Canal+ and PPF are considering a joint move that would bring Viaplay into private ownership, according to a Bloomberg report.
The move would mark the next stage in the Nordic streaming group’s post-recapitalisation reshaping. The two companies already hold roughly 29.3% each of Viaplay following the Swedish broadcaster’s 2024 rescue recapitalisation, meaning they already control close to 60% of the company between them.
Neither Canal+, PPF nor Viaplay has commented publicly on the report. Viaplay has spent the past two years rebuilding after its near-collapse, with Canal+ and PPF emerging as cornerstone shareholders through the SEK 4 billion (€0.36 billion) recapitalisation completed in early 2024.
Any deal would come against a backdrop of a sharp recovery in Viaplay’s market value from distressed levels, even if the stock remains far below where it traded before the crisis.
Viaplay’s footprint today centres on the Nordics, the Netherlands and Poland, while the company has been focusing on profitability and simplification. It withdrew from a number of territories, including the UK, where it sold the former Premier Sports business back to its original owners.
Its latest full-year results, published on 19 February, also reflected the acquisition of the remaining shares in Allente, underlining that the group is still in active portfolio and ownership transition.
