After a streaming-fueled boom, Nordic prodcos are cutting permanent staff, pivoting to freelance models amid tighter financing and global pressure.

Production companies are adapting to a more unpredictable market and, in the process, downsizing their permanent staff in favour of flexible, project- and freelance-based contracts, driven by changes in financing and demand in the Nordic film and TV market.

It is not a matter of individual layoffs, but the result of several factors: shifting commissioning patterns among streaming services, financial incentives, and the globalisation of production, which puts pressure on locally based permanent jobs.

Across the region, the picture is largely the same, with a sharp slowdown in streaming investments and a more cautious market. However, there are national differences – including distinct public service structures and support schemes – but the main trend remains comparable.

The downsizing follows a Nordic production boom driven by global streaming competition and aggressive market expansion. It peaked in 2022, but tapered off in 2024, according to the Danish Producers’ Association.

“Production output in 2022 was exceptionally high - close to a bubble - so the drop that followed has had major consequences for production companies and their employees,” said Rasmus Andersen, Head of Research & Projects at the Danish Producers’ Association. He added that, while speaking from a Danish perspective, his colleagues across the Nordic region are seeing the same pattern.

British Ampere Analytics does not have firm numbers on workforce trends in the Nordic countries, but Nordic layoffs were hardly surprising:

“According to Ampere’s Nordic commissioning database, which includes series and movies, Q2 and Q3 were very weak in the Nordics. Activity did pick up, and Q4 was a strong quarter, driven by public broadcaster and commercial TV activity. Nevertheless, looking at all of 2025, commissioning was down 23% from the previous year,” Head of Media Insights Matt Trickett, Ampere, told NFTVF, adding that overall, UK workforce trends were stable in 2025 vs 2024.

In Sweden, the TV industry recognises a measurable decline in production and layoffs following several golden years of growth.

”There are recent signs that the Swedish production market is stabilising,” Christian Wikander, Chairman at Yrkesnämnden för Film & TV (Sweden’s Film and TV Professional Board), told NFTVF.

“However, looking at production volume, the market seems to have reached a “new normal” estimated at about 75% of what was described as ‘peak TV’. That said, we still see layoffs and companies struggling to run a sustainable business. On the positive side, there is a slight increase in commissions from streamers.”

In Denmark, Nordisk Film announced layoffs in December due to tough competition for consumers' time and money. At the same time, Piv Bernth’s Apple Tree Productions announced it will close at the end of 2026, citing “increasingly difficult” market conditions.

NFTVF reached out to Nordisk Film and its owner, Egmont, but the company is not prepared to comment on the Nordic production industry or local Danish layoffs. According to Rasmus Andersen, the market has simply corrected itself after a boom.

“The current level is closer to a normal market – albeit with greater volatility than before,” Andersen said, adding that he does not predict a fundamental restructuring of the industry – it has always been project- and freelance-based.

The Norwegian Film Institute published a 2025 status report on the industry's labour market. It showed, among other things, that there were 30 per cent fewer film workers in Norway in 2023 than in the peak year of 2022, and that access to work is more seasonal than previously.

"We do not have updated figures for 2025, but the feedback we receive largely confirms the impression conveyed by Nordisk Film & TV Fond: The industry is under pressure, and there are fewer permanent employees," Kjetil Omberg, Department Director at the Norwegian Film Institute, told NFTVF. The Norwegian Film Institute's strategic plan for 2026-2029, presented this month, acknowledges a difficult market with rising costs and lower investment from international streaming services, and outlines strategic measures to ensure financial sustainability for Norway's producing audiovisual industry.

During the Finnish boom years from 2017 to 2023, production companies invested actively in scripted TV, driving high labour demand and, in turn, higher wages. After the boom, the Finnish market experienced several disruptions in a short period. Streamers and TV channels rapidly reduced commissioning, and layoffs have been commonplace over the past two years.

“We, Audiovisual Producers Finland, can confirm that most larger production companies have undergone change negotiations regarding workforce reductions. Furthermore, the Finnish unemployment fund reports that the number of unemployed workers in the film and TV industry was two to three times higher in 2025 than usual at the same time of year, varying a bit depending on the season,” APFI’s Chairwoman, Laura Kuulasmaa, told NFTVF. The Finnish slowdown was probably exacerbated by Yle, which came under government pressure to cut costs. At the same time, commercial channels struggled due to slow growth in the Finnish economy and consumer spending, doctoral student and researcher Ilkka Matila, the Department of Film/School of Arts, Aalto University, added.

Finland lacks comprehensive TV industry unemployment statistics, according to Matila, but data is available as unions receive data on their members from the unemployment fund (A-kassa) if they are entitled to earnings-related unemployment benefits.