{"id":5250,"date":"2014-03-27T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-03-27T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tveurope\/2014\/03\/27\/viaplay-mtgx-services-to-combine\/"},"modified":"2014-03-27T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2014-03-27T00:00:00","slug":"viaplay-mtgx-services-to-combine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tveurope\/2014\/03\/27\/viaplay-mtgx-services-to-combine\/","title":{"rendered":"Viaplay & MTGx Services to Combine"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\tSTOCKHOLM: Modern Times Group (MTG) is combining its Viaplay online pay-TV business with the MTGx accelerator to create a digital entertainment powerhouse.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe combined entity will be under the leadership of Rikard Steiber, MTG's executive VP and chief digital officer. Niclas Ekdahl, the current CEO of Viaplay, is leaving MTG to pursue new opportunities.<\/p>\n
\n\tLaunched in 2011, Viaplay is MTG's largest digital business. It offers hit movies, TV series and live sporting events from around the world. The service is available in all four Nordic countries, Russia and Ukraine. MTGx was launched in 2013 as a group-wide initiative to accelerate the pace of the company's digital innovation and expansion. MTGx is the enabling hub for the group’s digital planning and execution.<\/p>\n
\n\tSteiber said: “Viaplay is our number one digital priority. It has shown tremendous growth as the pioneer in the subscription video on demand space with an unrivalled content offering of great movies, series, kids’ shows and sports. MTGx is our digital accelerator, so combining the powers of these two businesses will enable MTG to step up our combined digital development and explore new opportunities across all of our free and paid digital platforms. We have a fantastic team, unique content offering and a versatile platform on which to expand in both our existing and new markets. The future for us is all about creating engaging experiences that connect our viewers and users with the entertainment they love the most—on all screens, anywhere and at any time.”<\/p>\n