neanet

market analysis · 2026

The Case for Pure Internet

Households have shifted to streaming while BRFs keep paying for broadcast TV nobody selected. The market has moved; the contracts have not.

updated 2026-08-26 19 min read english · svenska

Linear TV viewing in Sweden has collapsed by 41% since 2010, streaming now accounts for 70% of all video consumption, and the country’s 4.9 million households hold over 9.5 million paid streaming subscriptions. For BRFs still locked into bundled TV+internet contracts, the data paints a clear picture: the TV component is a depreciating asset that most residents neither want nor use. Sweden’s shift from broadcast to on-demand is not a future projection — it is a present reality, with the terrestrial broadcast network losing its last major commercial channel in January 2026. BRFs that continue paying for collective TV packages are subsidizing a technology in terminal decline while their residents double-pay by also subscribing to the streaming services they actually watch.

Linear TV fell 41% in 14 years and the decline is accelerating

Data from MMS (Mediemätning i Skandinavien), reported by Mediemyndigheten in its Mediekonsumtion 2025 report, documents the collapse of Swedish linear TV viewing with precision. Average daily viewing time (ages 3–99, including time-shifted) has dropped from 166 minutes per day in 2010 to just 98 minutes in 2024 — falling below the symbolic 100-minute mark for the first time. The steepest declines came after 2018, with the pace quickening year over year: the 2024 figure represents a 6-minute drop from 2023 alone.

The generational divide is staggering. Swedes aged 60+ watch 220 minutes of linear TV daily, while 15–29-year-olds watch just 14 minutes — a 15.7× gap. The 30–44 cohort averages 26 minutes. This means that for anyone under 45, linear TV has effectively ceased to be a meaningful part of daily life. Internetstiftelsen has put it plainly: “Traditionella medier som linjär tv och radio och tryckta dagstidningar ser inte ut att ha framtiden för sig” (Traditional media like linear TV don’t appear to have the future on their side).

Nordicom’s Mediebarometern 2024 confirms that streaming has overtaken broadcast. Daily reach for streamed TV hit 67% versus just 51% for scheduled/linear TV. YouTube alone reached 47% of the population daily — nearly matching linear broadcast. SVT Play now has a higher daily reach than Netflix, demonstrating that even public service content is migrating to on-demand. By Q3 2025, Mediavision measured linear TV at just 30% of total video consumption — its lowest share ever recorded — with streaming at 50% and social video at 20%.

Year Avg. daily linear TV (min) Change from 2010
2010 166 —
2014 153 −7.8%
2018 133 −19.9%
2020 129 −22.3%
2022 114 −31.3%
2024 98 −41.0%
Figure 1: Average daily linear TV viewing in Sweden (minutes, ages 3–99).
050100150200201020142018202020222024

Figure 2: Share of total video consumption in Sweden, Q3 2025 (Mediavision).

Streaming: 50%Linear TV: 30%Social video: 20%
  • Streaming
  • Linear TV
  • Social video

9.5 million streaming subscriptions across 4.9 million households

Sweden’s streaming market has reached saturation levels that make bundled TV packages look increasingly redundant. According to Mediavision, Swedish households held over 9.5 million paid streaming subscriptions by Q2 2025, up 2 million from the prior year. With approximately 4.9 million households in Sweden, this translates to roughly 1.9 paid subscriptions per household. Including free services like SVT Play and ad-supported YouTube, tv.nu’s Streamingbarometern 2025 reports the average household uses 3.9 streaming services, with 58% using four or more.

MMS data from Q4 2024 shows household access rates for individual services: Netflix at 63.2%, Max (formerly HBO Max) at 40.1%, Disney+ at 35.5%, Viaplay at 34.9%, Amazon Prime Video at 22.3%, and TV4 Play+ at 21.4% — with 78.7% of homes having access to at least one paid streaming service. SVT Play, as a free service, reaches 76% of internet users. Relative newcomers like Amazon Prime Video and SkyShowtime are gaining ground on market leader Netflix, while ad-supported tiers now drive over 80% of all new subscriptions.

The infrastructure for streaming-only viewing already exists. Nordicom reports that 83% of Swedes aged 9–85 have a smart TV and 68% own a media player (Apple TV, Chromecast, or similar). PTS data shows fiber broadband reaches 98% of Swedish households, with 85% in fiber-connected buildings. Meanwhile, only 51% of the population still has access to a traditional TV channel package — streaming access exceeds traditional TV access by 26 percentage points. Just 6.5% of Swedes never stream at all, dropping to a mere 3% among those under 45.

Figure 3: Streaming-service penetration in Swedish households (Q4 2024, MMS).

0%20%40%60%80%Household access: 76%76%Household access: 63.2%63.2%Household access: 40.1%40.1%Household access: 35.5%35.5%Household access: 34.9%34.9%Household access: 22.3%22.3%Household access: 21.4%21.4%SVT PlayNetflixMaxDisney+ViaplayPrime VideoTV4 Play+

Average household streaming spend runs 360–510 kr per month depending on the source and measurement period, comparable to or less than traditional TV packages (Telia’s TV packages range from 249 to 999 kr/month). The critical difference: streaming spend is self-directed. Consumers choose services based on content preferences and can cancel monthly, while bundled BRF TV packages impose channels residents never selected and often never watch.

The BRF bundle market: paying 60–150 kr/month for a product nobody asked for

The Swedish BRF broadband market operates under two distinct models. Bundled providers — primarily Telia and Tele2 (inheritor of Com Hem’s massive coax network) — package TV with broadband and telephony in collective agreements costing 125–224 kr per apartment per month. Pure internet providers — Bahnhof and Bredband2 — offer broadband-only group contracts starting as low as 39–70 kr per apartment per month. The math is straightforward: the TV component adds approximately 60–150 kr per household monthly, paid by every apartment regardless of whether anyone watches.

Telia dominates the bundled BRF market with over 1.2 million installed fiber connections and standard 5-year contract terms. Their typical BRF package (e.g., 100/100 Mbit/s + Tv Lagom + telephony) runs around 219 kr/month per apartment. Subsidized TV boxes (ARRIS VIP 4302), WiFi routers, and even smart home sensors are included “free” — creating switching costs since the hardware belongs to the BRF and must be left behind when moving. Tele2’s legacy Com Hem network serves a similar role via coax, with documented packages around 163–185 kr/apartment including basic digital TV.

By contrast, Bahnhof offers 1 Gbit/s broadband for as little as 60 kr/month per apartment (BRF Fjädern example) with no TV component. Their advertised BRF starting price is 39 kr/month. Bredband2 follows a similar pure-internet model, partnering with Sappa when BRFs want optional TV delivered over the broadband connection. One forum-documented BRF with 200+ apartments secured 1000/1000 broadband including a WiFi 6 router for 40 kr per apartment — pure internet, no TV.

The bundled model’s economics depend on forcing payment from all apartments. ISPs absorb 1,000–3,000 kr per apartment in upfront hardware costs, recovering them through long contracts and universal billing. This model works financially only when every apartment pays — including the growing majority who watch 14–26 minutes of linear TV daily and already spend 360+ kr monthly on streaming services they actually chose.

Customer satisfaction data shows bundled TV is a failing product

Svenskt Kvalitetsindex (SKI) provides perhaps the most damning evidence against forced TV bundling. In 2025, digital TV scored just 59.0 out of 100 — below the 60-point threshold that SKI identifies as the zone where “companies have great difficulty motivating customers to stay.” Streaming services, by contrast, scored 69.7 — nearly 10 points higher. This gap has persisted for years: digital TV has hovered between 59 and 63 since 2021, while streaming has consistently scored 68–70.

Figure 4: Customer satisfaction — digital TV vs streaming (SKI, 2021–2025, index of 100).

018.7537.556.257520212022202320242025
  • Streaming
  • Digital TV

The three highest-scoring broadband providers for private customers in SKI’s 2024 rankings — Ownit, Bredband2, and Bahnhof — are all providers that focus on pure internet rather than TV bundling. SKI’s CEO Johan Parmler stated directly: “Kunderna vill kunna anpassa sina abonnemang efter behov och känna att de får värde för pengarna, inte bara ett standardutbud” (Customers want to customize subscriptions to their needs and feel they get value for money, not just a standard offering).

Regulatory bodies reinforce this position. PTS jurist Johan Rydberg has stated that in closed-network group contracts, “there is no real choice for a consumer who wants a different provider” and that “property owners should take into account what tenants want.” Konsumentverket has documented problems with double-payment — one consumer case involved 14 months of paying for both a group agreement and a personal subscription. Hyresgästföreningen (the Swedish Tenants’ Association) has been explicit: “Du ska inte behöva betala för en mängd tvkanaler som du inte vill ha. Valfriheten ska vara lika oavsett hur man bor” (You should not have to pay for TV channels you don’t want. Freedom of choice should be equal regardless of how you live).

BRF demographics amplify the streaming shift

BRF residents are precisely the demographic least likely to value linear TV. SCB data shows that bostadsrätt in apartment buildings accounts for 21% of all Swedish households nationally and 38% in Stockholm County. BRF residents skew younger-to-middle-aged (peak bostadsrätt living occurs in the 25–45 age range), urban, and higher income — all factors that correlate with high streaming adoption and minimal linear TV viewing. Stockholm, where BRF density is highest, shows the steepest linear TV decline of any Swedish region according to Telia’s 2024 viewing data.

The correlation between housing type and TV consumption runs through infrastructure as well. Apartment buildings overwhelmingly have fiber or cable broadband, with new builds using fiber exclusively. When residents already have 500–1000 Mbit/s broadband included in their BRF fee, every streaming service in existence is accessible. Forcing these residents to also pay for a basic cable TV package with 12–25 channels serves no functional purpose — they can access SVT via SVT Play, TV4 via TV4 Play, and everything else via their chosen subscriptions.

Bostadsrätterna, Sweden’s largest BRF association (10,000+ member associations), published an article in June 2025 titled “Är tv en rättighet?” (Is TV a right?) that confirmed BRFs are legally permitted to shut down their cable TV networks. Mediemyndigheten does not require TV distribution via any specific technology. David Sjöqvist, advisor at Bostadsrätterna, stated: “Cable TV has in many ways played out its role.” The organization noted that many BRFs find only 1–2 residents actually use cable TV, making it “an unnecessary cost for the association.”

The terrestrial network is collapsing and streaming-first is inevitable

Two landmark events have effectively ended Sweden’s broadcast TV era. BoxerTV shut down DTT (digital terrestrial television) on December 31, 2024, moving its 50+ channels to streaming-only after subscribers declined from 1.2 million (peak) to roughly 170,000. Then, on January 12, 2026, TV4 left the terrestrial network entirely, citing that only about 4% of Swedish households relied on DTT as their sole distribution. Only SVT channels now remain on the marknät, maintained primarily as crisis/defense infrastructure under government mandate through 2033 — not because of commercial viability.

SVT itself is investing heavily in its digital future. SVT Play was Sweden’s first streaming platform (launched 2006), now reaches 76% of internet users, and has surpassed Netflix in daily reach. SVT delivers roughly 80% of its online content through its own proprietary CDN, has adopted cloud-based production, and uses AI-generated subtitles for 50–60% of live broadcasts. While legally obligated to maintain terrestrial broadcasting, SVT’s strategic investments clearly point toward streaming as the primary distribution channel.

The market trajectory leaves no ambiguity. Mediavision projects Swedish paid streaming subscriptions will exceed 10 million in 2025. Ad-supported streaming tiers are driving explosive growth — 80% of new subscriptions in 2025 were HVOD (hybrid ad-supported). The concept of operator-bundled streaming (B-SVOD) is growing 25% year-over-year, meaning ISPs themselves are pivoting from IPTV channel packages to bundling streaming service subscriptions — an implicit acknowledgment that traditional channel packages are obsolete.

5G home broadband further weakens the case for collective BRF contracts. Telia’s 5G covers 99.9% of Sweden’s population, with home broadband from 349 kr/month offering speeds up to 1 Gbit/s. While fiber remains superior for heavy household use, 5G provides an individual exit ramp from collective agreements — meaning residents dissatisfied with their BRF’s bundled contract can simply opt out entirely.

What pure internet BRF contracts actually look like in practice

Multiple Swedish BRFs have already made the switch. BRF Holmen separated broadband and TV, moving to Bahnhof for fiber internet while retaining only a slimmed-down basic TV package. SweClockers forum discussions document BRFs negotiating basic TV down to approximately 20 kr/month or eliminating it entirely. One BRF member summarized the prevailing sentiment: “Jag tror ju många föreningar betalar massor av pengar i onödan på skräp” (I think many associations pay lots of money unnecessarily on junk).

The economic case for a pure internet BRF contract can be summarized in one comparison:

Model Cost per apartment/month What residents get
Bundled (Telia/Tele2 typical) 125–224 kr Broadband + basic TV package (12–25 channels) + telephony
Pure internet (Bahnhof/Bredband2) 39–70 kr Broadband only (up to 1 Gbit/s)
Savings per apartment 55–185 kr/month Residents choose own streaming freely
Figure 5: BRF monthly cost per apartment by provider — bundled (Telia/Tele2) vs pure internet (Bahnhof/Bredband2), kr/month.
062.5125187.5250Cost per apartment/month: 219kr/mo219Cost per apartment/month: 185kr/mo185Cost per apartment/month: 60kr/mo60Cost per apartment/month: 86kr/mo86TeliaTele2BahnhofBredband2

For a 100-apartment BRF over a 5-year contract, switching from a 200 kr bundled agreement to a 60 kr pure internet agreement saves approximately 840,000 kr — money that either stays in residents’ pockets or can be redirected to the BRF’s maintenance fund.

Conclusion

The data does not merely suggest that BRF broadband contracts should shift to pure internet — it demonstrates that the market has already moved there. Linear TV is at 30% of total viewing and falling, streaming subscriptions outnumber households nearly 2:1, the terrestrial broadcast network has lost all commercial channels, and Sweden’s highest-rated broadband providers are all pure-internet companies. Digital TV scores below the customer retention danger threshold at 59.0/100 while streaming scores 69.7.

The strongest argument may be the simplest: 78.7% of Swedish households already pay for streaming services they chose, while only 51% retain a traditional TV channel package. Forcing BRF residents to pay for both is a transfer of value from residents to ISPs — the TV component in bundled contracts generates revenue for the provider while delivering a product most residents have already replaced with something they prefer. Every regulatory voice — PTS, Konsumentverket, Hyresgästföreningen, Bostadsrätterna — points in the same direction: toward consumer choice, away from forced bundling. The question for BRFs is not whether to make the switch, but how quickly they can exit their current contracts to do so.

References

  1. Mediemyndigheten — Mediekonsumtion 2025 (data: MMS Årsrapport 2024 / MMS Trend och Tema Q4 2024) — linear TV viewing 166→98 min, age-cohort figures, smart-TV and media-player access, Q4 2024 streaming household-access rates, 78.7% paid-streaming access.
  2. Mediavision — Social video on the rise, traditional TV reaches new low (Q3 2025) — linear TV 30%, streaming 50%, social video 20% of total video consumption.
  3. Nordicom, University of Gothenburg — Mediebarometern 2024 — daily reach streamed TV 67% vs scheduled TV 51%.
  4. Broadband TV News — Mediavision: Swedish streaming at record levels — 9.5M paid streaming subscriptions Q2 2025 (+2M YoY); >10M projected 2025; B-SVOD household penetration +25% YoY.
  5. Advanced Television — Sweden SVOD subs at record levels — corroborates 9.5M paid subscriptions Q2 2025.
  6. MovieZine — Svenskar streamar som aldrig förr: 9,5 miljoner abonnemang (Mediavision) — over 80% of new subscriptions are ad-supported (HVOD).
  7. tv.nu / Market Solutions — Streamingbarometern 2025 — average 3.9 streaming services per household, 58% with four or more.
  8. Schibsted / tv.nu — Streamingbarometern 2024 — only 6.5% never stream, 3% among under-45s.
  9. C21Media — Streaming services face strong competition for Swedish subscribers (Mediavision) — Prime Video and SkyShowtime gaining ground on Netflix.
  10. Internetstiftelsen — Svenskarna och internet (digitala medietjänster) — SVT Play reaches 76% of internet users.
  11. Nordicom / Likehouse summary — Mediebarometern 2025 — 51% have a TV channel package, 77% paid streaming access.
  12. PTS — God bredbandstäckning i Sverige (Bredbandskartläggning 2024) — fiber near 98% of households/businesses, 85% in fiber-connected buildings.
  13. Feber — Svenskarnas kostnader för video ökar (Mediavision) — average household video spend 510 kr/month (Q4 2025).
  14. Telia — TV-paket — TV packages 249–999 kr/month.
  15. Svenskt Kvalitetsindex (SKI), via Bredbandsval — Kundnöjdhet TV & streaming — digital TV 59.0 (2025), streaming 69.7 (2025); yearly series 2021–2025.
  16. Svenskt Kvalitetsindex — Kundnöjdheten backar när värdet ifrågasätts (Johan Parmler) — SKI CEO quote on customers wanting value, not a standard package.
  17. Svenskt Kvalitetsindex — Bredband & Streaming 2024 (PDF) — top private-customer broadband providers: Ownit, Bahnhof, Bredband2.
  18. Råd & Rön (Sveriges Konsumenter / Hallå konsument) — Svårt välja eget bredband — 14-month double-payment case; PTS jurist Johan Rydberg and Hyresgästföreningen quotes.
  19. Bostadsrätterna — Är tv en rättighet? (June 2025) — BRFs legally allowed to shut down cable-TV networks; David Sjöqvist quotes.
  20. Bostadsrätterna — Om oss — Sweden’s largest organisation for BRFs, 10,000+ member associations.
  21. SCB — Hushållens boende 2024 — bostadsrätt in apartment buildings 21% nationally, 38% in Stockholm County.
  22. SCB — Befolkningsstatistik 2025 — ~4.97M households end-2024 (passed 5.0M during 2025).
  23. Telia — TV-året 2024: Svenskarna i en streaming-boom — Stockholmers lost the most interest in linear TV.
  24. Telia — Öppet nät för fastighetsägare — over 1.2 million installed fiber connections.
  25. Telia — Arris VIP4302 datasheet — Telia’s supplied TV box is the Arris VIP 4302.
  26. Telia group agreement (5-year term), via Torestorps Fiber — standard 5-year binding period in Telia BRF agreements.
  27. Telia — Det är Telia — 5G reaches 99.9% of the population.
  28. Telia — Bredband via 5G — 5G home broadband from 349 kr/month.
  29. Bahnhof — Bredband till BRF — group broadband from 39 kr/month, no TV.
  30. HSB BRF Fjädern — Bredband2/Bahnhof group agreement — 1 Gbit/s + telephony for 60 kr/month, no TV.
  31. BRF Rabatten — Bredband (Bredband2) — 1000 Mbit/s for 86 kr/month.
  32. John Mattson — Bredband2 — Sappa TV delivered over a Bredband2 internet subscription.
  33. BRF Henry Weman — TV och internet, Tele2 (tidigare Com Hem) — Tele2/Com Hem coax packages 163/185 kr per apartment including basic digital TV.
  34. BRF Holmen — Bredband och TV — Bahnhof 1 Gbit/s broadband plus slimmed Tele2 basic TV package.
  35. HSB Brf Åsperöd — Gruppavtal TV/bredband/telefoni — Tele2 bundle 185 kr/month per apartment.
  36. Wikipedia — Com Hem — Com Hem merged into Tele2 (2018–2019); Tele2 operates the former coax network.
  37. VideoWeek — TV4 shuts down terrestrial broadcasts (12 Jan 2026) — TV4 leaves marknät; only SVT remains; ~4% relied on DTT alone.
  38. Broadband TV News — Boxer ends pay-TV service — Boxer DTT pay-TV ends after 31 Dec 2024; 1.2M peak (2012).
  39. Decode TV — Tele2 hit by Boxer switch-off — DTT base down to ~170,000.
  40. Regeringen — Proposition om public service 2026–2033 — SVT/SR/UR terrestrial mandate 2026–2033; marknät as robust crisis infrastructure.
  41. SVT — SVT Play fyller 15 år — SVT Play, Sweden’s first streaming service, launched 2006.
  42. TM Broadcast — Cloud, AI, viewer-first: inside SVT’s technological transformation — ~80% of online content via proprietary CDN; cloud production; AI subtitles for 50–60% of live transmissions.