Sweden survey report: More video viewing on more devices

Introduction

Results from a recent Kagan survey show that the television is still the screen of choice for watching TV and video content in Sweden, but TV viewing time is declining, in favor of more time viewing on PCs and mobile devices.

* Average daily hours Swedish consumers spend watching video on the TV is declining.

* Video-on-demand viewing is increasing, as subscription video-on-demand adoption reaches 84% of respondents.

* Twenty percent of SVOD households do not own a smart TV or streaming media device, increasing the average daily hours spent watching on PCs, smartphones or tablets.

The Kagan 2021 Sweden Consumer Insights survey found that Swedish internet adults spend less than half (46%) of their average daily TV/video viewing hours watching the television, down from 61% in 2019. The percentage of daily viewing hours spent on the PC grew from 17% in 2019 to 25% in 2021, while video viewing on a smartphone has increased 6 percentage points to 19% over the past three years.

A major factor contributing to the shift in screen preferences is the trend toward viewing more on-demand video. The percentage of internet adults in Sweden that watches primarily live TV has declined from 32% in 2018 to 23% in 2021. Over the same time period, those reporting that they spend at least half of their daily TV video viewing hours watching VOD content increased from 37% to 51%.

The survey data also shows that the percentage of internet households using at least one online subscription VOD service, such as Nordic Entertainment Group AB (publ)'s Viaplay or Netflix Inc., has risen from 67% in 2018 to 84% last year. The use of multichannel TV services in Sweden has remained essentially flat at 60% since 2018 but remains very strong. This suggests that SVOD services are typically being used to supplement live TV viewing from multichannel TV services.

The survey found that nearly two-thirds (63%) of Swedish internet households own at least one smart TV and 46% own at least one streaming media device. Overall, Swedish households own 2.9 televisions on average, on par with the U.S. and most other Western European markets. However, as the Swedish SVOD market nears the saturation point, first-time adopter SVOD households are increasingly comprised of individuals who are less tech savvy than those who have used online entertainment for years. For example, the 2021 survey found that 20% of SVOD households in Sweden do not own a smart TV or streaming media device, up from 15% a year earlier. Without a convenient means to view VOD on the TV screen, an increasing number of internet adults are watching on their PCs, smartphones or tablets.

^{The 2021 Kagan European Consumer Insights surveys were conducted in December 2021 with approximately 1,000 internet adults per country in the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Sweden and Poland. Each survey has a margin of error of +/-3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. Percentages are rounded up to the nearest whole number. Survey data should only be used to identify general market characteristics and directional trends.}

^{Consumer Insights is a regular feature from Kagan, a media research group within S&P Global Market Intelligence's TMT offering, providing exclusive research and commentary.}

^{This article was published by S&P Global Market Intelligence and not by S&P Global Ratings, which is a separately managed division of S&P Global.}