By Richard Middleton
Nordic Entertainment (NENT) Group is to launch its streaming service Viaplay in the Netherlands next year and is planning to order local programming from the country.
The Dutch version of the SVOD is to be rolled out in Q1 2022 and will put much of its focus on sports, with the service set to become the exclusive Dutch home for Formula 1 – which had been available via Ziggo Sports – and football from the German Bundesliga.
Acquired international series and films will also be available, as well as kids content and Viaplay’s fast-growing catalogue of original programming. Local Dutch shows will also be ordered for the service, with “volume gradually built up over time”, according to NENT.
The Nordic streamer has been a frontrunner in ordering a vast array of originals for its SVOD and is set to premiere at least 40 original productions in 2021, with recent shows including Try Hard, Pørni, Huss and We Children from Bahnhof Zoo.
The company also recently unveiled plans to produce two English-language films every year.
The Netherlands expansion marks the latest new territory launch for Viaplay, which was recently rolled out across the Baltics. Last year, NENT raised more than US$400m to help fund further growth, with plans for a US launch in late 2021 also in the works.
Anders Jensen, NENT’s president & CEO, described the Netherlands as “an ideal market for Viaplay and a very attractive next step towards our ambition of becoming the European streaming champion.”
He added: “Our long-term and multi-market partnerships with key sports rights owners, together with our ever-increasing line-up of original and exclusive content, will enable us to offer Dutch viewers something new and unique.”
Jensen added that he is “confident” that Viaplay will achieve its previously announced target of attracting 4.5 million international subscribers by the end of 2025.
The launch date, pricing and packaging of Viaplay in the Netherlands is yet to be announced. The service is currently available in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, with a roll-out in Poland planned for August. Four additional, but unspecified, markets are being targeted by the end of 2023.
