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Type of site | Streaming service |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Viasat On Demand |
| Area served | |
| Owner | Viaplay Group |
| URL | viaplay |
| Launched |
|
Viaplay is a Swedishvideo streaming service owned byViaplay Group.[1]
Originally owned byModern Times Group, it was launched in May 2007 asViasat 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[update] it was available in Denmark,Estonia, Finland, Iceland,Latvia,Lithuania, Norway, Poland, and Sweden.[4][5] Capitalizing on the popularity ofNordic 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.[4][5][6][7] Viaplay launched in the United States ahead of the previously planned schedule, initially exclusively toComcast customers, with the intention to launch a direct-to-consumer platform later.[8]
As the parent company Viaplay Group holds extensivesports rights in multiple markets, Viaplay provides sports broadcasts in most countries where it operates.
In May 2022, Viaplay announced the organisation had added theNational Hockey League and Poland-based MMA promotionKSW 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.[10][11]
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.
| Release date | Country/Territory | Shutdown date |
|---|---|---|
| May 2007 | Denmark | N/a |
| Finland | ||
| Norway | ||
| Sweden | ||
| 1 April 2020[14] | Iceland | |
| 28 July 2016 (original)[15] 9 March 2021 (relaunch)[16] | Estonia | 19 September 2018 (original)[17] 22 March 2024 (relaunch)[18][19] |
| Latvia | ||
| Lithuania | ||
| 3 August 2021[20] | Poland | 30 June 2025[18][21] |
| 1 March 2022[22] | Netherlands | N/a |
| 1 November 2022[23] | United Kingdom | 22 May 2024[a][24][25] |
| 2 November 2022[26] | Australia (viaSBS On Demand) | N/a |
| 26 January 2023[27] | Austria (viaCanal+) | |
| 22 February 2023[28] | United States | 29 February 2024[b][29] |
| 7 March 2023[28] | Canada | 28 February 2024[c][29] |
| 19 April 2023[30] 22 October 2024[31] | Germany (viaMagenta TV andAmazon Prime Video) | N/a |
| 1 September 2023[32] | Switzerland (viaOneplus) |
Media related toViaplay at Wikimedia Commons