MTG: viewing of Viaplay climbed 25% in 2017

Nordic subscription video-on-demand service Viaplay saw viewing time increase by 25% during 2017, according to stats released by parent company MTG.

Alexander Bastin

Customers spent an average of 32 hours per month streaming Viaplay last year, while the number of started streams rose 40.5% between 2016 and 2017.

Over the same period, MTG said the total number of Viaplay customers grew by 21%, with Viaplay original productions among most viewed new series in each Nordic country in 2017.

Among Viaplay’s original output, Hassel was the service’s most-watched new series in Sweden and Finland; Veni Vidi Vici was the second most-watched new-series in Demark; and Occupied season two was the second most-watched new series in Norway.

Overall eight Viaplay original productions premiered during 2017. MTG said that Viaplay also streamed 50,000 hours of live sport in 2017, including Premier League and UEFA Champions League football.

In terms of viewing habits, MTG said that viewing on TVs or projectors surpassed mobile devices for the first time since Viaplay launched in 2011, with a user base of 64% compared to 61% for mobile as of December 2017.

“More than one hour every day tells its own story – Viaplay is truly creating moments that matter,” said Anders Jensen, MTG executive vice-president and chairman of Nordic Entertainment.

“In just a few years, we’ve become a Nordic drama powerhouse producing amazing original content that’s captivating audiences across the region and beyond. On big screens and small, our stories have never been more relevant.”

Alexander Bastin, head of Viaplay, said: “Viaplay is rapidly attracting more customers, and they are watching more than ever before. In parallel, the app for Viafree, our free streaming service in the Nordic region, has been downloaded close to 2.6 million times. It just shows what’s possible when fantastic stories meet the most advanced and accessible platforms in the business.”

The news comes shortly after MTG’s plan to sell MTG Studios and Nordic Entertainment – divisions that include Viaplay, Viafree and its entire production output – fell through.

MTG announced earlier this month that it had agreed to sell its Nordic broadcasting and entertainment businesses to Danish telco TDC in a deal that valued the assets at SEK19.55 billion (€2.0 billion).

However, TDC pulled out of the deal after it accepted a €5.4 billion takeover offer from a consortium of bidders. The offer was contingent on the MTG-TDC deal not proceeding.