The analyst noted that the rise of streaming services has continued relentlessly throughout 2018, with the streaming-heavy region in the forefront of this development. More disappointingly, broadcast TV viewing has continued to decline throughout the Nordics in 2018, despite the Winter Olympics, FIFA World Cup — events that historically have boosted ratings greatly — and the general election in Sweden. Although the rights holders of the major sports events temporarily gained in share of viewing (SOV) on their competitors, Mediavision observed that the overall trend has continued downward.

Looking at each individual country, Mediavision found that Norway displays the largest drop while Finland was the most resilient. This pattern was reflected in the streaming market as well, where Norway and Sweden obtained the highest penetration of streaming services and Finland the lowest.

Mediavision warned that with a rather uneventful year in terms of major sports events ahead, the decline in traditional TV viewing was likely to continue, perhaps even accelerate. In addition, it predicts that the corporate Nordic media market and its actors are most certainly in for an eventful 2019 as consolidation on the market continues. It noted moves such as Telia acquiring Bonnier Broadcasting, Com Hem and Tele2 merging and MTG splitting its business in two, launching NENT Group as a separate company.