NENT Group acquires exclusive UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League rights in Baltic countries

• 138 UEFA Champions League, 141 UEFA Europa League and 141 UEFA Europa Conference League matches to be shown live every season on Viaplay in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
• NENT Group already holds exclusive Baltic rights to Formula 1, NHL and Bundesliga
• Viaplay to launch in Baltic countries on 9 March 2021 at EUR 9.99 per month

Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT Group), the Nordic region’s leading streaming company, has secured the exclusive rights to show UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League football in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania from the 2021/2022 season up to and including the 2023/2024 season. NENT Group will launch its Viaplay streaming service in the three Baltic countries on 9 March 2021 as the next step in its ambitious global expansion, and the company’s acquisition of the rights to Europe’s leading club football tournaments represents a landmark in the Baltic streaming market.

The UEFA Champions League is European club football’s premier competition and brings together the continent’s top 32 teams and the best players in the world. Baltic viewers will be able to follow sides such as Liverpool, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain, along with global superstars including Lionel Messi, Mohamed Salah, Robert Lewandowski, Neymar, Paul Pogba, Paulo Dybala, Eden Hazard and many more.

Every season, Viaplay will show 138 UEFA Champions League matches and 141 matches from the UEFA Europa League, Europe’s secondary club football tournament, live in the Baltic countries. In addition, Viaplay will offer 141 live matches from the new UEFA Europa Conference League, for which FK Panevėžys, FK Sūduva and FK Kauno Žalgiris (Lithuania) and FK Liepāja, FK RFS and Valmiera FC (Latvia), along with two Estonian teams, will enter qualifying in 2021. Selected matches from all competitions will be shown with local language commentary.

Anders Jensen, NENT Group President and CEO: “Becoming the exclusive Baltic home of the world’s most prestigious club football tournament is a game changer. The UEFA Champions League is a truly global property and enjoys huge popularity in the Baltic countries. Viaplay’s compelling line-up of sports, films, series and originals will offer viewers in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania something unique. We are coming to the region to excite, innovate and take leadership, and our subscribers can look forward both to live football of the highest calibre and further sports rights agreements.”

Guy-Laurent Epstein, UEFA Marketing Director: “NENT Group has been a long-standing and valued partner of UEFA for many years and we are excited to see this partnership now covering Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. We look forward to the innovative ways in which NENT Group will make the UEFA club competitions available to football fans across the Baltic region.”

Viaplay will launch in the Baltic countries with a single package (including sports) priced at EUR 9.99 per month. NENT Group has already secured the exclusive Baltic rights to Formula 1 motorsport, NHL ice hockey and Bundesliga football.

Over the next five years, streaming penetration in the Baltic countries is expected to grow from 15% of households to up to 50%, with the number of subscriptions showing a compound annual growth rate of up to 40%.

Earlier this year, NENT Group extended its exclusive rights to show the UEFA Champions League in Denmark and acquired the Swedish, Norwegian and Finnish rights to the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League until 2024. NENT Group is the only broadcaster in the world to have shown every UEFA Champions League season since the competition launched in 1992.

NENT Group brings millions of fans closer to the sports they love – every shot, every goal, every touchdown, every putt, every punch, every lap, every time. Every year, the company shows more than 50,000 hours of the world’s best live sporting action on its streaming services and TV channels.

In the Nordic region, NENT Group holds the rights to the Premier League (SE/NO/DK/FI), IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship (SE/NO/DK/FI/IS) and the Swedish men’s football team qualifiers (SE) to 2028; NHL (SE/NO/DK/FI/IS) and FIS winter sports (SE/NO/DK/FI) to 2026; Bundesliga (SE/NO/DK/FI/IS) to 2025; and UEFA Europa League (SE/NO/FI), UEFA Champions League (DK) and Formula 1 (SE/NO/DK/FI/IS) to 2024. The company’s portfolio also includes IndyCar, NFL American football, boxing, UFC, tennis, basketball, handball and golf.

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NOTES TO EDITORS

Nordic Entertainment Group AB (publ) (NENT Group) is the Nordic region’s leading entertainment provider. We entertain millions of people every day with our streaming services, TV channels and radio stations, and our production companies create content that is experienced around the world. We make life more entertaining by telling stories, touching lives and expanding worlds – from live sports, movies and series to music and original shows. Headquartered in Stockholm, NENT Group is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm (‘NENT A’ and ‘NENT B’).

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