A. Guttmann
Research Lead covering media
Media usage in Denmark - statistics & facts
Up until 2021 TV viewing took up the largest share of time spent with media among the population in Denmark. However, 2022 brought about a change in media consumption, where streaming video content dethroned TV. In 2023 the difference in total time spent with these two mediums in the country grew even further. Thus, the Danes have joined the popular global trend, where traditional media are being slowly replaced by their digital counterparts. All in all, general media usage in Denmark remains high, with eight in 10 consumers admitting to high or very high media consumption. It comes as no surprise that the media market revenue is set to surpass eight billion U.S. dollars by the end of 2027https://www.statista.com/statistics/567059/survey-on-media-use-index-in-denmark/. Yet in comparison, the Danish media revenue will be just one percent of the revenue expected in the United States that year.
While the majority of media usage is shifting to the internet with gaming and streaming leading the way, the last beacon of hope for the traditional media is books. The Danes prefer their literature to be tangible and choose printed over digital formats.
Denmark is switching to digital media
Danes are spending more than five hours per day using the internet on any device. Offline media are losing the attention among the Danish communities in favor of digital entertainment. Usage data shows that overtime radio and TV are commanding less and less of media time in the country, while the interest in online activities is growing. For example, in 2022 some 40 percent of Danish respondents said they watched TV via the internet every day. Similarly, online music access is quite popular among the population in the country. In the last measured period, over 40 percent of individuals in Denmark were either streaming music for free or using paid services for that purpose.Which medium is preferred in an offline format?
Interestingly, when it comes to reading, the Danes are all about the physical format. The good old print books are far more popular than e-books. This trend is evident when looking at consumer behavior data, with the majority of books in Denmark being bought in brick-and-mortar bookstores. The favorability of printed format is also reflected in publishers’ profits, where print book sales is 2.3 times higher than those of digital sales. What is more, it seems that the frequency of e-book usage in Denmark remains stagnant over time. Between 2020 and 2022, the share of Danes who were reading e-books daily oscillated below 12 percent, while the share of respondents who never read the digital format added up to half.While the majority of media usage is shifting to the internet with gaming and streaming leading the way, the last beacon of hope for the traditional media is books. The Danes prefer their literature to be tangible and choose printed over digital formats.
