Mediavision: Growth in Sweden for podcasts and streaming

We listen to 100 minutes of audio media on average, per day. This is concluded by Mediavision in its second-quarter analysis of the Swedish audio market. The analysis covers live radio, audiobooks, streamed music, and podcasts. The shift from live radio to various types of on-demand services continues, even though the overall listening time remains stable.

The second-quarter analysis of the Swedish audio market shows that daily listening time is stable compared to the same period last year. The total listening time amounts to 100 minutes on an average day, covering both live radio and digital audio (audiobooks, music, and podcasts on demand). It is evident that our listening behavior is still changing, as the “on demand” share of audio services is increasing. Over time, our listening has shifted more towards streamed music and podcasts. In the second quarter, music services and podcasts together account for more than half of all listening.

Streamed music and podcasts continue to grow. It’s a development that look like what we see for TV, comments Fredrik Liljeqvist, senior analyst at Mediavision. Spotify has a very strong position in the Swedish market, but the past year has seen significant growth for other players. When it comes to podcasts, an increasing share of listening is concentrated on these global services, even though the content is mainly created by others, such as radio operators or podcast companies. Spotify is the largest audio service in Sweden, both in terms of subscribers and listening, but competition has definitely increased.

While live radio maintains stable in daily reach, it is losing shares of total listening time to digital services which continue to grow. In other words, the gradual shift towards digital and on-demand listening continues.

Compared to TV, however, live radio has managed to hold up better. For many, radio is a central media channel, reflected in more stable listening figures, Liljeqvist notes. There are several reasons for this, including radio’s easy accessibility and the fact that it is completely free of charge.

About Mediavision

Mediavision is a Nordic independent analysis and consultancy firm, focused on analysis and strategy within traditional and digital media. 6,700 respondents between the ages 15 to 74 are surveyed biannually in the Nordics. The data from the survey consists of self-assessed values from a nationally representative sample.