European media giant Viaplay, despite its financial struggles, has successfully renewed its distribution deal with telecom firm Telia in Norway. This agreement ensures that Telia's customers will continue to have access to Viaplay's various channels and services.
Without this agreement, Telia customers would have lost access to a range of top-tier live sporting content available on the Viaplay streaming service. The English Premier League matches, for which Viaplay holds full Norwegian rights through 2027-28, are also covered by this new deal. This high-profile soccer league was reportedly a significant point of contention during negotiations between the two parties.
Kenneth Andresen, Viaplay Norwegian chief executive, said:
“We are very happy to have landed a new agreement with Telia for a longer period, which means that their customers get access to Viaplay Group's linear channels, streaming service and not least also the Premier League, where we broadcast all 380 matches every season live on Viaplay and our sports channels.”
Viaplay have a big portfolio in other major sports
Aside from Premier League, Viaplay owns broadcast rights for several other major sports properties in Norway, including the Bundesliga matches of German soccer and Formula One (F1).
The last distribution agreement between Telia and Viaplay was signed back in December 2022. Telia has been carrying content from either Modern Times Group or its spin-off company -Viaplay (then Nordic Entertainment Group) since 2008. However, recent reports suggest that Telia is considering selling its free-to-air commercial broadcaster TV4 Media after experiencing a downturn in advertising revenues and challenges around premium sports content.
Pål Rune Kaalen, chief commercial officer at Telia Norway, said:
“Among other things, customers will soon have access to the Premier League where they can follow Erling Braut Haaland and Martin Ødegaard [Norwegian players competing in that competition]. At the same time, we can promise that there will be more exciting news for our customers over time, so we can only be happy.”
Potential buyers include Nordic media firms Schibsted (Norway), Bonnier (Sweden), and Egmont (Denmark). It should be noted that Telia acquired TV4 Group from Bonnier back in 2019 for SEK10 billion ($906.2 million).
Viaplay recently also signed distribution deals in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania
In related news, earlier this week ViaPlay announced another distribution deal with TV3 Group – a prominent media company operating across Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. As part of this deal, Viaplay's full live sports portfolio in the region will be sub-licensed to TV3 Group’s streaming service, Go3.
This agreement means that direct Viaplay subscribers in these three countries will be transferred to Go3 during March.
The renewal of the distribution deal between ViaPlay and Telia is a significant development for sports fans and sports betting enthusiasts in Norway. It ensures continued access to high-profile sporting events like the English Premier League, Bundesliga, and Formula 1 races. The recent deals also highlight ViaPlay's ongoing commitment to expanding its reach and providing top-tier live sporting content across various regions.
