Viaplay becomes home of Hoofdklasse field hockey in the Netherlands

• Viaplay to stream nearly 300 live matches a season of the Netherlands’ second-largest team sport
• Women’s and men’s Hoofdklasse ranked among the world’s leading field hockey leagues
• Viaplay, HHcv and KNHB to work together to broaden fan reach of both competitions

Viaplay has secured the exclusive streaming rights to Hoofdklasse field hockey in the Netherlands in a pioneering long-term agreement with the Hockey Hoofdklasse CV (HHcv), supported by the Royal Dutch Hockey Association (KNHB), which aims to bring the country’s second-largest team sport by participation to a broad viewing audience. Starting in September, Viaplay will show nearly 300 live games every season from the women’s Hoofdklasse and the men’s Tulp Hoofdklasse, the Netherlands’ top field hockey leagues, including Dutch-language commentary for most matches. 

Over 250,000 active players currently participate in field hockey in the Netherlands, and the country’s national teams are among the sport’s most successful. The women’s team are reigning Olympic, world and European champions, while the men’s side have won two Olympic and three world titles and are reigning European champions.

Every Dutch national team player currently appears in the Hoofdklasse, which has 12 women’s and 12 men’s teams and is ranked as one of the world’s leading field hockey leagues. The season runs from September to May, including a winter break, and concludes with playoffs and playouts. The current champions are Bloemendaal (men) and Den Bosch (women). Viaplay, HHcv and KNHB will work together to broaden the Hoofdklasse’s fan reach, including consistent and accessible match scheduling.

Peter Nørrelund, Viaplay Group Chief Sports Officer: “Field hockey in the Netherlands attracts huge interest and brings together multiple generations to play or watch. At the same time, the talented national teams are some of the best in the business. This gives the fast-paced Hoofdklasse huge media potential, and we’re proud to be the first service to stream the competition. Our shared ambition with HHcv and KNHB is to build an attractive viewing product that in turn can help the local game to flourish for many years to come.”

Tjeerd Boven, President HHcv: “Our partnership with Viaplay means that all Hoofdklasse matches will be broadcast live with high-quality production values. This fits perfectly with our objective to improve continuously the quality of top field hockey in the Netherlands, to stimulate further professionalisation of the Hoofdklasse and to increase the field hockey fan base.”

Under a separate contract, the Dutch public broadcaster NOS will continue to broadcast selected live Hoofdklasse matches and highlights until 2026.

Erik Gerritsen, CEO KNHB: “This partnership with Viaplay and HHcv is very welcome and will be instrumental in broadening the marketing base and potential of the Hoofdklasse and all teams participating in this league. In addition, we are pleased that Viaplay and NOS have been able to reach an agreement to maximise field hockey’s media reach, which is crucial for the promotion of the sport in general.”

In the Netherlands, Viaplay offers a unique combination of premium live sports, Viaplay Originals, Hollywood films and series, and kids’ content.

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NOTES TO EDITORS

Viaplay Group AB (publ) is the international streaming challenger. Our Viaplay streaming service is available in every Nordic and Baltic country, Poland, the US and the Netherlands, and we are expanding rapidly by launching in the UK in 2022, followed by Canada, Germany, Austria and Switzerland in 2023. Viaplay will have a market presence in at least 21 countries by the end of 2023, including at least five partner markets for the Viaplay Select branded content concept. Every day, millions of customers enjoy our unique entertainment offering, including acclaimed Viaplay Originals and an unrivalled line-up of premium live sports. From streaming to TV channels, radio stations and production companies, our purpose is to tell stories, touch lives and expand worlds. Viaplay Group is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm (‘VPLAY B’).

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