Over 700,000 households in Sweden now have access to illegal IPTV, Mediavision latest survey finds

Last week, Mediavision, a Stockholm-based independent analysis and consultancy firm, revealed that over 700,000 households in Sweden now have access to illegal IPTV (Internet Protocol Television). To date, the widespread use of illegal TV services remains a major challenge for the Swedish media market. Despite efforts to curb such services, piracy consumption — including films, TV series, and sports — continues to grow.

NFTVF spoke to Mediavision senior analyst Natalia Borelius to dig deep into the soaring phenomenon of IPTV piracy in Sweden. First, we asked about the main factors driving the sharp increase in illegal IPTV subscriptions and why piracy is more prevalent in Sweden than in the other Nordic countries.

“There are many aspects to take into account. We have legacy, which I think explains part of it. You might recall Pirate Bay, which was Swedish. Swedish consumers were early adopters of the Internet, high-speed broadband, and, consequently, illegal services,” commented Borelius. “Of course, there are legal aspects too. Sharp price increases for premium sports packages may also be a driving force,” she added, noting that this is her personal analysis and that no official data supports this yet.

When asked how illegal IPTV services impact Sweden’s media industry in terms of revenue loss, content rights, and competition with legal providers, Borelius did not mince words: “The impact is negative, of course. According to figures collected in March last year and based on consumer spending, it’s an outflow of approximately SEK 1.25 billion per year. But that merely covers consumer revenues in Sweden that go to providers of illegal services. There are also lost revenues for actors, content rights, advertising, and so on.”

Borelius was also asked about consumer attitudes toward illegal IPTV — whether people are aware of the legal risks or if affordability is the main driver of adoption. In response, the analyst indicated that both factors play a role. She suggested that “a change in legislation” could have a significant impact, highlighting that, at present, the risk for consumers “remains low”.

This 700,000 figure marks a significant increase compared to last year’s spring, and constitutes 16% of the country’s households, setting a new record. As recently as March, the number of Swedish households accessing illegal IPTV stood at 580,000, representing 13% of the total. Meanwhile, Denmark had 320,000 households using illegal IPTV (13% of the total), followed by Norway (230,000 households, or 10%) and Finland (200,000 households, or 8%).

At the start of 2024, the Swedish government launched an investigation to review the country’s national film policy. Recently, it introduced an additional directive to the ongoing inquiry. This new directive includes assessing the need for, and potential framework of, a ban on private individuals using illegal IPTV services. It also requires proposals on how such a ban could be structured. Illegal IPTV enables users to access thousands of TV channels and streaming platforms at a much lower cost than legal services, with providers offering content without the necessary rights.

“Mediavision can conclude that illegal IPTV services continue to rise among Swedish households. This marks a new record high and a sharp increase of approximately 25% compared to the spring of 2024,” underscores the firm’s official press release.

Finally, Mediavision revealed that the new figures were collected through an online survey administered to a sample of 1,000–1,500 respondents per country, aged 15–74, and ensuring diversity in terms of age, gender, and household size to obtain results “weighted to represent national demographics”.