Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 19, 2026

Viaplay

Viaplay is a Swedish video streaming service owned by Viaplay Group.

Last revised
Jun 19, 2026
Read time
≈ 5 min
Length
1,054 w
Citations
41
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Viaplay
Type of site
Streaming service
PredecessorViasat On Demand
Area served
OwnerViaplay Group
URLviaplay.com
Launched
  • May 2007 (2007-05) (as Viasat On Demand)
    2011 (2011) (as Viaplay)

Viaplay is a Swedish video streaming service owned by Viaplay Group.1

History

A Viaplay reporter interviews Bartosz Jurecki during the 2023 World Men's Handball Championship. source ↗

Originally owned by Modern Times Group, it was launched in May 2007 as Viasat On Demand.2 It was rebranded as Viaplay in 2011.2 Viaplay released its first original fiction title, Swedish Dicks, in 2016.3 As of 2021 it was available in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, and Sweden.45 Capitalizing on the popularity of Nordic noir titles, the service rolled out plans to expand to Ireland, the Netherlands and UK in November 2022, and Austria, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, and the US by 2023.4567 Viaplay launched in the United States ahead of the previously planned schedule, initially exclusively to Comcast customers, with the intention to launch a direct-to-consumer platform later.8

As the parent company Viaplay Group holds extensive sports rights in multiple markets, Viaplay provides sports broadcasts in most countries where it operates.

In May 2022, Viaplay announced the organisation had added the National Hockey League and Poland-based MMA promotion KSW to its UK offering.9 In July 2022, Viaplay Group acquired U.K.-based pay TV channel operator, Premier Sports, and rebranded it under the Viaplay name by 1 November 2022.1011

On 20 July 2023, it was announced that Viaplay would lay off 25% of staff while pursuing a new strategy to focus on its core Nordic, Netherlands and Viaplay Select operations.12 The new focus means that Viaplay will completely exit from its Baltic markets, and discontinue its low tier non-sports offering in each of its remaining international markets, including the United States and United Kingdom, in order to focus on its sports offering and the sale of non-sports content through its Viaplay Select business.

In 2024, SSBL Ltd bought back Viaplay's operations in the United Kingdom and the service was rebranded back to Premier Sports, its former name until 2022.13 Viaplay also left the US, Canada, Baltic, and UK markets in the beginning of 2024 as part of their new strategy.

Launch

Launch rollout timeline
Release date Country/territory
May 2007 Denmark
Finland
Norway
Sweden
1 April 202014 Iceland
28 July 2016 (original)15–19 September 2018 (original)16
9 March 2021 (relaunch)17–22 March 2024 (relaunch)1819 		Estonia
Latvia
Lithuania
3 August 202120–30 June 20251821 Poland
1 March 202222 Netherlands
1 November 202223–22 May 2024a2425 United Kingdom
2 November 2022 (via SBS On Demand)26 Australia
26 January 2023 (via Canal+)27 Austria
22 February 202328–29 February 2024b29 United States
7 March 202328–28 February 2024c29 Canada
19 April 2023 (via Magenta TV)30
22 October 2024 (via Amazon Prime Video)31 		Germany
1 September 2023 (via Oneplus)32 Switzerland
Footnotes

Footnotes

  1. Viaplay Select is still available through third parties in the United Kingdom.
  2. Viaplay Select is still available through third parties in the United States.
  3. Viaplay Select is still available through third parties in Canada.
References

References

  1. Barker, Alex (2 February 2021). "Netflix meets its match in Nordic minnow Nent". Financial Times.
  2. "The Netflix effect – OTT in Europe". DigitalTVeurope. 5 August 2014.
  3. Lodderhose, Diana (14 September 2016). "Swedish Comedy Series Starring Peter Stormare Eyes U.S. Network Pickup Via Lionsgate TV". Deadline Hollywood.
  4. Roxborough, Scott (22 September 2021). "Scandinavian Streamer Viaplay to launch in U.K., Canada, Germany". Hollywood Reporter.
  5. Keslassy, Elsa (23 September 2021). "Inside Scandinavian Streamer Viaplay's Plans to 'Capitalize' on 'Nordic Noir' Globally". Variety.
  6. Keslassy, Elsa (6 October 2021). "Nent Group Boss Anders Jensen on Viaplay's Scripted Strategy and Plan for Global Domination". Variety.
  7. Grater, Tom (21 September 2021). "Nordic Streaming Service Viaplay to launch in UK, Canada, Germany, Austria & Switzerland by 2023". Deadline Hollywood.
  8. "Premium Nordic streaming service Viaplay to launch in the US on 15 December". Viaplay Group. 13 December 2021.
  9. "NHL and KSW added to Viaplay's UK portfolio". Sports Business. 25 April 2022. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  10. "Viaplay buys Premier Sports, hires DAZN's Edward Breeze". Broadband TV News. 21 July 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  11. Bassam, Tom (21 July 2022). "Viaplay acquires Premier Sports in UK£30m deal to expand UK offering". SportsPro. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  12. "Viaplay to Lay Off 25 Percent of Staff, End Streaming Services in U.S., U.K. to Focus on Core Nordic Markets, Explore Sale". Hollywood Reporter. 20 July 2023. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  13. "Q2 2023 interim report January–June". Viaplay Group. 21 July 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  14. "NENT Group to launch Viaplay in Iceland on 1 April". Viaplay Group. 26 March 2020.
  15. "MTG lanserar Viaplay i Baltikum". News Powered by Cision. 28 July 2016.
  16. ""Viaplay" zīmols tiek mainīts uz "TVPlay Premium"". tv3.lv (in Latvian). 13 September 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  17. "NENT Group is launching Viaplay in the Baltics". Viaplay Group. 9 March 2021.
  18. "Viaplay Group and TV3 Group enter Baltic agreement". Viaplay Group. 1 February 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  19. "OLULINE INFO VIAPLAY | GO3 KLIENTIDELE – Go3 abi". abi.go3.tv. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
  20. "NENT Group to launch Viaplay in Poland on 3 August". Viaplay Group. 6 July 2021.
  21. "Viaplay może usunąć w Polsce kolejny składnik oferty". www.wirtualnemedia.pl (in Polish). 17 November 2024. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
  22. "Viaplay to launch in the Netherlands on 1 March". Nordic entertainment group. 8 December 2021.
  23. "Viaplay rolls out in UK". advanced-television.com. 1 November 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  24. "Viaplay Group completes sale of UK business". Viaplay Group. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  25. Thornham, Marc (2 April 2024). "Premier Sports UK returns to Sky and Virgin Media next week". RXTV. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
  26. "Viaplay Group and SBS bring Viaplay Select to Australian audiences". viaplaygroup.com. 2 November 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  27. "Viaplay Select launches on CANAL+ in Austria". Viaplay Group. 26 January 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
  28. "Viaplay sets US and Canada direct-to-consumer launch dates". viaplaygroup.com. 8 February 2023.
  29. Donaldson, Alex (22 January 2024). "Viaplay announces divestment date from US and Canadian markets". Sportcal. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  30. Schaber, Richard W. (19 April 2023). "MagentaTV holt Viaplay Select an Bord: Mehr als 300 Stunden neues Programm". DIGITAL FERNSEHEN (in German). Retrieved 23 November 2024.
  31. "Viaplay launches SVOD service on Amazon Prime in Germany". www.broadbandtvnews.com. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
  32. "oneplus: exklusive Partnerschaft mit Viaplay | Presseportal-schweiz.ch". www.presseportal-schweiz.ch (in German). 31 August 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
External links