A lot has been said on the development of SVOD, with international giants like NFLX and HBO fueling the growth. But just as important is the transformation of the ad market. AVOD (ad-based video on-demand) is currently capturing approximately a quarter of the Nordic video ad market (broadcast + web TV) revenue. Likely, we will see a significant increase of online video advertising in the coming years, mirroring the shift of consumption.

AVOD viewing across the Nordics has grown considerably over the last couple of years. Incumbent actors, both broadcasters and other traditional media companies, are contributing through their ad-funded offerings. With increased freedom of choice, great content libraries and fewer minutes of advertising, this migration of consumers is likely to continue – unless the actors themselves decide to move in another direction.

AVOD viewing has grown notably between 2016 and 2018, specifically so in Sweden, Norway and Finland.

Average daily AVOD viewing per country and year (minutes) 15-74 y/o

Much like the SVOD market, the American giants take a considerable share also in AVOD. For the full year of 2018, Youtube’s viewing share in the Nordics is close to 60%. But local actors are finding their footing too. In a recent press release, Bonnier Broadcasting concluded that TV4 Play reached 4.7 million registered users during 2018. Late 2018 figures from Nent Group reveal that Viafree now reaches one million registered users in Sweden after introducing mandatory log-ins in August. A majority of the Nordic media companies are currently making a push in the AVOD direction. Ad revenues will be adjusted accordingly. In Sweden for example, IRM estimates that AVOD revenues are to grow +20% YOY during 2018. As a comparison, traditional ad revenues (broadcast) are estimated to grow +8% 2018.

Also outside of the Nordics there are signs of an AVOD upswing. For example, in its recently published Q4 report, Hulu presented a record-breaking advertising revenue (+45% YOY) – equaling +$1.5 billion. And Amazon recently launched an ad-based TV streaming service (“Free Dive”) in the US through its IMDb brand. Viacom last week announced a $340 million acquisition of the free video streaming service Pluto TV.

To conclude, the interest in the ad-supported segment of online video is clearly on the rise.

Mediavision blogs:

The Swedish gambling market: The upcoming re-regulation, part 2
Today we are delving into consumer preferences vis-à-vis different types of gambling. If we start by looking at monthly reach per gambling type, lotteries and scratch cards currently dominate in KPI “monthly reach”. But, since lotteries as well as […].

Mediavision press releases:

Increasing number of streaming services in Nordic households
The appetite for streaming services among Nordic consumers continuously rises. Today, 5.3 million Nordic households subscribe to at least one video streaming service (SVOD). Also, the number of SVOD subscriptions per household increases […].

Industry news:

Apple plans gaming subscription service
Apple is planning a subscription service for games according to people familiar with the matter. The service would function like Netflix for games, users would pay a monthly fee to access a bundled list of games.

Youtube makes changes to its algorithm
Youtube is tweaking its algorithm in order to not recommend content which could misinform users in harmful ways according to a blog post by the company. Videos affected by the change include conspiracy theories and miracle cures for serious illness.

Comcast to build on Sky’s Now TV platform
Following its acquisition of Sky, Comcast is to launch a direct-to-consumer service based on technology developed for Sky’s Now TV platform. During an investor call Comcast disclosed that the service would include 80% of its most popular shows.

Amazon may scale back channels
Amazon may be scaling back its à la carte channels offering as new competitors enter the market. According to The Information, Amazon has informed entertainment companies its going to be more selective about which video services it adds.

The originals headed to Disney Plus
As the launch of Disney Plus draws near, Disney is preparing a number of shows and films it hopes will have a broad family appeal. Some its key projects include an untitled Rogue One prequel and a reimagining of High School Musical.

Mediavision in the news:

Netflix sitter trygt i salen med sitt tilbud av nye og påkostede satsinger
Kanskje var 2018 det «siste» ordentlig store tv-året for tradisjonelt tv-konsum. Et par skikkelig publikumsmagneter av noen arrangementer, vinter-OL og fotball-VM bidro sterkt til dette.

Industry events

• MIPTV: April, 8-11, Cannes, France

*Events where Mediavision will be presenting