NENT Group Takes Motorsport Rights in Nine Countries

Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT Group) has acquired the media rights to a broad range of motorsports for its Viaplay streaming service in nine European countries.

The multiyear agreements include W Series, the world’s first all-female motor racing championship, as well as Ferrari Challenge, DTM and the Nürburgring 24 Hours endurance race. Starting on June 26, eight W Series races will run alongside Formula 1 Grands Prix at circuits in Europe and the Americas for the first time. Viaplay will be the exclusive home of W Series in the Nordic and Baltic countries and in Poland for the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

Fans can follow the annual Nürburgring 24 Hours race and Ferrari Challenge, a single-marquee championship currently featuring eight Nordic and Polish drivers, on Viaplay in the Nordic and Baltic countries and in Poland until 2023. NENT Group will show the DTM touring car championship, which starts this year on June 18 at Monza, in the Nordic and Baltic countries until 2023.

Further, NENT Group has a long-term partnership with Formula 1 that has recently expanded to the Netherlands and Poland to cover ten countries. The company also holds rights to IndyCar, Formula 2, NASCAR, MotoGP, Porsche Supercup and Formula Renault Eurocup.

Viaplay will launch in Poland in August and in the U.S. in late 2021, followed by the Netherlands in Q1 2022 and then four additional markets by 2023.

Finland’s Emma Kimiläinen, who is among the drivers aiming to overtake reigning champion Jamie Chadwick for the 2021 W Series title, said: “It’s really exciting that Viaplay is bringing W Series to such a wide audience! It means that we can showcase our talents, entertain a lot of people and reach new young talents—all in nine countries at the same time.”

Peter Nørrelund, NENT Group’s chief sports officer, said: “It’s been 40 years since a female driver started a Formula 1 race—and we don’t want to wait another 40. W Series offers top-class racing that can inspire a new generation of talents while literally changing the face of motorsport. We’re proud to show the next two seasons on Viaplay in nine countries as part of the fastest and most diverse motorsport portfolio in the business.”