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Published: 22 November 2019

Market trends in mass media stayed unchanged in 2018

The value of the mass media market was about EUR 3.8 billion in 2018. Compared to the year before, the value of the market grew by 0.9 per cent or EUR 33 million. The data are based on the calculations of Statistics Finland's mass media and cultural statistics.

In Statistics Finland's estimate, the mass media market increased marginally for the third consecutive year. In 2012 to 2015, the mass media market contracted four years in a row. Also, in connection with the 2009 financial crisis, the value of the mass media market decreased compared to the year before. In all, the value of the mass media market has increased over the examined period of good two decades.

Mass media market 1997 to 2018, EUR million (at current prices)

Despite the slight increase recorded now, the size of the mass media market relative to the gross domestic product contracted further. In 2018, the share of mass media in the entire national economy was 1.7 per cent, while it was 2.1 per cent ten years earlier.

From 2008, the mass media market has contracted by 5.9 per cent and particularly the sales of physical video and audio recordings, as well as printed products has declined drastically.

Mass media market 2017 - 2018, EUR million

	2017, EUR mill.	2018, EUR mill.	2018, %	Change, 2017-2018, %
Daily newspapers (7-4 times a week) 1)	785	758	19.7	-3.4
Other newspapers 1)	136	131	3.4	-3.7
Free-distribution papers 1)	68	63	1.6	-7.4
Magazines and periodicals 1)	470	450	11.7	-4.3
Books 1)	549	545	14.2	-0.8
Publishing, total	2,008	1,947	50.7	-3.0
Television 2)	1,145	1,206	31.4	5.3
Radio	67	71	1.9	6.3
Internet advertising	370	421	11.0	13.7
Electronic media, total	1,582	1,698	44.2	7.3
Audio recordings 1)	64	68	1.8	5.6
Videos (dvd, blu-ray) 3)	46	29	0.7	-38.1
Cinemas	105	97	2.5	-7.5
Recorded media, total	216	194	5.0	-10.2
All total	3,806	3,839	100.0	0.9
Source: Statistics Finland, Mass media and cultural statistics

1) Digital sales included.
2) Includes all of Yle public service (tv, radio, web-service).
3) The figure for 2018 is preliminary.

Sales in the publishing industry (incl. newspapers, free-distribution papers, periodicals and books) weakened in 2018 in all industries included in Statistics Finland’s calculations. The share of advertising in newspapers’ income decreased further in 2018. Only a handful of players in the newspaper and magazine industry, like the daily Helsingin Sanomat, have been able to increase their total circulation in the digital revolution. Several newspapers have also stopped auditing their circulation in recent years.

In 2018, television was the biggest individual media activity with its volume of EUR 1.2 billion, which corresponds with nearly one-third of the entire media market. In the calculation, the television industry includes the entire activity of the Finnish Broadcasting Company, television advertising in commercial television and subscription fees to television services, which are cable TV basic fees and pay TV fees (incl. video on-demand services such as Netflix).

The television industry grew boosted by pay TV and, in particular, video on-demand services, by good five per cent compared to 2017. Even though television advertising grew somewhat from 2017 according to data collected by Kantar TNS, the share of advertising in television revenues declined further. (Appendix table 5.)

Also, according to data collected by Kantar, Internet advertising grew by close on 14 per cent from the year before and amounted to EUR 421 million in 2018.

2018 was also favourable for audio media: commercial radio and audio recordings both grew by around six per cent from the previous year. The figures are based on data from RadioMedia and IFPI Finland.

During 2018, cinemas attracted a large audience even if the featured films did not include any unparalleled box office hits like the remake of the film Unknown Soldier in 2017. According to the Finnish Film Foundation’s data, 8.1 million visits were made to cinemas in Finland in 2018. Finnish films attracted 1.9 million viewers, which corresponds with 24 per cent of all cinema visits.

The figure describing physical video recording markets (incl. DVD, Blu-ray) is preliminary and based on a calculation commissioned by the Finnish Film Foundation. In previous years, the data have been based on wholesale statistics of video recordings compiled by the Finnish Chamber of Films and calculations published by the European Audiovisual Observatory in its yearbook. Due to changes in the data sources, the figure is not fully comparable with previous years.

The calculations presented here describe the mass media market at end user level: for example, the figure on the newspaper market is comprised of retail priced subscription and single copy sales of newspapers, and their revenue from advertising. The figures cover domestic production and imports but not exports. There is some overlap between Internet advertising and other media groups.

Source: Mass media and cultural statistics. Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Kaisa Saarenmaa 029 551 3517, joukkoviestimet.tilastokeskus@stat.fi

Director in charge: Jari Tarkoma

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Appendix tables

• Appendix table 1. Sector shares of the mass media market 2000 - 2018, per cent (22.11.2019)
• Appendix table 2. Breakdown of newspaper sales 2000 - 2018, per cent (22.11.2019)
• Appendix table 3. Breakdown of magazine sales 2000 - 2018, per cent (22.11.2019)
• Appendix table 4. Radio advertising 2000 - 2018, per cent (22.11.2019)
• Appendix table 5. Television (terrestrial + cable + satellite) revenue 2000 - 2018, per cent (22.11.2019)

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Updated 22.11.2019