The Sportlov Effect

Viewer numbers from round 3 in Skellefteå were released a few days ago. It was the most popular round three in history with almost 3.5 million viewers. This doesn't count anyone watching it online, either. Week three numbers tend to drop a bit. There's a concrete reason for this and it's called sportlov.

Sportlov is a vacation week during winter. Different cities schedule it during different days. Kids are out of school and many parents take time off with the kids. The idea is to get out and do some sports, hence the name. Not much can pull people away from the song contest, but this does. You know something is popular when it can draw viewers away from Melodifestivalen.

Swedes love their music. They are also serious about their sports and vacation.

Skiing is a popular sportlov activity

Niclas Ström/imagebank.sweden.se