AVOD is now the single biggest category of video consumption in Sweden by weekly reach, according to the Stockholm-based consultancy Mediavision.
Analysis for Q3 shows that 90% of 15-74-year-olds in Sweden view advertising-supported video at least once a week. This compares to a 75% reach for premium video services.
The consultancy has noted strong growth over the last 12 months, driven by social media platforms, with the highest weekly reach recorded for YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. If social media platforms are excluded, other advertising financed streaming (AVOD) reaches 61% of all 15-74-year-olds an average week.
“We believe that the interest in advertising financed streaming will continue to increase in Sweden, as well as the interest in services combining consumer payments and ads into various hybrid offerings,” comments Marie Nilsson, CEO of Mediavision. “In the US, such services are already available, for example from Netflix. Disney+ is set to launch its own US hybrid offer in December. Perhaps the economic climate will push forth a similar development in the Nordics.”
Mediavision also notes a clear interest for new types of hybrid services, with a limited amount of advertising at a lower cost. New online services, which are fully financed by advertising, have also entered the market recently. These include Paramount Global-owned Pluto TV and Samsung TV Plus.