Young Audiences of Films and TV Series in Denmark
Exploring preferences for Anglo-American streaming content in the Nordics among teenagers and children
Summary: TV series and films stemming from the United States and other English-speaking countries, like the UK and Australia, have become the new norm for Danish children. They enjoy the high production values of commercial US material, and have an overall preference for genre-driven storytelling, which is more predominant in the Anglo-American content. This is not a new phenomenon, given the popularity of shows like Friends and Beverley Hills 90210 among today’s children’s parents. What is new is that under-18s are much less exposed to Danish films and series than in the past, due to free access to all the Anglo-American films and series they want on streaming platforms such as Netflix.
Danish children have watched an increasing amount of non-domestic TV and films since the late 2010s and this tendency has been documented by the Danish Ministry of Culture and the Danish Film Institute, among others. Their viewing habits are made possible by the accessibility of a wide range of streaming options. The European Audiovisual Observatory found that, in 2021, Denmark had the highest per-household uptake of subscription video-on-demand platforms in Europe, and young people from 15-24 years of age had on average access to five streaming channels in 2020, according to DR. Additionally, the lack of English skills does not appear to hold Danish under-18s back, as English teaching usually begins at the age of seven.
To obtain a clearer picture of children’s and teenagers’ preferences, a colleague and I conducted a survey of over 300 children in Denmark between the ages of 8 and 17 about what TV series and films they watch and their preferences overall. The respondents were from all walks of life and from all over the country. You can see the results in their entirety in an anthology published by Nordicom, but, in this article, I would like to highlight some key aspects of our investigation.
Preference for Anglo-American productions
Our results showed an overall preference for Anglo-American films and series, as well as Anglo-American platforms. Firstly, a larger proportion of respondents identified Netflix, Disney+ and YouTube as ‘good’ or ‘very good’ than DR. The percentage of respondents that thought particular streaming channels were ‘good’ or ‘very good’ are reproduced below.
- Netflix: 90%
- Disney+: 90%
- YouTube: 80%
- TV 2 and TV 2 Play: 70%
- DR and DRTV: 55%
Secondly, when we asked respondents to provide the titles of their favourite films and series, there was a strong preference for Anglo-American titles: None of the films in the ten most mentioned titles were Danish. The top three were Harry Potter, Avengers, and After. With respect to series, one Danish series made it to the top ten (Those Who Kill at number 10). In this category the top three were Friends, Stranger Things and Breaking Bad. However, when asked about their favourite YouTube channels, many Danish youtubers were mentioned, including Kender du det, Alexander Husum and Josefine Simones Dahl, although US Mr Beast took the first spot.
These are just two aspects of our overall research. You can read more here.
Differences between Anglo-American and Danish TV and film
Why children seem to prefer Anglo-American films and series is complex, but our survey seems to point to several reasons. Firstly, young people appear to have embraced Anglo-American content as normal; unlike adults, they are not as loyal to particular channels or content with cultural and social connotations from their own country. Secondly, they seem to respond to the high production values of commercial US material, which can also offer both universal and niche appeal. Thirdly, there is an overall preference for genre-driven storytelling, which is more predominant in the Anglo-American content. Genre-driven storytelling is based on certain norms with respect to the plot, characters and structure, such as, a thriller (for example The Rain, a Danish production for Netflix) or comedy (such as Gooseboy, a Danish film). In contrast, other content can be driven more by political, social or cultural issues, such as the DR programme Klassen (The Class) or Sex Education (Netflix). While DR also produces genre-driven content, its role as a public broadcaster means that it arguably has a greater emphasis on tricky issues relevant to children such as puberty and bullying (see more in Lykke Christensen, 2023, and Novrup Redvall, 2023).
The phenomenon of preferring US content is not new. A study undertaken in 1996 examined 15-18-year-old Danes’ wider media use, including TV and video, cinema, music, radio, computer and reading, and found that they were inclined towards US series including Beverly Hills 90210 and NYPD Blue. And in the early 2000s, Danish adolescents and children enjoyed a lot of American content – growing up with Disney both as cartoons and in print form (such as comics), and moving on to franchises like Marvel and Star Wars franchises and series like Friends. What is new is that – via their laptops, smartphones or tablets – Danish children and adolescents today have free access to all the Anglo-American films and series they want on streaming platforms such as Netflix. This means that they are much less exposed to Danish films and series than in the past.
Challenging adult conceptions of ‘quality’
What is good or bad for young people to watch is often dictated by adults, rather than children, and that is why it is important to hear the voices of young people themselves. Research within the field suggests that young people certainly challenge adult perceptions of quality, which can of course also differ from adult to adult and be very subjective. In a traditional Danish context, films and programmes produced by the Danish Film Institute or DR have been seen as better “quality” because their production is based on fundamental criteria, which are similar to those for publicly funded programmes and films in many other countries. Put briefly, these criteria seek to balance a broad audience appeal with artistic, educational and/or cultural value. Production processes where commercial aims take a more central role have historically been seen as producing TV and films of less good “quality”.
This dichotomy is an oversimplification to some degree: Commercial production companies regularly produce “quality” material that also fulfils the criteria set down for publicly funded institutions, and the latter are often criticised for straying too far towards programming that does not uphold the expectations of public broadcasters - DR in this instance. However, with respect to under-18s, these more traditional – and adult – conceptions of quality are somewhat side-lined, particularly now they have increasing power to stream what they like, when they want.
It is unclear how the current trend will affect the national production processes in Denmark and the other Nordic countries where these trends can also be seen to a greater or lesser extent. However, while it is up to adults what media content is funded and produced, children’s power as consumers is undeniable.
Further reading:
Christa Lykke Christensen, ‘Relevance and identification in television content for children: Analysing DR commissioners’ perceptions of children’s media interests’ in Audiovisual content for children and adolescents in Scandinavia: Production, Distribution, and Reception in a Multiplatform Era, eds., P. Majbritt Jensen, Eva Novrup Redvall and Christa Lykke Christensen, Special Issues Nordic Information Centre for Media and Communication Research (NORDICOM, University of Gothenborg; 2023), pp. 25-42.
Eva Novrup Redvall, ‘Creating serialised live action drama for children: Talent development, affordable volume fiction, and portable brand characters at DR’ in Audiovisual content for children and adolescents in Scandinavia: Production, Distribution, and Reception in a Multiplatform Era, eds., P. Majbritt Jensen, Eva Novrup Redvall and Christa Lykke Christensen, Special Issues Nordic Information Centre for Media and Communication Research (NORDICOM, University of Gothenborg; 2023), pp. 61-78.
P. M. Jensen, P. Mitric, T. S. Larsen, and A. S. Mouritsen, What is quality audiovisual fiction as seen through the eyes of young Danish viewers: Results from an explorative survey of 8–17-year-old children. (Aarhus University; University of Copenhagen, 2021).