Credential sharing in the Nordics: three million using SVOD without paying

As many as three million SVOD subscriptions in the Nordics are currently accessed using another household’s subscription, according to local research outfit Mediavision

According to Mediavision’s latest analysis of the Nordic TV and streaming market, some three million SVOD subscriptions in the Nordics are currently borrowed from another household, without payment.

For subscriptions for the 15 largest SVOD services, close to 20% of those are shared with a non-paying household, according to the outfit.

Netflix has the highest share of borrowed subscriptions, with close to a million Nordic households stating they have access without paying.

Mediavision also asked households that currently borrow subscriptions, how they would act if sharing was no longer possible.

Just over half of the borrowed subscriptions would not be replaced with a paid one, according to the survey.

However, Mediavision found that that many of those that borrow subscriptions also pay themselves for other services, leading the outfit to infer that hybrid services paid for by lower cost subscriptions and partly financed by advertising, would be an alternative for them.

“It is a challenge for SVOD actors that so many subscriptions are shared. But perhaps cheaper, partly ad-financed, services can become a solution and a way to reduce sharing. There are many indications that 2023 will be the year of wider subscription options being established. For growth it is important to have more paid subscriptions,” said Marie Nilsson, CEO at Mediavision.