Programmatic advertising in Sweden reaches 5 billion kronor in 2025

Programmatic advertising investments in Sweden reached 4.7 billion kronor in 2024, marking a 12 percent increase from the previous year. Online video surpassed banners to become the largest subcategory within programmatic trading for the first time in the market's history.

The report, released on October 23, 2024, at IAB Sweden's Programmatic Day, was commissioned by IAB Sweden and produced by IRM (Institute for Advertising and Media Statistics). The data covers programmatic advertising transactions conducted through ad-tech infrastructure, measured from the sell side and excluding social networks.

"We see that 2024 was a strong year for programmatic trading and for the first time online video went past banners as the biggest subcategory," said Madeleine Thor, CEO of IRM. "Programmatic purchases within online video increased by over 20 percent during 2024."

Online video drives growth

Online video investments grew 21.7 percent in 2024, reaching approximately 2.4 billion kronor through programmatic channels. This marked the first year that programmatic online video revenue exceeded programmatic banner revenue. Banners contributed 2.3 billion kronor to the total, representing a modest 1 percent increase.

The shift reflects broader video advertising trends. Online video has demonstrated positive growth each year in the measurement period, while banners have experienced more volatile performance, including declines in 2020 and 2023 during weaker economic conditions.

For 2025, IRM projects programmatic spending will reach 5 billion kronor, representing 5 percent growth. By 2026, the market is expected to expand to 5.4 billion kronor with 7 percent growth. Online video will continue driving this expansion, with forecasts showing it will comprise 52 percent of total programmatic spending by 2026.

Emerging categories show strong momentum

The report includes programmatic data for digital out-of-home and podcasts for the first time. Both categories remain small in absolute terms but demonstrate significant growth rates from low baselines.

Programmatic DOOH spending reached 46 million kronor in 2024, representing 5 percent of total digital out-of-home investments. The category grew 66 percent year-over-year. IRM forecasts programmatic DOOH will expand 42 percent in 2025 to 66 million kronor, followed by 25 percent growth in 2026 to reach 82 million kronor.

Programmatic podcast advertising totaled 25 million kronor in 2024, accounting for 6 percent of podcast ad spending. Growth rates are projected at 40 percent for 2025 and 35 percent for 2026, bringing programmatic podcast revenue to 48 million kronor by the end of the forecast period.

"It's two categories with continued low figures but very large growth," Thor said. "IRM assesses that investments within DOOH and podcast have good conditions to continue taking an increasingly larger share in coming years. For both categories, growth is predicted to be over 40 percent during 2025."

Market maturation evident in shifting dynamics

Programmatic advertising now accounts for 64 percent of all banner and online video spending in Sweden, excluding social networks. This proportion has stabilized after rapid growth between 2015 and 2021, when the programmatic share expanded from 15 percent to 60 percent.

The mature market status brings new competitive dynamics. Traditional insertion order buying showed stronger growth than programmatic in 2024, with programmatic banners growing just 1 percent while total banner spending increased 2 percent. Native advertising, which falls outside programmatic measurement, contributed to stronger overall banner performance.

Programmatic video maintained its structural advantage, growing 23 percent in 2024 compared to 21.7 percent growth for total online video. However, competition from social video, which grew 26.2 percent in 2024, creates headwinds for programmatic's market share expansion.

The byråförmedlad (agency-mediated) share of programmatic transactions has increased substantially. Survey responses indicate 69 percent of programmatic spending flows through media agencies, compared to just 18 percent for total digital advertising.

Technical infrastructure and buying methods

Private marketplace deals dominate programmatic banner transactions, accounting for 48 percent of spending. Open exchanges represent 38 percent, while programmatic guaranteed deals comprise 14 percent. This distribution marks a shift from the previous report, with private marketplaces gaining share at the expense of open exchanges.

Online video shows different patterns. Open exchanges handle 79 percent of programmatic video spending, with programmatic guaranteed deals at 12 percent and private marketplaces at 9 percent. The higher open exchange share reflects video's less mature programmatic adoption, though private marketplaces and guaranteed deals are growing rapidly from small bases.

Survey responses from sell-side organizations identified "maximizing inventory value" as the strongest driver for programmatic adoption, with 89 percent citing this factor. "Increased customer demand" ranked second at 76 percent, followed by "more efficient automated selling" at 67 percent.

The relationship between buyers and sellers emerged as the primary obstacle to programmatic growth, cited by 50 percent of respondents. "Compressed prices" tied as the second-largest concern. Technical costs, third-party cookie limitations, and recruitment challenges all ranked lower than in previous surveys, suggesting these issues have become less pressing.

Brand-safe advertising environments received the highest priority rating at 4.7 on a 0-5 scale. Transparency scored 3.9, IAB certification 3.3, and environmental impact 1.6. Only 10 percent of respondents reported taking action to reduce the environmental impact of programmatic advertising.

Digital advertising context

Programmatic trading operates within Sweden's broader digital advertising market, which totaled 38.1 billion kronor in 2024, representing 75 percent of all advertising spending. Digital advertising grew 8.6 percent in 2024, recovering from the 3.3 percent growth rate recorded in 2023 during economic uncertainty.

The digital advertising market is projected to reach 40.1 billion kronor in 2025 with 5.3 percent growth, followed by 42.2 billion kronor in 2026 with 5.1 percent growth. This trajectory suggests the rapid migration to digital channels has matured, with future growth more closely tracking overall advertising market performance.

"Programmatic trading continues to grow and more new channels are breaking new ground," said Kenneth Danielsson, CEO of IAB Sweden. "It is now completely clear that we have a mature market for programmatic trading."

The report draws on data collection, in-depth interviews, research and analysis of trends in Sweden and internationally. IRM conducts ongoing surveys of advertising investment in Scandinavia and forecasts future development. The institute measures programmatic advertising from the seller's perspective, consistent with international methodology.

Timeline

• October 23, 2024 – IRM presents programmatic advertising report at IAB Sweden's Programmatic Day showing 4.7 billion kronor in 2024 spending
• 2024 – Online video surpasses banners as largest programmatic subcategory for first time, reaching 2.4 billion kronor
• 2024 – First inclusion of DOOH (46 million kronor) and podcast (25 million kronor) programmatic data in IRM report
• 2024 – Programmatic advertising grows 12% to 4.7 billion kronor, recovering from 1% growth in 2023
• 2023 – Digital advertising market slows significantly amid economic uncertainty
• October 2025 – Comcast makes traditional TV inventory available through programmatic private marketplaces, expanding programmatic beyond digital channels
• September 2025 – Best Buy partners with Magnite to scale programmatic advertising reach in retail media
• September 2025 – Netflix becomes available in Amazon DSP starting Q4 2025, expanding premium streaming programmatic access
• October 2025 – Mozilla Ads selects Index Exchange as first programmatic partner for Firefox New Tab advertising
• August 2025 – VIOOH partners with Vengo for US programmatic DOOH expansion
• 2025 projection – IRM forecasts Swedish programmatic market will reach 5 billion kronor with 5% growth
• 2026 projection – Programmatic spending expected to reach 5.4 billion kronor with 7% growth

Summary

Who: IRM (Institute for Advertising and Media Statistics) commissioned by IAB Sweden conducted the research. Swedish media companies, advertisers, and agencies participate in the programmatic advertising market measured in the study.

What: Programmatic advertising in Sweden reached 4.7 billion kronor in 2024, growing 12 percent year-over-year. Online video became the largest programmatic category, surpassing banners for the first time. The study included digital out-of-home and podcast programmatic spending data for the first time. Projections show the market will exceed 5 billion kronor in 2025.

When: The report was presented October 23, 2024, at IAB Sweden's Programmatic Day. It covers calendar year 2024 performance and provides forecasts through 2026.

Where: The research focuses exclusively on the Swedish market, measuring programmatic advertising transactions from the sell-side perspective. Social networks are excluded from the methodology to align with international measurement standards.

Why: The research tracks programmatic advertising's evolution in Sweden as the market matures. It provides advertisers, agencies, and media companies with data on spending patterns, growth rates, buying methods, and market drivers to inform strategic decisions. The inclusion of emerging categories like DOOH and podcasts reflects programmatic expansion into new channels beyond traditional display and video formats.