibsted.

Swish dominates online mobile payments
According to a recent report published by Dibs, Swish is the dominant mobile payment method in Sweden. 37 percent of consumers have used Swish to pay online, among young consumers the figure is even higher at 48 percent.

NENT Group acquires Danish UEFA rights
NENT Group has acquired exclusive Danish rights to air the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament. All games will be streamed live on Viaplay Denmark. NENT will license part of the tournament to Danmarks Radio, including matched with the Danish national team, if they qualify.

Google is developing Chinese search app
Google is developing a search application for the Chinese market which links searches made to the users phone number. Furthermore, the search application filters out any content which isn’t approved by the Chinese government.

Time Magazine sold to Salesforce CEO
Media conglomerate Meredith which bought Time Inc in December 2017 put up four magazines for sale in March, including Time Magazine. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff has now bought Time Magazine privately for $190 million.

Mediavision in the news:

Sport en online spiller
Der er sikkert en del der undrer sig over de store mængder sport der bliver sendt online, på et utal af ukendte tjenester (suppleret af en masse kendte). Årsagen er – om muligt – mere overraskende end de fleste gik og troede.

Sport bidrar till ökad TV-konsumtion online
När årets andra kvartal nu summeras syns ingen avmattning i svenskarnas aptit på streamingtjänster för rörlig bild […].

Industry events

*Events where Mediavision will be presenting