The report, presented in early October, describes Swedes’ digital habits and Internet use on a broad scale. Below, we highlight some of the results concerning the use of traditional and digital media platforms.
Digital newspapers
An increasing number of Swedes subscribe to a digital newspaper, but this increase is not enough to compensate for the decrease in printed newspaper subscriptions.
Moreover, the share of daily readers of digital newspapers is now higher than that of daily readers of print newspapers. Older people hold on to print newspapers to a greater extent than younger people. The age group above 65 years is also the only one in which more than half the group read a print newspaper on a daily basis (see figure below).
Source: The Swedes and the Internet 2018.
Platforms for TV and online video
Traditional TV viewing is decreasing, but still retains the greatest proportion of viewers compared to other platforms. However, more and more people are choosing to watch streaming services online, which means that on-demand viewing is growing at the expense of traditional TV.
Viewing patterns vary greatly between the different age groups. Almost all Internet users under 45 years watch YouTube; and among 16-25-year-olds, almost two-thirds watch YouTube on a daily basis. People aged 26-45 years watch streaming services more than other age groups, even though the share of those who watch traditional TV is still slightly higher. From the age of 46 years, traditional TV viewing dominates (see figure below).
Source: The Swedes and the Internet 2018.
Radio and music services on the Internet
Listening to online content is increasing, be it music, podcasts, or online radio. Podcasts and online radio are reaching more than half of Internet users. Spotify dominates among people under the age of 46, and linear offline radio is by far the largest among people over 45. Interestingly, in the age group 16 to 25 years, the proportion listening to podcasts is greater than the proportion listening to a radio station on the Internet (see figure below).
Source: The Swedes and the Internet 2018.
Karin Hellingwerf