Viaplay renews UFC rights in the Nordics

Sweden-based streaming outfit Viaplay has extended its Nordics exclusive streaming deal with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Source: Ultimate Fighting Championship (Credit: Jeff Bottari / Zuffa LLC / AFP)

Viaplay retains its rights to the MMA franchise, with the streaming service to show more than 40 live UFC events every year with local language commentary in Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway.

The renewed agreement includes coverage of all UFC numbered events and Fight Nights. The next UFC fight on Viaplay takes places tomorrow (January 13) which will be UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev Vs. Walker 2.

The Nordic streamer will also showcase preliminary bouts from all events when a Nordic fighter is competing. UFC’s current roster includes regional fighters such as Alexander Gustafsson, Pannie Kianzad and Josefine Knutsson (Sweden), Nicolas Dalby, Damir Hadžović and Mark Madsen (Denmark), and Jack Hermansson and Ivana Petrović (Norway).

Viaplay shareholders, Canal+ Group and Czech investment outfit PPF each hold 29.3% of the struggling company as part of a recently launched restructuring plan. The move comes following Viaplay’s exit of markets such as the Baltics, Poland and the UK, as well as the selling its Central and Eastern European production company Paprika Studios in December to manage increasing revenue losses.

Commenting on the extended UFC rights deal, Peter Nørrelund, Viaplay Group EVP and chief sports & business development Officer said: “No MMA promotion attracts a bigger audience than UFC, in the Nordic region or worldwide. Extending our long-term partnership with UFC reflects our commitment to offering the most relevant sports to our viewers, and to supporting MMA’s ongoing growth. We look forward to bringing spectacular fight action to even more fans over the coming years on Viaplay as part of our unique live sports portfolio.”

David Shaw, UFC executive vice president of international and content added: “We have had a long partnership with Viaplay and we really couldn’t ask for a better counterpart to help grow our brand in the Nordics. Their passion and dedication to UFC has been instrumental to our business, and we look forward to continuing to build stars and deliver the best MMA events in the world to our fans in the Nordics.”