In 2024, three of the Nordic region’s four largest media companies by turnover were so-called telecom companies. The single largest company was once again Spotify, followed by Sweden’s Telia Company and Norway’s Telenor. Although both Telia Company and Telenor are publicly listed, the Swedish and Norwegian states respectively remain the largest individual shareholders in these former monopoly companies. Eight of the 25 largest media companies are under direct or indirect state control. In addition to Telenor and Telia Company, this includes the six national public service broadcasters, such as DR, NRK, and SR.
Among the notable ownership changes in 2024 is the restructuring of Sweden’s Viaplay Group. Following significant acquisitions early in the year, France’s Canal Plus and the Czech PPF Group now own large shares of the listed television company. Another major change was the split of the Norwegian listed company Schibsted. The digital marketplaces, such as Blocket and Finn, remained in a publicly traded company, while the former main owner, the Tinius Trust, acquired the news media, including Aftenposten and Svenska Dagbladet. These were delisted from the Oslo Stock Exchange and placed in the new company Schibsted Media. In February 2025, Schibsted Media also acquired Telia Company’s TV operations – TV4 in Sweden and MTV in Finland.
The Nordic newspaper and news market has undergone significant ownership concentration in recent decades. The ten largest newspaper companies in the region published more than 440 titles in 2024. Bonnier News was the market’s largest player with a turnover of 890 million euros. Other major players included Schibsted Media, Finland’s Sanoma Media, and Denmark’s JP/Politikens Hus. Norway’s Amedia, with more than 100 titles, published the most newspapers in the Nordic region.
Economically, 2024 was a slightly better year for the industry compared with the previous one. Seven of the ten largest newspaper companies showed a positive result, but profit margins were generally low. The exceptions were Bonnier News and Sanoma Media – and to some extent Amedia. The first two companies reported positive operating margins of over 8 per cent, while Amedia’s margin was just over 4 per cent.
Read the factsheet “The 25 largest media companies in the Nordics by turnover (2024)”
Read the factsheet “The ten largest newspaper companies in the Nordics by revenue (2024)”