Swedish digital magazine subscription service Readly presented its first quarter earnings this morning, and with that, the first quarter earnings season within media has started. Here are a few of the highlights from Readly’s report:

• Total revenues amounted to SEK 174.0 million compared to 158.4 million in Q1 2023, corresponding a YOY increase of 9.8%.
• Adjusted operating profit before items affecting comparability (EBITDA) amounted to SEK 9 million compared to SEK -9 million in Q1 2023.
• The number of fully paying subscribers increased by 1.1% to 458,670 at the end of the first quarter.
• Average revenue per user (ARPU) rose to SEK 121 compared to SEK 112 in Q1 2023 – an increase of 8.1%, mainly a result of well-received price increases and currency effects.

As always, Mediavision will keep you updated during the earnings season. Many more reports to come – stay tuned!

The new agreement covers more than 340 live matches per season from both tournaments. The matches will be exclusively broadcasted on Disney Plus in Denmark and Sweden, at no extra cost for all Disney Plus subscribers.

Hans van Rijn, CEO of The Walt Disney Company Nordic & Baltic, commented the news: “I’m very, very happy. It has taken a long time to bid for and secure the rights, so we are extremely pleased to have reached the finish line. It’s a next step for us. These leagues combined are the international football tournaments with most local Danish and Swedish teams and local Danish and Swedish players, and adding them to the service together brings a whole new level of variety to customers in Denmark and Sweden. Our mission is to super serve the communities and fans that are passionate about the game, while broadening the audience for the tournaments in Denmark and Sweden, building a new generation of fans and supporters.”

Disney takes over the right from Viaplay in Sweden and TV2 in Denmark, which are the current right holders. It is not yet announced which actor that will hold the rights to Europa League and Conference League in Finland and Norway.

Last year, TV hardware manufacturer TCL launched its own streaming service TCLtv+, including both FAST channels as well as on-demand movies and TV series. Now, the company enters original content production with the launch of its own content production studio named TCLtv+ Studios.

TCLtv+ Studios have now announced the first original production which is an AI generated short movie, Next Stop Paris, which will release on the service this summer. The movie features professional voice actors and an original script and has been visually brought to life with AI animation technology.

“TCL was relatively late to start its platform and is counting on original programming to draw viewers to TCLtv+”, comments Chris Regina, chief content officer at TCL. “I am excited by this opportunity to differentiate us with original programming. AI generated content is the beginning for us. It’s a new approach and it makes sense coming from a tech and hardware company that that’s where we’re going to start. Our goal is to collaborate with Hollywood filmmakers and writers on the next projects ahead of us”, Regina told Broadcasting & Cable.

TCL thereby follows other hardware manufacturers, including Apple and Roku, in producing content for their own streaming services. Other hardware manufacturers, such as LG and Samsung, have also released their own streaming services, mainly focusing on FAST.

Primes intåg stöper om sportmarknaden – Svenska Dagbladet

Mediavision: Growing demand for local content in the Nordics – Broadband TV News

Därför blir streamingtjänsterna allt dyrare – och sämre – PC för alla

Mediavision: Ad-Supported SVOD Gaining Traction in the Nordics – Media Play News

Mediavision: Starkt intresse för HVOD i Sverige – Dagens Media

Efterspørgslen på nordisk tv-indhold stiger men udbuddet kan ikke følge med – Mediawatch

Sweden: Interest growing in ad-supported streaming – Advanced Television

Svenskar vill se mer svenskt på streamad tv – Sveriges Radio

Illegal affär kostar filmindustrin miljarder – Dagens PS

Var fjärde svensk strömmar olaglig tv – SVT

Kan bli det store gjennombruddet for denne typen TV-abonnement – Kampanje

Mediavision: Digitala ljudtjänster tar andelar på ljudmarknaden – Radionytt