The crowded SVOD market
Worldwide, Norway ranked third in the ranking of countries with the highest penetration rate of subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services as of 2023. Furthermore, while 55 percent of the Norwegian population had a subscription in 2018, the share increased to over 80 percent in 2022. Unsurprisingly, younger generations tend to be using SVOD more than their older counterparts, with over 90 percent of nine to 44-year-olds subscribing to video streaming services in 2022, compared to 37 percent of subscribers aged 80 years and older.Netflix is by far the most popular SVOD platform in Norway, with 55 percent of households subscribing to the streaming service as of 2022. The on-demand service of HBO recorded the second highest share, followed by Sweden-based Viaplay and Disney’s streaming offer Disney+. In addition to the top three, Amazon Prime Video and TV2 Sumo also increased their subscriber base in the country. With more domestic and international streaming providers entering the competitive SVOD landscape in Norway, the amount of people who do not subscribe is steadily decreasing.
Ad-supported streaming in Norway
While SVOD has long been holding the highest market share in terms of revenue in Norway, freely available and ad-supported video streaming (AVOD) content has caught up. As of 2023, the penetration rate of free OTT video viewers stood at over 70 percent. AVOD in Norway primarily refers to domestic broadcaster video-on-demand (BVOD) or online TV services, such as NRK online and TV 2 Play, with entertainment and drama being the most popular genres among the population. However, international-based ad-supported platforms like Pluto TV have entered the market lately, showing the significance of this business model and video streaming in general in this region.
