14.00 Update: Three major Norwegian platforms have reached terms with TV2 Norway over the distribution of its coverage of the English Premier League.
DTH platform Viasat says the agreement for the three channels – TV2 Premier League HD, TV2 Premier League HD 2 and TV2 Premier League HD 3 – is the first of its kind in Norway. Both the IPTV network Altibox and Get, Norway’s second largest cable operator will also carry the channels. It remains to be seen if Canal Digital, with cable and satellite interests, is also able to secure distribution for the TV2 bouquet.
Altibox will charge NOK 179 (€22.78) per month for the three channels, while Get will levy a NOK 199 fee. Viasat will announce its pricing later.
The three channels will be available from the start of the 2010/11 season in August. Viasat’s parent company MTG holds the exclusive rights to the Premier League in its own right in Sweden and Bulgaria.
Until the end of the 2009/10 season the rights for the whole of the Nordic region had been held by Canal+, which has an exclusive DTH distribution agreement with Canal Digital, whose owner Telenor recently bought a 35% share in operating company C More Entertainment from the Swedish commercial broadcaster TV4.
Viasat already holds an extensive portfolio of football rights in Norway, these include the FIFA World Cup – purchased from NRK as the public broadcaster looked for means to fund the Eurovision Song Contest, the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and the FA Cup.
Separately, Get has also agreed distribution of TV2 HD, which will be carried in the cableco’s basic packages.