Viaplay Group buys Premier Sports TV

Viaplay Group has presented their figures for the third quarter, and they show that growth continues for the Viaplay service, which also continues to open new markets.

At the end of Q3, Viaplay had 6,428,000 million subscribers, a growth of 78% for the year. 879,000 new customers were added in the quarter, of which 685,000 are new international customers. International growth is particularly marked by new Premier League rights in Poland and the Netherlands.

In the Nordic market, Viaplay has grown by 28% in the number of subscribers compared to the same time last year. This was helped, among other things, by the fact that they got Premier League rights in Norway.

The next market Viaplay will open on is Great Britain from 1 November. Viaplay raises expectations for their international target from 2.5 million to 2.7 million customers by the end of the year. However, they lower expectations for the Nordic region from 4.8 to 4.6 million. But overall, an expectation of 7.3 million subscribers is maintained when we go from 2022 to 2023.

 

Viaplay Group and Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) have entered into a 5-year agreement for the rights to the PDC European Tour series in Great Britain, the Netherlands, Poland and the Nordic and Baltic countries from February 2023.

The PDC European Tour brings darts fans 13 live events during the season. Each event spans three days with eight hours of competition per day, giving a total of 312 live hours of world-class action on Viaplay each year through 2027.

Peter Nørrelund, Viaplay Group Chief Sports Officer: "The PDC European Tour showcases darts' ongoing global growth. Becoming the home of this exciting series in the birthplace of the sport is a further sign of Viaplay's UK ambitions. The UK has darts at heart and this deal will make our service even more attractive to local viewers. At the same time, we can bring additional thrilling events to fans across our European footprint, where we have worked successfully with the PDC for many years.”

Matthew Porter, PDC CEO: "Viaplay have become a major broadcaster of PDC events over recent years and this is a natural extension of their coverage. The European Tour, which in 2023 will pay out over GBP 2.2M in prize money, is a much-loved series amongst darts fans and we’re delighted to be able to bring it to a new and wider audience through Viaplay’s numerous territories.”

 

I actually agree with Bob Flaps that this is a good move by Viaplay.

Viaplay has just announced the production of their first UK tv series :

Viaplay, Eleventh Hour Films and the internationally bestselling author Ian Rankin will partner for a major reimagining of Rankin's iconic detective, Inspector John Rebus, drawn from the instantly recognisable universe of Rankin's books. Set in contemporary Edinburgh, the six-part series places Rebus at the heart of a compelling new story devised by screenwriter Gregory Burke (`Entebbe'; ``71'). The show represents Viaplay Group's initial UK drama commission and the first Rebus TV adaptation for nearly 15 years.

In the drama, Rebus is in his 30s, recently divorced and demoted to Detective Sergeant. He has a new colleague, Detective Constable Siobhan Clarke, and is struggling to deal with the changes in his personal and professional life. At the same time, Rebus's daughter, Sammy, and ex-wife, Rhona, are enjoying an affluent existence with Rhona's new partner - while Rebus's brother Michael is finding out that in a society where the gaps between the `haves and have-nots' keep widening, taking shortcuts to provide for your family is no longer a temptation, but a necessity.

Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus novels and standalone thrillers have sold 30 million copies and been translated into thirty-six languages, with a major fan base in the UK, US, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Turkey and Finland, and have topped the Sunday Times and New York Times' bestseller lists. Rankin has received an OBE for services to literature and was awarded a knighthood in 2022. His latest novel, `A Heart Full of Headstones', was published in October 2022.

Sir Ian Rankin: "I'm hugely excited at the thought of Rebus returning to our screens and it's a privilege to have Gregory Burke write the scripts. I've been a fan since `Gagarin Way' and know that he understands the world of Rebus and the compelling central character. I'm chuffed to bits that Viaplay and Eleventh Hour are involved in this groundbreaking endeavour and I can't wait to share the results!"

Filippa Wallestam, Viaplay Group Chief Content Officer: "Sir Ian Rankin is a global storytelling phenomenon, and partnering to reimagine Rebus for a new generation of viewers is a remarkable way for Viaplay to take the UK stage. This ambitious series will explore family, morality and class in British society through an exciting and emotionally charged story, set against the Edinburgh landmarks that Rankin's readers know so well. Together with Gregory Burke and the team at Eleventh Hour Films, we will create an unforgettable show with Scottish roots, international appeal and universal themes."

Jill Green, Eleventh Hour Films CEO: "Sir Ian Rankin and Gregory Burke are the dream duo. They will ensure that `Rebus' delivers in a truly authentic, exciting and fresh way. For Eleventh Hour Films, Viaplay and Scotland, this project feels like great timing."

 

Viaplay Group and the International Handball Federation (IHF) have made a long-term agreement so that the streaming service will be the venue for the IHF's final rounds in 10 European countries until 2031. Fans will be able to stream more than 40 IHF events live, exclusively on Viaplay over the coming years, including all upcoming IHF Women's and Men's World Cups. The agreement covers Viaplay in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Poland, the Netherlands, the Baltic countries and Great Britain, spanning many of the world's leading handball nations.

The agreement secures the IHF World Men's Championships in 2023 (hosted by Poland and Sweden), 2025 (hosted by Croatia, Denmark and Norway), 2027, 2029 and 2031; and the IHF Women's World Championships in 2023 (hosted by Denmark, Norway and Sweden), 2025 (hosted by Germany and the Netherlands), 2027, 2029 and 2031.

A large number of the matches, including matches with teams from Viaplay's markets, will be shown with local commentators and studio.