Last year, Disney+ launched its ad-supported plan in Denmark, Norway and Sweden, and other markets. Finland was the only Nordic country excluded from the launch. However, this is about to change as Disney+ is expanding their ad-supported offering, to Finland among other countries.

The ad-supported plan named Standard with Ads is set to launch in Finland, the Netherlands and Portugal on October 17th, and comes at a price of EUR 5.99 per month.

As with the previous launch of Disney’s ad-supported tier, a premium tier is also introduced, offering several concurrent streams along with higher video and audio quality. Existing Disney+ customers will be automatically enrolled in the premium tier unless they actively choose one of the cheaper subscription plans, Standard or Standard with ads.

No information regarding ad sales distribution for Disney’s ad-plan in Finland has been revealed. In the other Nordic countries, Disney is collaborating with local actors, such as TV2 in Denmark, TV2 in Norway, and TV4 in Sweden. This indicates that a similar arrangement in Finland is likely.

The Danish podcast subscription service Podimo has begun the acquisition process of Dutch podcast production house Tonny Media, following a partnership between the two companies. Tonny Media will continue to operate as an independent media house, but the companies will jointly combine sales efforts and expertise.

Podimo launched in the Netherlands in 2022. The company then acquired production house Dag en Nacht Media, which brought in other revenue streams to Podimo, such as advertising. This is named as one contribution to the company’s business in the Netherlands, as Podimo also announced that the company now makes a profit in the country.

“The Netherlands is an important market for us, and our goal is to support Dutch creators in every way possible,” comments Podimo Chief Content Officer Sachin Doshi. “Subscription remains the engine of our business, but we know that providing more options is key for creators and to our growth. The acquisition of Tonny Media is part of Podimo’s broader strategy to partner with like-minded companies across markets to jointly build the future of podcasting, enhance creator opportunities, content diversity, and audience engagement.”

Podimo is available throughout the Nordics, except in Sweden. In Sweden, the most popular podcast subscription service is Schibsted-owned Podme, which sees significant subscriber growth in Q2. This is presented in Mediavision’s soon to be published report Insikt Ljudmarknad Q2.

The report is an in-depth analysis that provides an overall picture of the audio market in Sweden, including audiobooks, music, podcasts and radio. The analysis focuses on mapping consumption trends, competition and value creation – and the connections between them.  If you have any questions about this report, don’t hesitate to contact Mediavision’s senior analyst Fredrik Liljeqvist, at fredrik.liljeqvist@mediavision.se.

Last year, an exclusive deal was announced between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), granting Warner Bros. Discovery and the EBU joint rights to the live broadcasts of the Olympic Games from the year 2026 to 2032. EBU represents all public service broadcasters in the Nordics, among others.

However, last week, a new agreement over the rights was announced in Sweden. The free-to-air rights for the 2026–2032 Olympic Games were secured by TV4, following an agreement with public service broadcaster SVT. This arrangement means that the free-to-air TV rights for the 2026–2032 Olympics will be shared between TV4 and SVT. This marks the first time that TV4 will broadcast an Olympic event. Warner Bros. Discovery will continue to hold the rights to stream so-called ”every moment” of the Olympics, similar to the company’s broadcasting of this year’s Olympic games on the streaming service Max.

This summer’s Olympic games in Paris seem to have been a success for Warner Bros. Discovery. During the Games, Warner Bros. Discovery reached more than 215 million viewers in Europe. The Paris games also generated more than seven billion streamed minutes on Max in Europe, which is six times more than during the Tokyo 2020 Games, according to the Warner Bros. Discovery.

Mediavision’s Adrian Grande shares his takes on HVOD in the Nordics following Viaplay’s launch in Denmark, Norway and Sweden – Nordisk Film & TV Fond

Cirka en kvart million danskere interesserer sig for hjemløse Serie A – Mediawatch

Nordics: High viewer interest in unclaimed Serie A rights – Advanced Television

One million Nordic interested in Serie A, but rights go unsold – Broadband TV News

”Content – den evige kingen” – Dagens Media

Norge på topp på strømming, men globale aktører løper ifra – Medier24

Pirat-tv ökar i Norden – fem miljoner tittar illegalt – SVT Nyheter

Piratforbrug af film, serier og sport steg med otte pct. i 2023 – Mediawatch

Pirat-tv ökar i Norden: ”Sverige har en tradition” – Sveriges Radio

Ti prosent av norske hjem strømmer ulovlig ifølge ny undersøkelse – Kampanje

Ny rapport: Ti prosent av norske husstander strømmer sport ulovlig – Dagsavisen

Big windfall ahead if Nordic streamers can defeat password sharing – C21 Media