NENT Group and Elisa to combine streaming services in Finland

• Innovative agreement to combine Viaplay’s ‘Films & Series’ package with Elisa Viihde Aitio’s content into a standalone streaming service in Q4 2020
• Current and new Viaplay and Elisa Viihde Aitio customers in Finland will have access to both services from 30 June
• Combined service will be called Elisa Viihde Viaplay and will accelerate NENT Group’s streaming ambitions in Finland

Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT Group), the Nordic region’s leading streaming company, and Elisa, Finland’s market-leading telecoms operator, will combine their streaming services in Finland in Q4 2020. The combined standalone service will be called Elisa Viihde Viaplay and bring together Viaplay’s original Nordic productions, Hollywood films and series, and high-quality kids’ content with Elisa Viihde Aitio’s wide range of Finnish films and original series.

From 30 June, Viaplay ‘Films & Series’ and ‘Total’ customers in Finland will receive access to Elisa Viihde Aitio, while Elisa Viihde Aitio customers will be able to view Viaplay’s ‘Films & Series’ package. Effective 1 August, the monthly price of both Viaplay’s ‘Films & Series’ package and Elisa Viihde Aitio will be adjusted for existing customers to EUR 12.99 from EUR 9.99 and EUR 9.90, respectively. For new customers, the adjusted price will apply from 30 June. The price of Viaplay’s ‘Total’ package, which includes Viaplay’s premium sports offering in addition to ‘Films & Series’, will remain unchanged at EUR 34.99 per month.

Both services will continue to operate separately until a date to be specified in Q4 2020, when Elisa Viihde Viaplay, the combined streaming offering that brings together Viaplay’s ‘Films & Series’ package and Elisa Viihde Aitio’s content, will be made available. Elisa Viihde Viaplay will initially be priced at EUR 12.99 per month. The service will also offer an additional package including Viaplay’s sports content for a price that will be communicated in due course.

The combination of the offerings is expected to deliver accelerated subscriber growth. NENT Group will be responsible for the service’s technology and analytics, while Elisa will handle sales, marketing and customer support. Both parties will continue to invest in content for the service.

Anders Jensen, NENT Group President and CEO: “We continue to break new ground in streaming with the most innovative partnerships in the market. Elisa Viihde Viaplay will bring together the Nordic region’s leading streaming company and a Finnish pioneer in telecoms and digital services to take streaming to the next level in Finland – a country with one of the highest broadband penetration rates in the world. NENT Group has outstanding content delivered on a world-class technology platform, while Elisa is Finland’s market-leading communications service provider and has delivered a string of hit local drama formats. Elisa Viihde Viaplay is the perfect combination of our respective strengths – a standalone streaming service that will address the whole Finnish market and provide viewers with an even stronger and more diverse offering.”

Veli-Matti Mattila, Elisa CEO: “By joining forces with NENT Group we are able to offer Finnish customers an exciting combination of high-quality content with a strong focus on Finnish and Nordic original series. We expect viewers to embrace this innovative combined service that provides extensive content and represents excellent value for money. We look forward to working together to bring Elisa Viihde Viaplay to this fast-growing market later this year.”

About Viaplay and Elisa Viihde Aitio

Viaplay has more than 2.5 million paying subscribers across the Nordic region. It is the home of NENT Group’s fast-growing portfolio of successful original series, of which 30 more are being premiered in 2020. NENT Group released its first Finnish original, ‘Cold Courage’, in May 2020. At the same time, Viaplay’s offering of international films, series and kids’ content continues to expand rapidly through NENT Group’s long-term relationships with major Hollywood, independent and in-house studios. Through its sports packages, Viaplay shows more than 50,000 hours of live sport every year across the Nordic region. The Viaplay technology platform is agile and scalable, and NENT Group’s 300 in-house developers deliver high-quality performance, functionality and content discovery. Users can simultaneously stream on multiple devices, watch movies and series in offline mode, and create multiple personal profiles. In addition, Viaplay provides electronic sell-through (EST) and transaction video on-demand (TVOD) services.

Elisa Viihde Aitio is the streaming service of Elisa Viihde, the leading digital entertainment service in Finland. It is currently available on a standalone basis or as part of an Elisa Viihde package. Launched in 2013, Elisa Viihde Aitio offers the widest selection of Finnish movies, classic series and Elisa Viihde original series. Elisa is one of the largest producers of Finnish drama with 20 original series premiered to date. Hit titles available on Elisa Viihde Aitio include the internationally distributed and award-winning original series ‘Arctic Circle’, ‘All the Sins’, ‘Shadow Lines’ and ‘Bullets’. Elisa will continue to focus on high-quality local drama, comedy series and Finnish films.

****

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’).

About Elisa
Elisa is a pioneer in telecommunications and digital services. We serve approximately 2.8 million consumer, corporate and public administration organisation customers, and have over 6.3 million subscriptions in our extensive network. Cooperation with Vodafone and Tele2, among others, enables globally competitive services. Our core markets are Finland and Estonia, and we also provide digital services for international markets. Elisa’s shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki. In 2019, our revenue was EUR 1.84 billion, and we employed 4,900 people. As a responsible Finnish market leader, our operations are guided by continuous improvement. We will be a carbon neutral company from 2020 onwards. Further information on www.elisa.com, Facebook (@elisasuomi) and Twitter (@ElisaOyj).

Contact us:
press@nentgroup.com (or Nicholas Smith, Acting Head of External Communications; +46 73 699 26 95)
investors@nentgroup.com (or Stefan Lycke, Head of Investor Relations; +46 73 699 27 14)

Download high-resolution photos: Flickr

Follow us:
nentgroup.com / Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Instagram

Privacy policy:
To read NENT Group’s privacy policy, click here