Despite efforts to rein in the use of illegal TV services, the consumption of pirated content – movies, series, and sports – continues to grow in the Nordics. Is there an explanation?
According to Mediavision, a media-analysis service based in Stockholm, in the autumn of 2024, more than 700,000 households in Sweden alone were paying for an illegal TV service. That’s a new record, representing a 25% rise compared to spring of 2024.
The situation is worrying for the rights holders – the number of households in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland using IPTV (internet protocol television) is constantly rising.
IPTV allows users to access thousands of TV channels and streaming platforms at a much lower monthly fee than legal services. And of course, those who sell IPTV do so without holding any rights to the content.
Last year, Mediavision said there were about five million pirates in the Nordic countries. Presumably, the number has grown again.
It wasn’t always like this. Yes, Sweden, for example, has traditionally had a high level of piracy – this is where The Pirate Bay, probably the most famous torrent website globally, originated.
But, as Natalia Borelius, a project manager at Mediavision, put it, piracy levels were dropping due to the expansion of affordable legal alternatives.
Plus, the TV companies and the streaming platforms have been fighting the IPTV service providers – and the telecom companies allowing visits to websites offering illegal services – in courts.
In March, Danish courts convicted two men for extensive illegal file sharing and sent them straight to prison. These were Denmark’s first unconditional prison sentences for piracy without a profit motive.
Still, the number of Nordic people consuming pirated content has been increasing. According to some experts, this could be linked to the price hikes for legal services such as Netflix.
More illegal services are also now available. Consumers have found ways to consume content illegally on YouTube and Facebook.
Finally, Scandinavians seem quite stubborn. Already a decade ago, The New York Times cited a study saying that 42% of Swedes who pirate media believe the practice is wrong – but do it anyway.
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