By now, it should come as no surprise that streaming services are on the rise. Mediavision recently concluded that the Nordic SVOD (subscription video-on-demand) market is at an all-time high (see press release from May 17) with an average of a 45% penetration in the Nordics. But it’s not only in subscriber growth that streaming services are gaining ground. Mediavision can also reveal that streaming services in general attain higher customer satisfaction than traditional pay TV. Looking at NPS (Net Promoter Score), streaming services have customers that are more likely to recommend a service to a friend or colleague compared to traditional pay TV services. Netflix – again – is the service with the highest NPS in all Nordic countries, ranking well above average on every market.

Given the development, an increasing amount of traditional TV operators are looking to extend their streaming offering. As a result, a new wave of operator-exclusive SVOD services such as Cirkus TV and Paramount+ have become available on the Nordic market. Also, several Nordic operators have partnered up with streaming powerhouse HBO Nordic. It remains to be seen if the streaming friendly strategies can boost customer satisfaction for the traditional operators onwards.

Average NPS for SVOD and traditional pay TV in the Nordics, spring 2018

A recent survey conducted by ACSI (American Customer Satisfaction Index) shows a similar trend across the Atlantic. Pay TV customer satisfaction hit an 11-year low according to ACSI’s report, while customers of streaming services were more satisfied by nearly every measure. According to David VanAmbug, managing director at ACSI, part of the explanation lies in streaming services being cheaper and easier to use. In addition, they rarely have hidden fees which are typically associated with traditional pay TV.

The stock market also seems to have acknowledged this shifting power balance. Last Wednesday Netflix’ market value reached $152.8 billion, surpassing Comcast’s value of $147 billion.  Moreover, Netflix surpassed Disney’s market cap last Thursday. Heading into this week, Netflix is still slightly ahead of Disney with a market value of $152.7 billion, compared to Disney’s $152.3 billion. Disney is launching its own streaming service next year in hopes of not being overtaken for good by Reed Hastings’ streaming behemoth. Netflix stock has soared 85% since the beginning of 2018.

Mediavision blogs:

Youtube Music to increase competition among music streaming services
Youtube just announced the release of its Spotify contender, Youtube Music. The service is coming to the Nordic countries in the coming weeks. To illustrate the potential threat this poses to existing music streaming services we have provided an example […].

Mediavision press releases:

Nordic SVOD market at all-time high
The Nordic SVOD (subscription video-on-demand) market is growing rapidly and 45% of the Nordic households now have at least one SVOD service. According to purchase plans, the SVOD market is still far from saturated. Within a year, half of all Nordic households is expected to have at least one paid streaming service.

Industry news

ESPN secures League of Legends rights
ESPN has secured a multi-year deal to broadcast the North American League of Legends championship series (NA LCS) . ESPN will also stream the NA LCS on its subscription service ESPN+. The deal is non-exclusive and will not impact platforms such as Twitch.

Google Home tops the list of smart speakers
According to research company Canalys, Google sold 3.2 million units of its smart speaker Google Home during Q1 2018, while Amazon sold 2.5 million Echo units. Google now has a 36% share of the smart speaker market, compared to Amazon’s 28%.

Telia in advanced talks to acquire Bonnier Broadcasting
Telia have confirmed that it is in talks with Bonnier Broadcasting regarding a possible acquisition. Telia looks to make an exit from its Eurasian Business this year and has previously stated that it is interested in acquisitions in the Nordics.

Netflix and Telefónica in global partnership
Netflix and Spanish operator Telefónica have announced a global partnership to integrate Netflix’s streaming service into Telefónica’s TV and video platforms across Europe and Latin America. The deal was announced via a video posted on Twitter.

Bingewatching on the rise in Sweden
In a recent survey conducted by Boxer and SIFO it is revealed that Swedes are increasingly bingewatching series. Furthermore, as bingewatching rises, Swedes follow fewer series at a time.

European digital ad market has doubled in size in 5 years
According to the Adex Benchmark study conducted by IAB Europe the digital European ad market has doubled in size since 2012, summing up to €48 bn in 2017. UK tops the list in terms of market size with €15.6 bn, followed by Germany with €6.6 bn.

Mediavision in the news

De stora medieföretagen dödar folkbildningen
Min relation till SVT har börjat likna min relation till fullkornsgröt. Något jag pliktskyldigt pinnar i mig för att det ”nog är bra”, smärtsamt medveten om att jag också skulle kunna unna mig […].

Ökat intresse för e-sport lockar till investeringar
Intresset för E-sport fortsätter att växa kraftigt. Nya siffror från Mediavision visar att omkring 650 000 nordbor tittar på e-sport varje dag.

Norden på strømmetoppen i Europa
Netflix er den mest populære tjenesten, men taper markedsandeler. Tall fra Mediavision viser at Norden er det største markedet i Europa for betalte strømmetjenester. 45 prosent av husstandene abonnerer på minst én tjeneste, det vil si fem millioner husholdninger.

Norden på topp i TV-strømming
45 prosent av nordiske hushold abonnerer på minst en tjeneste betalt strømmetjenste, viser en ny analyse av svenska Mediavision. I løpet av det siste året har det blir 700.000 nye strømmekunder i regionen, det er en økning på 16 prosent fra samme tid i fjor.

Industry events

• Nordic Media Insights: 12 – 13 June, Sweden
• CPH TV Festival: 29 – 30 August, Denmark *

*Events where Mediavision will be presenting