Viaplay signs sports distribution deal with Baltic’s TV3 group

Struggling Nordic media outfit, Viaplay Group, has secured a sports distribution deal with Baltic media company TV3 Group covering Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Viaplay’s full live sports portfolio in the Baltic region will be sublicensed to TV3 Group’s streaming service Go3, with direct Viaplay subscribers in the three countries to be transferred to Go3 during March.

It comes off the back of the streaming service’s announcement in December that it will exit from Baltic markets by summer 2025, along with departures from the market in Poland and the UK.

Viaplay’s sports rights in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania include Premier League, UEFA Champions League and men’s national team football, Formula 1, and NHL ice hockey, among more.

All sports content will remain available on Viaplay until the subscriber transfer to Go3 is completed. Viaplay’s original non-sports content will become available on third-party platforms in the Baltic region once agreements are signed, either through content sales or Viaplay Select partnerships, said the company.

Jørgen Madsen Lindemann, Viaplay Group President and CEO: “This is the right step for Viaplay Group’s business and for our sports viewers across the Baltic region. It enables us to sharpen our operational focus even further on the Nordics, Netherlands and Viaplay Select, which are the markets where we see the best conditions for growth and profitability, as well as on Poland, where we will operate until mid-2025. At the same time, our sports content in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania will be available through a well-established platform operated by a local group.”

Christian Anting, TV3 Group CEO, added: “The subscribers of our streaming platform Go3 will be able to enjoy the best sports offering and viewing experience across Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. 2024 will be an exceptional year for sports fans and Go3 is the place to enjoy all those events and highlights“.

Viaplay said the partnership will not impact the previously reported negative cash effect of approximately SEK 2.2 billion relating to Viaplay Group’s exit from its non-core international operations over the coming years.

It was recently announced Canal+ Group and Czech investment outfit PPF will each hold 29.3% of Viaplay as part of an acquisition agreement with the company.

Viaplay also announced earlier this month it now expects its Nordic operations to perform above the previously released range for sales, while international operations are likely to perform worse than expected.