During the past twelve months, until the second quarter of 2022, Mediavision has noted a strong growth in household penetration for audiobook services. But content supply is similar between services, turning customers into bargain hunters. This results in high customer turnover.
Today, just over 1 million households subscribe to an audiobook service. One year ago, this figure was significantly lower, approx. 800’ households. Growth over the past year amounts to 29 percent, which is considerably higher than for both video services and other audio services, e.g., music. However, no growth is noted when comparing with the first quarter of 2022 – meaning that the record-level of household penetration from Q1 2022 remains stable.
The audiobook market in Sweden is also characterized by high customer turnover, in technical terms referred to as “churn”. This means that many customers either switch between services or churn/return to the same service. For media companies that offer subscriptions, it is important to keep “churn” under control, as it is expensive to acquire new customers. Regarding the audiobook services, it appears as though many customers have cancelled or changed their subscriptions during the past twelve months. Since the various audiobook services provide similar content offerings, bait-and-switch pricing and promotions become important means of competition.
This week, we focus on the following topics:
- Disney Plus celebrates 2 years in the Nordics
- HBO triumphs at Emmy Awards (again)
- 1 million households subscribe to an audiobook service – but customer turnover is challenging
FOCUS: SVOD
Disney Plus celebrates 2 years in the Nordics
This Thursday marks the second anniversary of Disney Plus in the Nordics. Mediavision can conclude that in only 24 months, the service has attracted more than 1.7 million subscribing households in Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Sweden – which means that it is the fourth largest service in the region.
The high interest in viewing the UEFA Champions League also translates into high willingness to pay for the league. More than 700’ 15-74-year-olds in the Nordic countries state that they explicitly pay to watch this league. As an average, 19% of those with an interest in a league or tournament pay to watch. For Champions League, the equivalent is as high as 28%.
Disney Plus’ rapid success can be explained by its clear positioning within the kids and family segment and an attractive price point. As Mediavision’s Content Analysis shows, approximately a fifth of Disney Plus’ total content library (in terms of total hours) is within the kids and family genre – and according to the consumers’ evaluation, Disney Plus outranks all competitors in this segment.
Read up on the full press release here, with commentary from Mediavision’s Senior Analyst Natalia Borelius.
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Content AnalysisThis analysis maps and analyses all on-demand content available on streaming services in the Nordics and its impact on consumption, actors, and market dynamics. It focuses on the interplay between supply and demand and thus provides a solid foundation for decision-making within content strategy and related areas. |
FOCUS: SVOD
HBO triumphs at Emmy Awards (again)
HBO came out on top with the most wins at the 74th annual Emmy Awards, held in Los Angeles on Monday. HBO doubled their 19 wins from last year, picking up a total of 38 awards at this year’s gala. Among these wins, the limited series “The White Lotus” picked up a total of 10 statues, including best directing and writing. Other winners from HBO’s catalogue were “Euphoria”, picking up six statuettes and “Succession” receiving the prize for Outstanding Drama Series for the second time.
Netflix did not walk out empty handed, as they finished second in total Emmy wins by platform. The most successful among Netflix’s programs were “Squid Game” which collected six prizes, including best actor in a drama series for star Lee Jung-Jae. “Stranger Things” scored four awards as Netflix received a total of 26 wins.
Other mentionable winners are Apple TV Plus’ comedy series “Ted Lasso”, scoring four wins, including the best comedy series.
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C more‘s first original norwegian series premeires soon
Viaplay‘s latest original “Veronika” stars Alexandra Rapaport
Warner Bros. Discovery ‘firing up’ third-party distribution
Cineworld files for US bankruptcy
C More secures a three-year contract with the NFL |
FOCUS: AUDIO
Mediavision: 1 million households subscribe to an audiobook service – but customer turnover is challenging
Today, just over 1 million households subscribe to an audiobook service. One year ago, this figure was significantly lower, approx. 800’ households. Growth over the past year amounts to 29 percent, which is considerably higher than for both video services and other audio services, e.g., music. However, no growth is noted when comparing with the first quarter of 2022 – meaning that the record-level of household penetration from Q1 2022 remains stable.
The audiobook market in Sweden is also characterized by high customer turnover, in technical terms referred to as “churn”. This means that many customers either switch between services or churn/return to the same service. For media companies that offer subscriptions, it is important to keep “churn” under control, as it is expensive to acquire new customers. Regarding the audiobook services, it appears as though many customers have cancelled or changed their subscriptions during the past twelve months. Since the various audiobook services provide similar content offerings, bait-and-switch pricing and promotions become important means of competition.
Read up on the full press release here, with commentary from Mediavision’s senior analyst Fredrik Liljeqvist.
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Insikt: Ljudmarknad
This analysis provides in-depth understanding of the entire audio market – including audiobooks, music, podcasts, and radio. The analysis focuses on the digital transformation of both listening and consumer payments, on both aggregated and actor specific levels. |
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Bauer Media launches RadioPlay Premium in Finland
Spotify’s CFO says audiobook testing will begin “very soon”
TuneIn to collaborate with Cumulus Media
Schibsted invests in soundtech startup Nomono
Sony Music Group fully exits Russia |
Mediavision in the 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
Sweden: Streaming services soar despite economic concern – Advanced Television
Sweden boasts more streaming subscriptions than ever – Cineuropa
Industry Events
IBC: 9-12 September 2022, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Future of TV Advertising Canada: 14 September 2022, Toronto, Canada
Bokmässan: 22-25 September 2022, Göteborg, Sweden
MIPJunior: 15-16 October 2022, Cannes, France
MIPCOM: 17-20 October 2022, Cannes, France
Filmfestival: 27-05 January/February 2022, Göteborg, Sweden
* Mediavision will attend
** Mediavision will present