NENT Group secures exclusive Bundesliga football rights in Poland

• Four-year agreement with Bundesliga International for one of Poland’s most attractive sports rights runs to the 2024-25 season
• NENT Group to launch Viaplay in Poland in August 2021
• NENT Group shows more than 50,000 hours of the world’s best live sporting action every year

Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT Group), the Nordic region’s leading streaming company, has secured the exclusive rights to show German Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 football in Poland after a four-year deal that runs until the 2024-25 season was agreed with Bundesliga International, a subsidiary of the DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga. The company’s Viaplay streaming service will launch in Poland in August 2021 as part of NENT Group’s vision to become the European streaming champion and will include Bundesliga in a broad consumer offering. Bundesliga represents one of the most attractive sports rights in Poland, where FC Bayern München star Robert Lewandowski is one of the country’s highest profile sports personalities.

According to Bundesliga’s own figures, Polish sports fans have a very high affinity for the Bundesliga, with a fan-base of 4.6 million supporters. The league’s popularity in Poland has skyrocketed since Robert Lewandowski’s move to Borussia Dortmund in 2010 and then FC Bayern München in 2014, where he has established himself as one of world football’s most prolific strikers.

With over 200 Bundesliga goals, Lewandowski has been the Bundesliga top scorer five times, making him the league’s all-time leading overseas goal scorer, and player of the season a record four times. He has won eight Bundesliga titles and holds a Guinness World Record for a five-goal haul in nine minutes against VfL Wolfsburg in 2015. Lewandowski is Poland’s most-capped player ever and the national team’s all-time top scorer.

Additional Polish stars currently appearing in the Bundesliga include Łukasz Piszczek (Borussia Dortmund), Dawid Kownacki (Fortuna Düsseldorf), Krzysztof Piątek (Hertha Berlin), Bartosz Białek (VfL Wolfsburg) and Robert Gumny (FC Augsburg).

Anders Jensen, NENT Group President and CEO: “Bundesliga is the triple-A sports right in Poland and this agreement reveals our ambitions for Viaplay in this fast-growing market. We intend to take a leadership position in Poland and to reshape the streaming landscape quickly with further rights acquisitions. In addition, Viaplay will offer thousands of hours of local, Nordic and international content at launch. NENT Group’s vision is to become the European streaming champion and Polish viewers can look forward to discovering a compelling and competitively priced service.”

Robert Klein, Bundesliga International CEO: “Polish sports fans have a deep rooted passion for the Bundesliga, developed over the years thanks to the number of high quality players that have come from Poland, including the likes of Jan Furtok, Jakub Błaszczykowski, Łukasz Piszczek and of course Robert Lewandowski. Our partnership with NENT Group goes from strength to strength and we are extremely pleased that the Bundesliga will be one of Viaplay’s marquee offerings. This agreement ensures that fans throughout Poland can enjoy world class German football, at home or on the go, through NENT Group’s exceptional streaming service.”

Today, 25% of Poland’s 13.8m households have a streaming subscription, and this number is expected to grow to well over 40% in 2025, with the current average of 1.5 subscriptions per household also expected to increase.

More information on the launch of Viaplay in Poland and on NENT Group’s international expansion will be presented today at the company’s online Capital Markets Day from 14.00 CET. To register and watch the presentations, please click here.

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 every year 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’).

About Bundesliga International
Bundesliga International is a full subsidiary of the DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga and responsible for connecting and inspiring football fans around the globe. Its main focus is to drive internationalisation by driving passion for the Bundesliga with contagious content using the highest technical innovation standards. Bundesliga International is marketing the audiovisual, sponsorship (partnership) rights, brand and digital licenses through a global network of 80 partners.

About the Bundesliga
The Bundesliga is the premier professional association football league in Germany. Established in 1963, the Bundesliga is comprised of 18 teams which operate on a system of promotion and relegation with the Bundesliga 2.

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