A brief guide to the Nordic media landscape

The broader Nordic region is among the most digitally advanced globally, boasting nearly 100% internet penetration (Reuters). However, high connectivity does not mean a uniform audience. While almost everyone is online, they cannot all be reached in the same place. Our guide outlines how to navigate these unique markets effectively and connect with the right customers. 

News consumption is an important part of the Nordic way of life, and many people start their day by checking the news: 

1. 60% of Swedes read newspapers daily (Nordicom)
    
2. 42% of Norwegians are paying for a subscription to a news outlet, the highest subscription numbers for paid news in the world (Reuters)

Norwegians also prefer to get their news directly from media houses over recaps from social media. Quality journalism is in demand, and trust in the established media houses, such as VG and Aftenposten in Norway, Aftonbladet and Expressen in Sweden, and Politiken and Berlingske in Denmark, remains high. 

Local news is also a big thing in Norway and Sweden, where media centralization has been prevented by subsidizing local newspapers. People are generally more inclined to be positive about ads in their local newspaper, and many continue to subscribe to the newspaper of their hometown, even after moving somewhere else. 

Ad sales in local newspapers are spread out across different players, sometimes handled by larger media houses, such as Amedia (100+ titles) and Polaris Media (~30 titles), and sometimes handled by the newspapers themselves. It can be a confusing arena to enter.
 

-Norwegian local newspapers are some of the most trusted media in the country - readers consistently rate them above national tabloids and social media when it comes to news. It’s a really good fit for brands wanting to reach people outside the big cities. The market is anchored by Amedia, plus a range of independent papers, each with a strong readership. Kristin Sperstad, Digital Strategy Advisor, Synlighet.

Unlike Sweden and Norway, Denmark’s media landscape is market controlled. Consequently, national media brands, such as Politiken, Berlingske, and Jyllands-Posten, are exceptionally strong, making national news outlets a much safer bet for campaign reach than local papers. 

In Finland, however, the printed press is still going strong. While digital media has outperformed print in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, the Finns still prefer to read their news on good old fashioned paper. 

The Nordics have a longstanding tradition of advertisement-free national broadcasters. NRK in Norway, SVT in Sweden, DR in Denmark, plus YLE in Finland, are heavily subsidized and regulated, and command intense public trust. All offer online streaming of both video content and podcast or radio. 

Sweden’s SVT Play is one of the oldest and most successful streaming services for public television. For a global company, this strong position of public networks heavily restricts direct advertisement placement, and navigating the fragmented landscape of commercial outlets might prove challenging. 

Across all age groups and borders, video is the undisputed format for capturing attention, with traditional television, streaming, and YouTube being the most popular choices. The concept of watching television online became normal in Sweden earlier than in most other markets. Today, Sweden is a digitally mature, video-first market where SVT and the leading commercial channel, TV4, face competition from streaming services like Netflix, YouTube and Viaplay. 

While traditional broadcast television continues to face decline, the overall consumption of moving images is growing, heavily driven by a massive surge in advertisement supported streaming. In Sweden, 46% say that they are willing to watch more ads if the subscription becomes cheaper (Schibsted). This shift has fueled a double-digit revenue growth for online and social video advertising.

Most of the Nordic population is interested in some form of sport. Long broadcasts from different sporting events and tournaments are a major reason why the national channels have remained popular. It is also the reason why Viaplay has gained and maintained their market share against competitors like Netflix and HBO, because they own the rights to the most popular and valuable sporting events in the Nordics: Premier League, winter sports and Formula 1. 
 

60% of Swedes report that paying to watch sports is too expensive, while 40% emphasize that because rights to different sports are spread out across multiple providers, it is expensive and difficult to watch everything you want to see (Schibsted). Finland has the highest share of mobile data use in the Nordics, and one of the reasons is the habit of watching large sporting events on the phone while out and about. 

Podcast is also a popular pastime among the Nordic public. In Norway, the use of NRK Radio is just as widespread as Spotify when it comes to streaming podcasts, though it seems the younger generation prefers Spotify, where the older age groups turn to NRK Radio (Ipsos). 

While podcasts are popular across the entire region, Sweden is the undisputed podcasting hub of the Nordics, with 29% of Swedes tuning into podcasts daily (Nordicom). This trend stems from early digital adoption by SVT and Sveriges Radio, who were among the first globally to launch free, full-length streaming and downloadable audio feeds back in 2006. 

The Nordics follow the international trends in social media, but there are a few interesting exceptions. Norway is the leading Snapchat user per capita, mostly by young people, but Sweden is Snapchat’s biggest market in the Nordics, because of a larger number of users. TikTok is growing rapidly in Norway, but even here, Sweden is the biggest Nordic market. Reddit is surprisingly small in the Nordics compared to its international footprint. 
 

While Norwegian youth mostly use Snapchat for messages, in Denmark the younger generation use Messenger, and in Finland they use WhatsApp. 63% of Danes have a LinkedIn account, and they use it as a general social platform for adults rather than just a professional job networking tool. 
 

Even though Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube dominate, Denmark has the lowest usage of Snapchat and TikTok among the three Scandinavian nations (Datareportal). Across all countries, the self-reported screen time is high, and 71% of Danish TikTok users have unsuccessfully tried to stop using the platform. 

Commercial advertising is a cultural art in the Nordics, and the regional audience is very sensitive to overly aggressive advertising. Instead, commercial ads should have an authentic and transparent feeling. In Norway, a hallmark of national advertising excellence is Sølvfisken (the Silver fish), awarded each month of the year and culminating in the best national video advertisement of the year, called Gullfisken (the Goldfish). 

To win over a Norwegian audience, the television creative should feel more like a cinematic short film than a traditional commercial, and many international brands fail to understand this crucial cultural difference. 

Curious about what a great Norwegian television commercial might look like? Watch this Sølvfisken winner from October 2024. 

In the vein of authentic advertising, Norway also enforces strict legislation against promotional imagery where body shapes, sizes, or skin surfaces have been digitally altered. All such content requires a specific, government-mandated label informing the customer that the imagery is retouched. The law applies universally to traditional billboards, programmatic display, and influencer partnerships alike, frequently catching international brands running 

For international brands, the Nordic summer can be a cultural shock. From late June through July, professional life slows down drastically as the population moves to remote cabins and coastal towns. Marketing during this period should switch focus away from B2B  lead generation and instead target leisure and mobile-first content. It is an excellent time for lifestyle brands, provided the creative tone matches the relaxed summer mood. 

There are a few other seasonal events to be mindful of: 

1. Swedish midsummer in late June is a major national holiday when the entire country effectively shuts down. Professional life slows significantly, and advertising space should be adjusted accordingly. 

    

2. Traditional national holidays in Denmark, like Store Bededag, are sacred holidays when aggressive commercial messaging might feel intrusive. 

    

3. In Norway, the seventeenth of May (Constitution Day), is a massive cultural peak. The day itself is sacred, and brands should focus on celebratory rather than intrusive messaging. Norway also has four days a year when television commercials are banned on all channels, even commercial ones: Christmas Day, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and Whit Sunday (Pentecost). On these days, commercial breaks are frequently gifted to non-profit organizations for free instead (such as the Norwegian Cancer Society’s “A bad day for cancer” from 2025). 

To successfully advertise like a local in the Nordics, keep these core principles in mind:
 

• Video is the primary channel for attention across all demographic groups.
   
• Daily social media usage numbers approximate 80% across key markets (Datareportal).
   
• Authenticity and transparent narrative storytelling perform significantly better than aggressive pitches.
   

While everyone in the region reads the news, your distribution strategy must adapt. In Norway, you can rely heavily on paid digital subscriptions and local networks, while in Denmark, you should consolidate your budget around the dominant national titles. In Finland, printed media remains a surprisingly viable commercial channel. 
 

The strong culture for local news in Norway and Sweden also means knowing your audience and media houses, where and when to advertise, and who to contact. 
 

You should also consider that because public broadcasters take up a massive share of video attention (SVT’s Eurovision broadcast captures nearly half the Swedish population on a single night), media mixes must look completely different in each country. 
 

To build reach outside the public networks, you must pivot to podcasts and ad-supportive streaming tiers in Sweden, Snapchat in Norway, LinkedIn in Denmark, and highly mobile-optimized content in Finland. 

Navigating the local realities of the Nordic media landscape requires deep regional insight. At Synlighet, we know the ins and outs of the Scandinavian market. Our experts are here to help you adapt your international strategy to fit the precise local tone of voice required for your target audience across the Nordic region. Reach out to us today to ensure your Nordic launch is a success.