Viaplay Select enters Canada courtesy of Crave

Nordic media company Viaplay Group and Bell Media streamer Crave have agreed a partnership that will bring premium Nordic content to Canada via Viaplay Select.

Vanda Rapti

Starting today (18 January), Crave subscribers will be able to access Viaplay films and series, with a focus on Nordic noir, along with curated third-party productions.

The agreement makes Canada the 19th market for Viaplay Select, a branded content concept launched by the Viaplay Group in April 2022. The move comes just ahead of the Canadian launch of Viaplay’s fully-fledged dtc streaming service this quarter.

Vanda Rapti, Viaplay Group chief commercial officer, North America & Viaplay Select, said: “This partnership gives Canadian audiences a great taste of what Viaplay is all about, ahead of our direct-to-consumer launch. In less than a year, Viaplay Select has already brought the best of Viaplay to 19 countries, and more are on the way in 2023.”

Justin Stockman, VP, content development and programming, Bell Media, said: “We’re delighted to offer Crave subscribers even more premium programming to explore. Viaplay’s original content is renowned, and we’re pleased to join forces with Viaplay Group to introduce their uniquely gripping series and films to the Canadian market.

Alongside Crave, Viaplay Select has launched on WOWOW in Japan, CINDIE in nine Latin American countries, SBS in Australia, and Pickbox NOW in Eastern Europe. Viaplay’s dtc offering is available in the Nordic and Baltic countries, Poland, the Netherlands and the UK, and will launch in the US and Canada this quarter.