Last week, Netflix hosted its fourth Upfront event in New York, where the company announced that Netflix with ads now reaches more than 250 million global monthly active users, with more than 80% of ad-supported subscribers actively watching every week.

In connection with the event, Netflix also announced an expansion of its ad-supported plan. Starting in 2027, the company will roll out the advertising-supported tier to 15 additional countries, including Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Pricing and exact launch dates have not yet been confirmed.

The company also announced plans to launch new advertising inventory across podcasts and vertical video on its platform globally in 2027.

At the same time, Netflix has raised subscription prices ahead of the launch of the ad-supported tier next year. In Denmark and Sweden, prices for all subscription packages increased by DKK 20 and SEK 20 respectively. In Norway, prices increased by between NOK 20 and NOK 30, depending on the package. The new prices took effect last Friday, May 15.

Netflix has not announced a launch of its ad-supported plan in Finland, and no price increases have been announced for the Finnish market.

Mediavision has previously been able to highlight a high interest in cheaper, partly ad-funded, Netflix subscriptions across the Nordics and is following Nordic consumers’ attitude towards the offering closely in Q2 2026.

Today, TV 2 Denmark announced a new partnership with Apple TV and Disney+, giving TV 2 Play customers access to a new bundled offering. The company says the initiative will strengthen TV 2’s position in pursuing its strategic ambition of becoming the leading media brand in Danes’ everyday lives.

“Disney+ and Apple TV are two of the world’s most attractive services, and with this new partnership we are creating even more pathways into the community. Danish content is our home turf, but naturally Danes also demand the best international films and series,” says TV 2 CEO Anne Engdal Stig Christensen.

The new offer applies to TV 2 Play subscribers who have purchased their subscription directly through TV 2 Denmark and subscribe to either the “Favorit” or “Favorit + Sport” packages. Starting today, these customers can add Disney+ and Apple TV to their TV 2 Play subscription for DKK 119 per month. The launch also includes a one-month free trial. This represents a saving of DKK 59, roughly one-third, compared to paying separately for the two services, which would otherwise cost DKK 178 per month without ads.

Subscribers with an ad-supported Play subscription will also be able to add an ad-supported Disney+ subscription, TV 2 told MediaWatch. In that case, the monthly saving will be DKK 19.

“The more entry points we provide, whether through sports rights or international films and drama series, the greater the opportunity to increase consumption of our Danish public service content,” Anne Engdal Stig Christensen added.

TV 2 already has content partnerships with C More, which is available to all Play subscribers, as well as BritBox and SF Kids, which are included only for Favorit and Favorit + Sport customers.

HBO Max is introducing podcasts to its platform in Europe. The podcasts are franchise-led and feature several of the service’s biggest brands, as part of a broader strategy to maintain engagement around its major franchises.

The initiative officially launched yesterday with the premiere of “Harry Potter: The Official Film Podcast.” Hosted by film critic and presenter Rhianna Dhillon, the podcast includes reviews, guest appearances and discussions covering all eight Harry Potter films.

Two episodes have been released so far, with new episodes scheduled weekly. The audio version is also available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, while the video version is exclusive to HBO Max.

Starting in June, HBO Max will also launch podcasts focused on the Game of Thrones universe, including titles tied to “House of the Dragon” and “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.”

In addition to the fantasy franchises, podcasts centered on other HBO Max originals are also planned, including “The Last of Us,” “The Pitt,” “The Comeback” and “Sinners.”

Finnish online video viewing undershoots nordic norms but social platforms provide boost – Telecompaper

”Svensk ljudboksmarknad går mot en tudelning” – Svensk Bokhandel

Finland trails Nordics as social video accelerates – Broadband TV News

Spotify bidrar marginellt till ljudbokslyssnande – Dagens industri

Mediavision: Limited impact from Spotify on audiobook listening in Sweden – Podnews

Sweden: 11m SVoD subs, but high churn – Advanced Television

Sweden passes 11 million paid streaming subscriptions amid heavy churn – Broadband TV News

Debat: Social videos vækst ændrer spillepladen – Mediawatch