17 streamers have signed up for the Danish scheme to support the industry and contribute to local production. What about the other Nordic countries?

Denmark is following the 16 European countries (and counting), introducing a cultural levy and/or investment obligation on streaming services to support local film and TV production.

The cultural levy came into effect on 1. January 2025 and requires on-demand streaming service providers to pay a basic rate of 2% of their Danish revenues. If a streamer in Denmark invests less than 5% of its Danish turnover in Danish content, it faces an additional 3% surcharge, making the total rate 5%.

The objective is to support Danish-language content and contribute to the development of Danish film and TV. The bulk of the net proceeds from the streaming levy - 80% - will be earmarked for Danish fiction and non-fiction films, with the remaining 20% going to TV series and TV documentaries via the Public Service Fund.

It is expected that the combined levy and investment obligation will provide100 million DKK (EUR 13.4 M) in Danish content. So far, 17 media providers have agreed to report on their activities in Denmark, according to the Danish agency Slots- og Kulturstyrelsen (SLKS).

Contributions from international streamers in the Nordic countries

In Sweden and Norway, the industry and organisations are suggesting similar measures to support their local audiovisual sectors and ensure that international streaming platforms contribute to local content production.

Norway is set to introduce an investment obligation for streaming services in 2026. Streamers are required to invest at least 4% of their annual revenue in Norwegian-language audiovisual works. If they don't meet this requirement, they will need to contribute to the Norwegian Film Fund, with contributions potentially reaching up to 5% of their revenue.

This spring, the Swedish government is considering a series of proposals to revitalise the nation's film and TV production. The plans, expected to be presented to Culture Minister Parisa Liljestrand, include a streaming levy programme where streamers must contribute annually to developing and producing films and TV series in Sweden. The financial contribution is proposed to be a fee of 1.5 per cent of the turnover, with some exemptions, such as media providers with an annual revenue of less than 20 million SEK.

Similar considerations are underway in Finland.

“The Finnish Film Foundation is hopeful that the Finnish government advances levy and/or investment obligation on streamers during this year,” Lasse Saarinen, CEO of the Finnish Film Foundation, told NFTVF.

16 EU countries have implemented levies and/or investment obligations, starting with France, with an obligation to invest 20% to 25% of their net annual turnover in audiovisual and/or cinema production.

Investment obligations help secure financing

There are no reasons not to implement a streaming levy in European countries as part of an effort to introduce investment obligations in the respective markets, according to VP Tomas Eskilsson from Film i Väst Analysis. Eskilsson has authored numerous reports on public film funding, and participated in discussions on the future of film financing in Europe.

“We conclude that none of the Scandinavian proposals (on streaming levy) involve any major risks, but hopefully provide a valuable contribution to local content production,” Eskilsson explained.

Eskilsson recently appeared at the Berlin International Film Festival addressing some of the general pros and cons of investment obligations, including mandating contributions from larger streaming services; this helps level the playing field, ensuring that these services also contribute to the local film and television industries.

"An obligation for streaming services to invest in local content can be valuable, especially for countries where streaming services order local content and in countries where the number of orders is low/co-financing of local content is low.”

Industry looks forward to funding from streamers

The first payments from streamers in Denmark are due on 31 March, and the industry is anticipating the outcome. Industry experts have estimated proceeds at about DKK 100 million that could trickle into the production economy. However, actual amounts are uncertain, partly because revenue from sports and investment in sports are not included.

"As yet no money has entered the industry; we are waiting to discover how the cultural contribution programme will work, and the size of it. Of course, we expect the cultural contribution to substantially contribute to the industry's strained financial situation,” CEO Anna Porse Nielsen, Producentforeningen Denmark, told NFTVF.

The Danish Film Institute (DFI) is delighted that the process is now moving ahead. “We look forward to the funds finding their way into the industry. We also look forward to discovering how much the cultural contribution will yield in total, and the distribution between investments and pure contribution,” CEO of DFI, Tine Fischer, told NFTVF.

So far, 17 streamers have signed up for the Danish scheme, including Amazon Prime Video, Google, Netflix International, TV 2 Denmark, and Viaplay Group, according to the Danish agency SLKS.

According to the Danish scheme, streamers must report the total amount of relevant turnover as well as the total amount of investments. The statements must be accompanied by an auditor’s certification. Sports and news programmes are exempt, as well as income from linear TV operations.