Viaplay Adds NHL & KSW to U.K. Roster

Viaplay has secured deals for rights for the National Hockey League (NHL) and KSW mixed martial arts (MMA) in the U.K.

Through a deal that runs through 2027, up to 1,400 games from the NHL will be shown on Viaplay. NHL fans in the U.K. will be able to stream every regular season game live on the platform, including all NHL Saturday and NHL Sunday games, together with the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Stanley Cup Final, the NHL Winter Classic, NHL All-Star Game, NHL Stadium Series, NHL Heritage Classic and NHL Global Series.

Viaplay will show 12 high-impact live KSW MMA events annually until 2025. Through the deal, Viaplay and Poland-based KSW are now working together in 11 countries, and the first KSW event shown on Viaplay in the U.K. will be in late 2022.

Viaplay will launch in the U.K. in the second half of 2022.

Peter Nørrelund, NENT Group’s chief sports officer, said: “We’re already expanding Viaplay’s U.K. sports lineup with more long-term rights that put us firmly on the map. We have worked with the NHL for 19 years in our Nordic markets, which proves the quality of our coverage. KSW is one of our fastest-growing partnerships and will be broadly available in the U.K. for the first time. These deals are great news for U.K. sports fans—and there’s more to come.”

David Proper, NHL’s senior executive VP of media and international strategy, said: “Viaplay has been an outstanding partner and key stakeholder in the NHL’s strategy to deliver the game to as many fans as possible throughout the world. We look forward to building on our shared commitment to bring the world’s best hockey players to a broader audience and are thrilled to have expanded our relationship with Viaplay.”