Research: Sweden’s streaming growth cools
August 26, 2026



The number of streaming subscriptions in Sweden rose sharply throughout 2025, reaching around 11 million by the end of the first quarter of 2026 – before growth stalled in the second quarter, marking the first quarter without growth in over two years, according to analysis from Mediavision.

“We’ve seen an extraordinary growth period across the Nordics, driven largely by steep price cuts through ad-supported subscriptions. But the second quarter in Sweden is a reminder that subscriber growth is maturing,” commented Fredrik Liljeqvist, Principal Analyst at Mediavision.


Growth has been driven mainly by lower-priced, ad-supported services – such a subscription costs an average of SEK 75 (€6.77) per month, compared to SEK 126 for an ad-free service, a difference of 40 per cent. The lower price has opened the door to new customer segments but has at the same time pushed down average revenue per user (ARPU) by 5 per cent over the past year.

“Introducing lower prices has worked to win new customers, but it is unlikely to be a sustainable strategy for healthy growth on its own. We see clear signs of maturity in Sweden, and the other Nordic markets have followed a similar pattern of ad-supported growth. As that growth slows, the challenge shifts from winning new customers to creating more value from the ones already there,” added Liljeqvist.