Today, Nordicom publishes the sixteenth edition of the report MedieSverige, which provides a broad and up-to-date overview of the Swedish media landscape in 2025. Brand new in this edition is a brief overview of relevant laws, regulations, and authorities on the Swedish media market. Also, this edition offers more information about the podcast market. As usual, the report is divided into chapters on technology, politics, audience, advertising, and corporate structure.
News media subsidies
After two years with a new support system for news media, it is possible to see how it works. Why was the system changed? A short explanation is that the transformed media landscape required an update of the subsidy system. It was no longer functional to base support for news media on print circulation, household coverage, and operating costs. Instead, it is now based on costs for editorial staff and user engagement. The report shows how much money has been distributed in the new forms of subsidies.
The distribution of media subsidies in 2023 and 2025
A comparison between 2023 and 2025 shows that the total amount of money distributed for support is largely unchanged between the old and the new system. No unexpected shifts have appeared in how the amount of money has been distributed to different newspaper groups and media types. The newspaper group Bonnier News Local has been granted the most and takes the largest share of the support (250 million Swedish kronor for 2025). It is worth pointing out that Bonnier News Local is the largest publisher of local daily newspapers with the most titles, receiving and not receiving subsidies. The comparison with how much money Bonnier received in the last year of the old model, 2023, shows that the newspaper group's percentage share is still around 30 per cent of the total support distributed, even though more titles received support in 2025.
The publishers that can be said to have "lost" support money between 2023 and 2025 are NTM Media and Stampen. But above all, within the category newspapers published once or twice per week, the number dropped from 45 to 35, and its share of total support money decreased by 9 percentage points. The new technique-neutral support system that does not require paying subscribers has improved opportunities for free newspapers and local news sites to receive support. Nine more titles were approved for support in 2025 compared with 2023, and the category’s share of support funds increased by 7 percentage points. Looking at which titles receive support, and which ones no longer do, the result thus far is in line with the intentions of the new Media Support Act: The public's access to high-quality local news media should be promoted rather than opinionated national daily newspapers.
Digital media use is the new normal
Radio listening is one of the most common daily media activities in Sweden; in 2023, seven out of ten listened to live radio on an average day. Listening to podcasts and catch-up radio has gradually increased throughout the twenty-first century. Although linear radio listening retains its place as one of the population's most used media, almost one in three now listens to podcast/catch-up radio on an average day. As is the case for television, the digital use of audio is higher in age groups younger than 45 years old. However, digital listening and viewing is growing strongly in older age groups, at the same time as linear formats are still the most common ones used by people aged 65–85. However, for daily newspaper reading, the reading has shifted from print to digital platforms in all age groups, and newspapers’ highest digital reach is in the age group 65–85.
Top ten podcasts in 2024
In addition to Sveriges Radio's activities with linear radio and catch-up services, the podcast market is a flora of new players. Also, commercial linear radio operators are active in podcasting, but not with the most successful shows. An analysis of the industry’s currency, Poddindex, shows that the top ten podcasts with the highest technical reach in 2024 were published by Sveriges Radio or independent commercial podcast publishers. During the 2020s, companies in the newspaper market, such as Schibsted and Bonnier News, have become more active in podcasts. .
More areas without local editorial staff or targeted coverage
Beginning in 2019, there has been state subsidies for the establishment of local journalism in geographical areas without any editorial staff. However, the trend is not positive when it comes to local coverage. In the autumn of 2024, there were 42 municipalities that lacked any local editorial staff or targeted coverage, which is an increase of five municipalities in two years. Also, MedieSverige 2025 gives the bigger picture, where news journalism reach is high as well as people’s trust in the news media. Nevertheless, journalism is challenged with a reduced share of advertising revenue, and reduced profitability margins for newspaper companies.
Read the report MedieSverige 2025 (in Swedish)
Ulrika Facht och Elisabeth Falk