Viaplay Upgrades Subscriber Forecasts

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Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT Group) has upgraded its forecasts for Viaplay, projecting 500,000 additional customers for 2021, up from the previous estimate of 250,000 additions.

Year-on-year, paying subs at Viaplay grew by 21 percent to 3.3 million, with 140,000 additions in the second quarter alone, of which 113,000 were in the Nordics and 27,000 international.

“The momentum that we have established continued into the second quarter of our five-year strategy period, and we are well on track to reach our goals,” said Anders Jensen, president and CEO. “This was the first quarter when Viaplay was our largest revenue generating unit, which is a major milestone in our transformation. The pace of our international expansion is now ramping up with the imminent launch in Poland, and we are raising our subscriber and investment targets for the year to reflect the strength of our content offering and the new partnerships that we are forging. Sustainability is at the very heart of what we do, and we are currently developing a new five-year strategy in dialogue with our stakeholders to govern our supply chains, protect privacy, promote diversity and limit our environmental impact.”

Revenues at Viaplay, 35 percent of overall revenues at NENT Group, rose by 36 percent off the back of subscriber gains. Total streamed minutes of viewing of originals grew by 82 percent. The streamer expects to add 400,000 Nordic customers in 2021, with another 100,000 in other markets. The service has expanded to the Baltics and arrives in Poland and the U.S. this year, with a rollout in the Netherlands in 2022 and four additional markets by the end of 2023.

“We are moving ahead quickly with our expansion in the Nordics and internationally, as well as executing on new opportunities as they arise,” Jensen said. “We are investing in more and more original local content, as well as securing key acquired content for many years to come. In addition to the launches in the U.S. and the Netherlands, we will announce additional international expansion markets.”