As programmatic buying continues to shift toward international hubs, understanding markets beyond one’s home country becomes increasingly valuable. For many global advertisers, Nordic programmatic campaigns are managed from Stockholm, yet insight into the Finnish market isn’t always easy to find.
There are clear structural differences between the Finnish and Swedish advertising landscapes. In Finland, a few major media groups cover most of the population. For example, through Alma Media’s digital platforms, advertisers can reach 3,2 million Finn, in a country of 5,5 million. Alma’s largest consumer media brand, Iltalehti, alone reaches 62% of the Finnish population.
This concentrated structure explains why IO sales still play a dominant role: by working with just a few key media owners, advertisers can achieve significant reach, making the scale advantages of programmatic somewhat less pronounced than in Sweden.
Read below for the biggest differences and practical tips for reaching Finnish audiences effectively.
1. A smaller market where digital’s share is lower
According to IRM (Institutet för Reklam och Mediastatistik), Sweden’s ad market was worth around €5 billion in 2024, with digital media representing 75% (about €3.3 billion).
In comparison, Finland’s total ad market was €1,3 billion in 2024 (Kantar Media Finland Oy), with digital accounting for 54,9% (€714 million). The Finnish market is therefore much smaller, and the digital share is lower.
2. Direct buying still dominates in Finland
In Finland, around 70% of digital advertising is still bought directly from media owners (IAB Finland). In Sweden, the situation is reversed; programmatic already represents 60–70% of banner and online video spend (IRM). This difference highlights Finland’s stronger reliance on direct sales and long-term publisher relationships.
3. PMP deals are the standard
Private Marketplaces (PMPs) play a central role in both countries, but the open auction share in Sweden remains relatively high (around 40%, IRM). In Finland, the market leans heavily toward private deals and PMP transactions, with open auction volumes significantly lower.
4. Video and attention are leading trends
In Sweden, online video already accounts for more than half of all programmatic ad spend, and it is the single biggest driver of growth. In Finland, the corresponding share is still noticeably smaller, making this one of the key differences between the two markets. However, in both countries the fastest-growing programmatic channels in percentage terms are online video and new channels such as DOOH and audio, with curation also rapidly moving toward mainstream adoption.
IRM’s report on the programmatic media market does not yet highlight some of today’s most influential trends, such as attention and artificial intelligence, even though these are already highly relevant, especially in Finland. Attention has become a central theme, and Alma offers broad programmatic access to high-impact formats through Adnami. We also support SeenThis solutions and provide advertisers with attention deals, packaging our highest-attention placements into ready-to-buy PMP bundles.
Tips for success in the Finnish market
1. Prepare for a smaller, more concentrated ecosystem
A handful of major publishers reach nearly the entire population. For example, Alma alone covers over half of all Finns.
Focus on local media partnerships and prioritize quality reach over sheer volume.
2. Expect direct sales to play a major role
About 70% of digital ad spend still flows through direct deals, unlike in Sweden.
Combine direct buys with PMP deals to ensure full coverage and access to premium inventory. Some formats are available only through direct sales.
3. PMP deals are the norm
Most Finnish programmatic trading happens through PMPs rather than open auctions.
Build PMPs in collaboration with media owners to access quality, brand-safe inventory and make use of Alma’s audience segments and contextual targeting options.
4. Video and attention are rising fast
Both video and attention-based advertising are shaping the Finnish programmatic landscape.
Create deals for instream & outstream. Use high-impact, high-attention formats from Adnami or SeenThis, and test attention-based deals that go beyond visibility to measure real engagement.
Pssst… one more tip!
Don’t hesitate to reach out and talk with us about the best collaboration setup when it comes to curation for your campaigns in Finland.
