Sky Sports News HD Joins Viasat Platforms

STOCKHOLM: Modern Times Group (MTG) has penned a multi-year deal with BSkyB to bring the Sky Sports News HD channel to the Viasat satellite platforms in the Nordic and Baltic regions.

The group will include the channel in its Nordic offerings on an exclusive basis starting at the end of the month; it will be added to the Baltic platforms later this year. The exclusive agreement also gives MTG the rights to include Sky Sports programming on its channels in both territories, as well as on its Viaplay online pay-TV service in the Nordic countries.

Jørgen Madsen Lindemann, the president and CEO of MTG, commented: “This is fantastic news for sports fans who already enjoy our world class and market leading offering of local and international sports coverage. Subscribers to our platforms and channels will now have access to even more of the latest breaking news and expert views from the best known sports stars, personalities and commentators. Sports news is a global headline grabbing phenomenon, and Sky Sports is a strong brand that consistently delivers high quality content. It is great that our viewers will now have access in and out of their homes to even more of the very best sports entertainment.”

Rob Webster, commercial group director at BSkyB, added: “The demand for high quality sports news has never been greater and we’re delighted to be working with MTG to bring the full Sky Sports News channel to an international audience for the first time. For sports fans, there’s no better place for around-the-clock breaking news, expert commentary and interviews than Sky Sports News. We’re thrilled to be developing the channel’s distribution in Europe and are looking forward to sharing all of the action with MTG’s customers.”