ITV

Tag: Nordics

  • Nordic households caught in the act: piracy up 16 per cent as illegal IPTV continues to boom

    Nordic households caught in the act: piracy up 16 per cent as illegal IPTV continues to boom

    MUMBAI: Piracy in the Nordics isn’t just about dodging subscription fees anymore—it’s now fuelling organised crime. New research by Mediavision reveals over 1.5 million households in the region are paying for illegal IPTV services, up 200,000 homes (16 per cent) from spring 2024. These services offer cut-price, unlawful access to premium TV channels and streaming content.

    While Finland lags slightly in pirate uptake, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden are sailing in the same leaky boat. Behind the scenes? A report in late 2024 had disclosed that the web of illegal operators had ties to trafficking and drug cartels.

    “Piracy continues to pose a serious threat to the industry,” said Mediavision.  senior analyst Adrian Grande. “As illegal IPTV keeps growing, it is encouraging that the issue is on the agenda, but it is also clear that action is needed to tackle the problem”.

    The reason: rising living costs and high OTT prices were pushing households into piracy’s arms.

    And it’s not just a fringe issue—25 per cent of 15–74-year-olds in the region streamed or downloaded content illegally in mid-2024 alone. The Nordic Content Protection (NCP) had in 2024 sounded the alarm, not just on copyright theft but its criminal underbelly. 

    To fight back, the NCP had teamed up with TV 2 Denmark, Viaplay Group, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Allente to launch high-impact anti-piracy campaigns, fronted by local TV personalities. These aired throughout 2024, hoping to shock users into realising that their dodgy stream might be bankrolling crime.

    In Norway, legislators are exploring a bold fix: a payment ban on IPTV services, similar to restrictions already placed on offshore gambling. Meanwhile, Sweden’s laws remain murky, with NCP pushing for stricter, clearer rules.

    As pirates loot the digital seas of Europe, Indian broadcasters and streamers would be wise to keep their periscopes up. How much of a revenue loss they are incurring on account of  the Nordic pilferage only a deeper inquiry can ascertain.

  • FremantleMedia hires Petter Testmann-Koch for Norway office

    FremantleMedia hires Petter Testmann-Koch for Norway office

    MUMBAI: It was very recently that FremantleMedia International announced few huge deals in the Asian region. Now, the company that is one of the largest creators, producers and distributors of television brands in the world, is expanding its operations in the Norway region. The company announced the opening of a production operation in Oslo Norway, and has also appointment Petter Testmann-Koch, a leading Norwegian producer as FremantleMedia Norge Managing Director.

     

    Testmann-Koch will set up the office and build the production team. He will be responsible for the day to day management of the operation and driving the strategic vision of the business. He will focus on developing quality content for the Norwegian market across all platforms, selling FremantleMedia formats in Norway and working closely with FremantleMedia’s International production, licensing and sales operations.

     

    Testmann-Koch will report to Daniela Matei, CEO Nordics, Eastern Europe and Balkans (NOREEBA), and sit on the NOREEBA senior management team.

     

    Prior to joining FremantleMedia, Testmann-Koch was working with Nordisk Film TV as CCO & Executive Producer where he had overall creative responsibility for development and production as well as co-managing format acquisitions and sales.

     

    He has been credited for producing shows like 71 Degrees North, Home of the Year, Celebrity Cook Off and The Voice of Norway. Prior to this, he worked as a producer/director at Dinamo Story (Eyeworks Dinamo) for five years producing large scale event shows such as Spellemann (Norwegian Grammy), Amanda (Norwegian Oscar), Gullruten (Norwegian Emmy), and Eurovision Song Contest Countdown. Testmann-Koch began his career as a freelance broadcast journalist and went on to work for several production companies as a producer/director including Nordisk Film, Global TV Production Oslo and Allegro Film, before founding his own production company, Potato.

     

    Testmann-Koch takes up his post in Spring 2014.

     

    FremantleMedia also recently announced the appointment of Anne Brostrom as Managing Director, Blu, FremantleMedia’s Danish production arm. The company also acquired a majority stake (51 per cent) in Miso Film, a leading Danish scripted production company.

  • Viewster adds Red Bull Media House content

    Viewster adds Red Bull Media House content

    MUMBAI: The VOD service Viewster has added to its catalogue a slew of sports and culture content from Red Bull Media House, which will be available on demand for viewers in the UK, Benelux, Germany and the Nordics.

    The content package includes Red Bull Art of Motion, which showcases the disciplines of free running, parkour and martial arts; Red Bull Beat Battle, featuring epic dance battles in a range of styles; Red Bull Tops seasons one and two, highlighting the best of the best in a range of extreme athletics; and Red Bell Cliptomaniacs, a compilation of sports and action footage. Also part of the deal is Ryan Doyle Travel Story, a travel doc that features Ryan Doyle, a world champion in freestyle running.

    “Five years ago, when consumers wanted to be entertained, they switched on the TV. Today, they are turning to the web and on-demand video services,” said Viewster CEO Kai Henniges. “Smart brands like Red Bull with its media company Red Bull Media House have recognised this and are now looking at new distribution channels that will introduce their content to new audiences. By making content available on-demand, sports and music fans worldwide can watch this unique content whenever and however they choose. And with our ever-increasing library of film and TV content also available, it’s not surprising that we’re continuing to see month-on-month growth worldwide, as audiences discover new and interesting content.”

    “As the models for providing content continue to evolve, Red Bull Media House is committed to engaging audiences with high-quality programming on the platforms that are relevant to them,” added Red Bull Media House chief commercial officer Alexander Koppel. “Digital options are an integrated part of our delivery system, and we look forward to sharing compelling content with Viewster’s expansive audience.”