Newsletter 15th of September: High Interest for Sports in Nordics
NYHETSBREV
15 September 2021
With this summer’s major sports events like the UEFA Euro, Summer Olympics and Paralympics behind us, we can now shift focus to the highly eventful fall and winter season in the world of sports. Mediavision’s Nordic Sports Analysis 2021 reveals that many viewers in the Nordics simply can’t wait for the competitions to begin.
Perhaps to no greater surprise, football is the sport that most Nordic viewers are interested in watching. Close to 25% of Nordic 15-74-year-olds express an interest in viewing football via TV/online video. This group has a lot to look forward to – to say the least. For example, the group stage of the most popular league among Nordics viewers – Champions League – premiered this week.
Winter sports¹ attain the second highest viewing interest in the region. In fact, the single most popular tournament of all is the Winter Olympics. Thereby surpassing both Summer Olympics and UEFA Euro to mention two other recent mega events.
If we look at specific cups, two competitions within winter sports stand out: The Cross-country and Biathlon World Cups. According to the analysis, these two each attract the interest of close to 2.5 million Nordic viewers – only surpassed by Champions League and Premier League.
However, this season of winter sports bring about some changes. For the first time, all winter sports will not be broadcasted live by public service, following NENT’s acquisition of a major suite of winter sports². This is a 5-year deal, starting this season. Hence, the broadcasts of cross-country skiing will be transferred from public service actors TV2 in Denmark, YLE in Finland, NRK in Norway, and SVT in Sweden to NENT – for distribution via its pay-TV channels, free-TV channels and Viaplay. However, biathlon will remain with public service.
It is obviously too early to predict how viewing interest will be transferred into new paying subscribers or to retention among those households that already are subscribers. Winter sports have a long history of free-to-air access but is now moving in the same direction as other sports – i.e., towards pay-TV. One challenge – or opportunity – for NENT might be how to entice older demographics to open their wallets. Mediavision’s Nordic Sports Analysis suggest that viewing interest for winter sports skew older than payment for premium sports subscription.
¹ FIS Cross-Country Ski World Cup, IBU Biathlon World Cup, FIS Alpine Ski World Cup, FIS Ski Jumping World Cup, FIS World Cup Ski Cross, ICU Speed Skating World Cup & Finnish Bandy League and X-Games.
² Mens and Ladies FIS Alpine Ski World Cup, Mens and Ladies FIS Cross Country World Cup, Mens and Ladies FIS Ski Jumping World Cup, Mens FIS Nordic Combined World Cup, Mens and Ladies FIS Snowboard World Cup, Mens and Ladies FIS Freestyle Ski and Freeski World Cup and the FIS World Ski Championships in 2023 and 2025.
Industry News
TMZ Sold to Fox Entertainment
AT&T has sold TMZ, a news and entertainment brand best known for its focus on celebrities, to Fox Entertainment in a deal reportedly worth around USD 50 million. The sell is part of AT&T’s recent shedding of assets to reduce its debt and pave way for investments in 5G.
Global Box Office Forecasted to Reach USD 20 Billion
According to analysis firm Gower Street Analytics, global box office is forecasted to reach USD 20.2 billion in 2021. This represents a rebound of 68% compared to 2020, but still fall 52% below the USD 42.3 billion record set in 2019.
Disney Implements New Theatrical Release Plan
Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution has disclosed plans for the theatrical release windows for the remainder of its 2021 slate of films. Most of the movies will be available exclusively in theatres for a limited 45-day window before being made available on Disney+.
Apple Boosts Investments in Apple TV+
According to The Information, Apple is set to spend more than USD 500 million on marketing Apple TV+ this year, in addition to significantly up its output of new TV shows and movie to at least one a week.
Netflix Scores Big at Creative Arts Emmys
This weekend, Netflix scored big at the Creative Arts Emmys. Hit show The Queen’s Gambit has so far scored 9 Emmys. Heading into the Primetime Emmys next Sunday, Netflix tallies a total of 34 Emmys while Disney+ comes second with 13.
Mediavision in the News
Marie Nilsson: Hur många ljudboksaktörer kan den svenska marknaden svälja?
Ljudboksaktörernas kamp om lyssnarna hårdnar och i dag dansar de stora elefanterna i stort sett kring samma konsumenter. Marie Nilsson analyserar hur hållbar affärsmodellen för ljudböcker är.
Hon leder HBO:s maxade comeback i Sverige
Streamingtjänsten HBO Nordic har tappat marknadsandelar i Sverige de senaste åren. Nu tror Europachefen Christina Sulebakk på en comeback med lanseringen av nya HBO Max.
Björn Ulvaeus bolag köper Perfect Day
Pophouse Entertainment, grundat av Björn Ulvaeus och Conni Jonsson, köper upp poddcastbolaget Perfect Day Media. De ska nu etablera sig på flera nya marknader – trots tidigare tung ekonomisk förlust.
Disney Plus breddar sig för att nå fler: ”I streamingvärlden är det 'vi mot alla'”
Oväntat mycket har hänt sedan Disney Plus tog klivet in på den svenska marknaden för ett år sedan, närmare bestämt den 15 september.
Is HBO Max the perfect match for the Nordic audience?
Mediavision concluded that HBO Max and Discovery+ combined would make a significantly stronger customer offering, based on Nordic consumer preferences.
Analyse: 9 millioner nordiske hustande abonnerer på digitale medietjenester
75 pct. af hustandene i Norden har abonnement på enten tekst-, lyd- eller videotjenester. Streaming af levende billeder er mest udbredt, men lyd følger tæt med.
Storytel passerade 1 miljon abonnenter i Norden
Igår passerade Storytel en ny gräns: nu har prenumerationstjänsten över 1 miljon betalande abonnenter i Norden. Ljudböcker har blivit stort.
Nordic Film Industry Weathers the Storm
More than a year after the first lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Nordic film industry is showing its remarkable resilience and ability to adapt.