Although Viaplay has no plans to compete for major popular UK sports rights, it is something, according to EVP and CCO UK Matthew Hooper, it will not rule out in the future.
Speaking in a Q&A at OTT Question Time Live in London, he added that it launched in the UK (in November 2022) because it knows the market very well and what content works. Viaplay also believes the UK offers an opportunity for it to innovate. At the same time, it needs to build a brand in the country.
Significantly, Viaplay accelerated its entry into the UK market by acquiring the streamer and channel operator Premier Sports in July 2022. At that time, Premier Sports’ UK sports rights included La Liga, Scottish Cup, Scottish League Cup and Coppa Italia football; United Rugby Championship, Rugby Football League and Top 14 rugby; NASCAR motorsport; and the Elite Ice Hockey League.
Hooper also spoke about the need for strong relationships. In the case of the Netherlands, Viaplay launched with such relationships with KPN and Ziggo and reached over 1 million subscribers within six months.
Hooper also said that Viaplay’s strategy is about keeping prices at a competitive level and at the same time growing its subscriber base. In the Nordics, it has partnered with Pluto and more generally it invests massively in local productions.
It is focused on growth in the SVOD world and where it has linear services will be looking to develop them
