The Italian Serie A football league remains one of the most popular international sports leagues among Nordic consumers, with more than a million expressing interest in viewing the league. Interest is especially high in Sweden, where Serie A is on par with some of the most popular sports such as Formula 1.
Despite the league’s kickoff being just days away, the TV and streaming rights for Serie A remain unsold – at least officially – across all Nordic countries. Whoever picks up the right to distribute the Italian top league will have a solid fan base of close to a million interested viewers in the Nordics, of which half come from Sweden.
“Even without Zlatan, Serie A continues to be highly popular in Sweden and the rest of the Nordics, ranking in top among European and domestic football leagues” says Adrian Grande, Senior Analyst at Mediavision.
Grande notes that while rising prices have led some fans to reconsider, the core base of paying customers remains stable. Mediavision’s yearly sports analysis also highlights a significant overlap in interest between Serie A and other top football leagues.
“A vast majority of Serie A enthusiasts are also interested in the Premier League, Champions League and La Liga, making these leagues highly complementary in terms of viewer engagement,” Grande adds.
However, as things stand, it remains uncertain whether fans will be able to watch the season premier on Saturday, August 17th.
The current situation is primarily explained by high costs associated with sports rights, at a time when parts of the TV and streaming market are under financial pressure, according to Grande. Despite ongoing discussions about the rights, it is clear that Serie A generates a substantial interest across the Nordic region.
It should also be noted, Grande points out, that there is uncertainty regarding Serie A rights in markets outside the Nordics as well. For example, the English (WBD-owned) TNT has secured the rights to broadcast only a selection of matches, but not all, in the UK and Ireland.
Competition among streaming services in Sweden has increased significantly in 2024. More services are competing for households’ budget and consumers’ time. However, many seem to appreciate the new and more niche services that are emerging. In Mediavision’s latest analysis of the Swedish TV and streaming market, it is noted that the number of paid streaming subscriptions reached a new record last year, with newer services in particular gaining market share.
Nearly one million new paid streaming subscriptions were added in 2024, meaning Swedish households now pay for nearly eight million subscriptions. At the turn of the year, the average streaming household had 2.7 paid streaming subscriptions, setting a new record and marking a 10 percent increase compared to 2023. Growth is mainly driven by services such as Prime Video and SkyShowtime, whereas early-established services like Netflix maintain stable household penetration.
The fact that younger services are growing more means that the gap between them and market leader Netflix is gradually narrowing. But it’s not just the rising competition among paid streaming services that stands out. Mediavision also notes that video consumption via social media is taking up an increasingly larger share, further intensifying competition.
– The market is entering a new phase, as more services are offering video, comments Fredrik Liljeqvist, senior analyst at Mediavision. Social video is playing an increasingly important role, while several new global streaming services are growing in our domestic market. The top actors are now facing harder competition than just a few years ago.
– In 2025, the number of subscriptions per streaming household is expected to continue rising. What we’ve seen so far, allows us to predict continued intense competition in the streaming sector, both in terms of subscription revenue and viewership, concludes Liljeqvist.