Viaplay Group to show UEFA club competitions in five Nordic countries
The Viaplay Group has secured the exclusive rights to football from the men’s UEFA Champions League in Sweden and Denmark, exclusive rights to the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League in Norway and Finland, and shared rights to the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League in Iceland up to and including the 2026-2027 season.
The new agreement starts in the autumn of 2024.
The UEFA Champions League will move to a new format next season, delivering 203 live matches spread across 19 match weeks, compared with 137 games over 17 match weeks at present.
In season 2024-25, the UEFA Super Cup will again be played at the start of the season, prior to the play-off rounds. Matches will continue to be split between two kick-off slots, and in the 2024-2027 cycle these split kick-offs will be used up to the quarter-final stage.
The UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League will also adopt a new format and will include a total of 342 live matches, up from 282 as at present.
Jørgen Madsen Lindemann, Viaplay group president and CEO said: “UEFA’s club competitions showcase European club football at its very highest level. This new agreement shows our laser focus on securing content that is relevant and attractive for many viewers, and that offers proven commercial possibilities. We are especially proud to renew the UEFA Champions League in Denmark, meaning we remain the only broadcaster in the world to have shown all matches from every UEFA Champions League season since its inception in 1992, and to become the competition’s home once more in Sweden, where our live sports line-up is the best and broadest in the business.”
In Iceland, Viaplay Group will share the rights with Icelandic broadcaster Sýn.
Viaplay Group’s premium Nordic sports portfolio also includes Premier League, Bundesliga and Danish Superliga football, Formula 1, NHL ice hockey, FIS winter sports, IHF and EHF handball, and golf majors.
In all Nordic countries, the Viaplay streaming service is available on both a direct-to-consumer basis and through distribution partnerships with major telecom and TV operators. Viaplay Group’s pay-TV channels in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland are broadly available through distributors.