Julia Stoll
Research expert covering TV and video media
Video streaming in Denmark - statistics & facts
In Denmark, watching video content via streaming services has long been less popular than traditional TV usage, but in 2022, streaming surpassed TV viewing time for the first time. Video streaming accounted for 27 percent of the total media consumption time that year, up from a share of 21 percent recorded in 2021. Unsurprisingly, younger generations are more likely to use streaming platforms than their older counterparts. In 2022, 21 to 30-year-olds spent on average one hour and nine minutes per day on watching online video content, compared to 11 minutes they spent on traditional TV. Meanwhile, linear TV was still more popular than streaming options among people aged 51 years and older.
Also, freely available services, including advertised-based content and online television channels, increased in value recently. In the first quarter of 2019, the share of individuals streaming freely accessible programs was 18 percent. Four years later, the share already amounted to 37 percent and the acceptance towards ad-supported content for a reduced cost is relatively high compared to people who are willing to pay the full price for an ad-free viewing experience. Contrary to that, pay-per-view platforms are less popular in Denmark. Only nine percent of Danes interviewed in a survey stated to digitally buy or rent individual movies.
The revenue models and how they perform in Denmark
Paid streaming, in particular the subscription-based version, is still the most used video streaming platform model in Denmark. Over two thirds of the Danish population subscribed to services such as Netflix or HBO Max in the first quarter of 2023, marking a growth of 14 percentage points compared to the same quarter of 2019. In general, the number of over-the-top video subscriptions made a huge leap recently. From 2018 to 2021, the amount almost doubled to around 5.7 million subscriptions.Also, freely available services, including advertised-based content and online television channels, increased in value recently. In the first quarter of 2019, the share of individuals streaming freely accessible programs was 18 percent. Four years later, the share already amounted to 37 percent and the acceptance towards ad-supported content for a reduced cost is relatively high compared to people who are willing to pay the full price for an ad-free viewing experience. Contrary to that, pay-per-view platforms are less popular in Denmark. Only nine percent of Danes interviewed in a survey stated to digitally buy or rent individual movies.
The most popular streaming services in Denmark
The SVOD platform Netflix and domestic online television channel DR TV are the most used streaming services in Denmark. According to a survey from 2022, over half of respondents stated to have used them to stream movies and series in the past 12 months. Other popular platforms in the country include Danish TV2 Play and Swedish Viaplay. 40 and 36 percent of people interviewed respectively used those within the previous year. Additionally, new international players, such as Disney+, Paramount+, and Discovery+, have entered the market since 2020, making the video streaming landscape even more competitive.
