The new streaming service SkyShowtime launched in the Nordics yesterday. SkyShowtime is the result of a joint venture between Paramount and Comcast. Following the Nordic launch, SkyShowtime will released in the Netherlands during the fourth quarter, followed by a later release in Spain, Portugal, and Poland among others.

As mentioned in last week’s newsletter, the monthly price for SkyShowtime is EUR 6.99 in Finland, SEK 79 in Sweden, NOK 79 in Norway, and DKK 69 in Denmark. However, in celebration of the launch, SkyShowtime has a limited offer that gives customers 50 percent off the monthly price until that day the subscription is cancelled. The offer is available for new customers if they sign up before the 2nd of November – perhaps offering some insight into why current subscribers of Paramount Plus was not directly transferred to SkyShowtime but had to sign up for a new subscription. When HBO Nordic became HBO Max last year they offered the same 50 percent off life-time deal, but only for new customers which caused some anger among their existing customers. What will happen to the ”life-time deal” of HBO Max when the service is replaced by a new service combined with Discovery Plus in 2023 remains to be seen…

Netflix estimates that its upcoming AVOD-tier will add around 40 million additional viewers to the platform by the third quarter of next year. The estimates are coming from documents shared by the streaming giant to potential ad-buyers. Reaching that figure would require a steep growth in 2023, as the company expects that the new tier will reach 4.4 million viewers by the end of 2022. The forecast covers a possible launch in up to a dozen markets, including the US, Brazil, and Japan among others. Netflix most recently had 220 million subscribers to its streaming service, but has lost subscribers in the past two quarters.

The new tier is expected to launch fully in 2023 as a less expensive alternative to the existing SVOD-subscriptions. The ambition is to gain new users and boost earnings. Netflix is not the only service on the market that is taking such actions. Rivals such as HBO Max and Disney Plus are also in the process of launching ad-supported services.

Podimo is growing. The Danish podcasts and audiobook subscription service has recently completed another investment round, securing EUR 58.6 million. It was led by 83North, Highland Europe, and Saban Ventures. Existing investors Chr. Augustinus Fabrikker, Heartcore and Headline participated as well. In total, Podimo has now raised EUR 160.2 million in capital investments, most recently in November when EUR 78 million was collected. The funding will reportedly go to market expansion and investments in tech and content. The service launched in Finland – it’s sixth market – just about a month ago.

The Copenhagen-founded company have doubled the number of employees since 2021 and claims to have increased the amount of paying subscribers with +500 percent YOY. Podimo CEO and founder Morten Strunge says that the international expansion is progressing beyond expectations. According to Strunge, their first market (Denmark) turned profitable three years after the launch of Podimo.

Increasing consumption of illegal streaming among Danes – Danske Biografer

Disney+ racks up near 2MN Nordic households – Rapid TV News

1,7 mio. nordiske husstande har abonnement på Disney Plus – Media Watch

Disney Plus celebrates 2 years in the Nordics with 1.7 million households – Broadband TV News

Efter två år – Disney Plus når 1,7 miljoner hushåll – Dagens Media

Disney+ Reaches 1.7 Million Nordic Subs in Two Years – Media Play News

Nya siffror: Så många kunder byter ljudbokstjänst – Svensk Bokhandel

Då slås HBO Max samman med Discovery Plus – Di Digital