NENT to launch Viaplay in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
May 20, 2020
Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT Group), the Nordic streaming company, will launch its Viaplay streaming service in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in the first quarter of 2021. The expansion builds on Viaplay’s success in the Nordic region and recent launch in Iceland. Viaplay will offer Baltic viewers a combination of Viaplay originals, films and series, kids’ content and live sports.
Viaplay, which already has over 2.5 million paying subscribers, will be available to customers in all three Baltic countries through direct subscriptions and via third-party partnerships. Less than 20 per cent of the 2.8 million households in the three countries currently pay for a subscription video streaming service, compared with over 50 per cent in the Nordic region, and most households already have high speed fixed and mobile broadband connections that are being upgraded further.
The content offering will include NENT Group’s portfolio of Viaplay original series, of which a further 30 are being premiered this year. New local originals for the Baltic markets will be developed by NENT Studios and with third-party production companies. The offering will also include international movies, series and kids content, as well as a live sports package that will initially be built around motor racing, football and ice hockey and include multi-year rights to Formula One motor racing, Bundesliga German football and NHL ice hockey. Further details about the full Viaplay Baltic content offerings, package prices and launch dates will follow closer to launch.
Anders Jensen, NENT Group President and CEO, commented: “Expanding Viaplay to the Baltic countries is a natural next step. These markets are close to home, relatively under-penetrated, growing fast, and we will have a truly unique content offering that addresses all three markets together. We have built Viaplay into the number one Nordic streaming service and have recently expanded successfully to Iceland. We see huge potential in the Baltics for our unique combination of high-quality Viaplay originals, award-winning films and series, premium kids’ content and world-class live sports. Our highly agile operating model and cutting-edge technology are built to scale effectively and efficiently. We have already secured key content rights for the markets at very competitive prices, and look forward to bringing our great value for money storytelling experiences to viewers in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania early next year.”