NENT Group to show UEFA National Team football on Viaplay in Iceland
- NENT Group enters groundbreaking deal as UEFA for the first time in the history licenses National Team football exclusively to a streaming company
- Viaplay will be the exclusive home for the Icelandic National Team in football from 2022–2028
- NENT Group shows more than 50,000 hours of the world’s best live sports every year
Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT Group), the Nordic region’s leading streaming company, will show live UEFA National Team football on its Viaplay streaming service in Iceland commencing from the 2022/23-season. The groundbreaking six-year agreement includes 60 matches with Iceland and a total of more than 1200 matches to be streamed on Viaplay. It is the first time in history, that UEFA enters an exclusive agreement with a streaming company.
The Iceland National Team in football – called Strákarnir Okkar (Our Boys) - is the sporting pride of the country. The team has qualified for two out of the last three major championships. They took the world by storm, when their enthusiastic fans performed the famous “thunder clap” during the sensational 1-1-draw against Argentina and Lionel Messi in the World Cup 2018. No other country in the world has a more loyal following around their national team and when Iceland beat England at the Euro 2016 the team recorded a viewing share of 99,8 %.
When the Icelandic team kicks off Nations League 2022 and the qualification for Euro24 the viewers on Iceland can follow the action on the streaming service Viaplay. In addition to the Icelandic team, Viaplay will be home for all other national team matches in Europe from 2022-2028. The acquisition of UEFA National team football follows acquisitions of UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europe League and UEFA Conference League giving Viaplay an unmatched portfolio of football to its Icelandic subscribers.
Anders Jensen, NENT Group President and CEO: “This is a milestone for us and shows our ambitions with the international expansion of Viaplay. When we launch Viaplay with sports we want to be the leading provider of sport in that nation and the fact that this is the first time UEFA enters an exclusive agreement with a streaming company underlines our high ambitions. The rights to the Iceland National team come with a huge responsibility and we will drag on our 30 years of experience in the Nordics to produce and present these matches in a way it has never been seen before.”
Guy-Laurent Epstein, UEFA's Director of Marketing: “We are delighted to enter another long-term partnership with NENT, who will provide a comprehensive and innovative home for the Icelandic National Team and all other European national team matches from 2022 through to 2028 across their digital platform Viaplay. With NENT’s extensive football track record, we are confident Icelandic fans will be offered excellent coverage of the European Qualifiers for UEFA EURO 2024, FIFA World Cup 2026 and UEFA EURO 2028 as well as the UEFA Nations League, including the UEFA Nations League Finals in 2023, 2025 and 2027, whichever screen they choose to use.”
Viaplay’s films and series package was launched in Iceland on 1 April 2020, and more than 5% of the country's households subscribed in the opening weeks. Viaplay’s ‘Total’ package, which includes live sports, became available in Iceland from 15 May.
In addition to UEFA National team matches Champions League, NENT Group holds the Icelandic rights UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League and to football from the Bundesliga, Superliga, Scottish Premiership, Eredivisie, Allsvenskan, Division 1 Féminine, French Cup, CONCACAF Nations League, the Copa América 2021 and the FIFA World Cup 2022 African qualifiers, as well as Formula 1, NHL, IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, UFC, Bundesliga handball, Major League Baseball and NASCAR.
Every year, NENT Group shows more than 50,000 hours of the world's best live sports 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/IS), UEFA Champions League (DK/IS) 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 streaming company and our vision is to become the European streaming champion. Our Viaplay streaming service is available in every Nordic country and will launch in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and the US in 2021, followed by five additional markets by 2023. We operate streaming services, TV channels, radio stations and production companies, and our purpose is to tell stories, touch lives and expand worlds. Headquartered in Stockholm with a global outlook, NENT Group is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm (‘NENT A’ and ‘NENT B’).
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