Swedish media company Viaplay Group is building up its sports content arsenal, having acquired Premier Sports, a U.K.-based sports streamer and pay TV channel operator.
The buy comes shortly before Viaplay’s streaming service is set to enter the U.K. market – sometime this fall. The transaction values Premier Sports at around $36 million (£30 million) on a cash and debt-free basis.
Snagging Premier Sports is meant to complement Viaplay’s previously obtained U.K. sports rights. Viaplay in April entered a partnership with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) to stream U.K. national soccer matches from 2024-2028.
Until that deal goes into effect, Premier Sports carries the rights to those games. UEFA streaming rights recently garnered some attention when Amazon secured a three-year contract to stream UEFA’s Champions League – among other programming from the organization – on Prime Video U.K.
Premier Sports’ other U.K. sports rights include content for Spanish soccer league LaLiga, NASCAR motorsport and the United Rugby Championship League. Viaplay currently has U.K.-based deals in place with NHL, European Handball Federation among other sports organizations.
Anders Jensen, Viaplay Group president and CEO, noted the acquisition will accelerate Viaplay’s development in the U.K. market.
“Premier Sports has a loyal and expanding subscriber base, well-established distribution agreements and production capabilities, and a great sports portfolio that complements our own,” he said in a statement. “There is also a big opportunity to make Viaplay's wider offering, including our award-winning Viaplay Originals, available to Premier Sports' subscribers.”
Premier Sports currently has about 200,000 paying subscribers. While Viaplay, which is available across the Nordic countries, the U.S. and other regions, reported 5.55 million subscribers in the second quarter, according to Reuters.
Formerly known as Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT), Viaplay operates its namesake service Viaplay as well as Viafree, a free ad-supported platform. Viaplay in May announced it’s combining Viafree with Pluto TV, turning up Paramount’s FAST service in the Nordics.
Alongside the Premier Sports acquisition, Viaplay today appointed Edward Breeze to spearhead Viaplay’s sports operations in the U.K. Breeze currently serves as EVP of rights at Dazn, a sports streaming service that offers programming across more than 200 countries and territories.
Dazn recently added its first linear channel, Red Bull TV, to its content lineup. It also hosts the domestic streaming rights to LaLiga in Spain.
Peter Nørrelund, chief sports officer at Viaplay Group, noted Breeze’s “in-depth knowledge of streaming, sports and the local market makes him an ideal fit as we launch in the U.K.”
"I'm thrilled to join Viaplay Group,” stated Breeze. “I've been impressed by the way the company is successfully launching in new countries, acquiring high-profile sports rights and constantly developing synergies between markets.”
With sports streaming such a hot topic, a number of new direct-to-consumer platforms have cropped up. This month alone, U.K.-based Tottenham Hotspur launched Spursplay, a subscription-based service dedicated to the soccer club’s content. The Professional Triathletes Organization debuted its DTC platform this week, showcasing its upcoming events.