At least 40 games featuring Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish men’s football teams will be shown exclusively on the forthcoming new streaming service Viaplay.
Viaplay launches in the UK this autumn with clear sights on becoming a major sports destination for streamers. Earlier this week, it announced it would be the UK home of NHL Ice Hockey.
Today’s deal between Viaplay and UEFA covers 800 matches from 2024, including all European Qualifiers to the UEFA Euro and FIFA World Cup played by Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
But Viaplay has also secured rights to show games featuring Denmark, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
Details of the Viaplay UK – UEFA Deal
The agreement covers:
- all matches played by UK national teams (not featuring the England National Team) in the European Qualifiers to the FIFA World Cup 2026 and UEFA Euro 2028 and in the UEFA Nations League 2024/25 and 2026/27;
- all matches in the UEFA Nations League Finals 2025 and 2027;
- International friendlies.
- The package also includes all matches in the above-mentioned competitions of all other European teams. These include Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain.
Who are Viaplay?
Viaplay is the streaming service from Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT). Until recently, the name will have been unfamiliar to most people outside of the Scandinavian and Baltic regions. Then it started to rapidly expand, initially across continental Europe.
In its home markets, the service provides a wide range of films, dramas, factual and sports programming. In some countries, its sports portfolio includes live Premier League and F1.
Last year Viaplay announced it was coming to the UK. At the time, there was no mention of sports. Then in March it announced it had acquired a number of sports rights. Its press announcement said it would initially focus on sports with a “Nordic connection”.
Earlier this week Viaplay announced it would be the home of live NHL and MMA coverage in the UK.
Viaplay will launch in the UK by October 2022.
Where will Viaplay be available in the UK and how much will it cost?
Pricing and availability are yet to be announced.
Anders Jensen, NENT Group President and CEO, commented:
“This is Viaplay’s biggest UK sports milestone so far. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have exciting young teams that millions of fans will be able to follow exclusively on our world-class platform. These matches are in good hands – we work closely with UEFA in the Nordic and Baltic regions, and know how much national sides mean to supporters. Viaplay’s multi-territory partnerships with rights holders will be a key advantage as we challenge further in the UK sports market. The timing is also advantageous, with these rights coming on stream in 2024, which allows us time to build our UK brand and to innovate the Viaplay viewing experience even further.”
Guy-Laurent Epstein, Marketing Director at UEFA, added:
“With Viaplay’s long-lasting football track record, we are confident that football fans across the UK will be part of the journey of each of the Home Nations and will be offered excellent coverage of the UEFA National Team Football competitions between 2024 and 2028, whichever screen they choose to use.”