On the 15th of September, streaming service Disney+ launched in the Nordic countries. Analysis from Mediavision shows that a substantial number of households have already signed up for a subscription, thereby establishing Disney+ in a top position on the Nordic paid streaming market (SVOD) just two weeks after launch. Mediavision estimates that more than 10% of the Nordic households hold a Disney+ subscription. In Sweden, approximately 450 000 households are now paying for a subscription to Disney+.

For current market leader Netflix, it took more than a year to attain a subscriber base of similar size. The rapid growth for Disney+ in the Nordics is a strong indicator that the market has matured since the introduction of Netflix in the autumn of 2012. Consumers today are more familiar with streaming services and have a broader knowledge of how they work.
When Disney+ launched in the US, Canada, and Netherlands in November almost a year ago, the service attracted 10 million subscribers in the first 24 hours.

– Backed up by a strong brand, such as Disney’s, a new service can rapidly make a significant impact on the market. Most likely, pricing plays a role as well. Disney+ is marketed at a lower price than several, competing, services, comments Marie Nilsson, CEO of Mediavision.With approximately 450 000 paying households in Sweden at the end of September, Disney+ competes with several of the more popular streaming services in the region. However, Mediavision’s analysis of the third quarter also reveals that Disney’s launch has had little impact on the subscriber figures for other services.

– Disney+ has grown rapidly in the Nordics – proving a solid demand for this type of content. Thus far, the launch of Disney+ has both pushed new households to sign up for their first streaming subscription, and other to add another subscription to their bundle of streaming services. What the consequences will be in terms of household expenditures, or competition, in the long term can merely be speculated upon. It is clear, though, that Disney+ has obtained a strong position in the highly competitive Nordic streaming market, in a very short time, says Marie Nilsson.

About Mediavision

Mediavision is an independent analysis and consultancy firm, focused on analysis and
strategy within traditional and digital media. 3,000 respondents between the ages 15 to 74 are surveyed each month in Sweden.

For more information, please contact:
Marie Nilsson
E-mail: marie.nilsson@mediavision.se
Tel: 08-52 80 90 90 / +46 (0) 70 749 59 67