Viasat Adds TV4 and SVT to OnDemand Portal

STOCKHOLM: The catch-up TV services of Swedish broadcasters TV4 and SVT have been added to the Viasat OnDemand Internet portal, which also features more than 1,000 movies and live coverage of major sports events.

The SVT Play service can be accessed free of charge, alongside Viasat’s own TV3 Play, TV6 Play and TV8 Play services. The TV4 Play service will initially be made available free of charge, but will eventually join a pay package containing TV4’s offering. The play services enable computer users in Sweden to watch streamed programming online that has already been aired by the channels.

The movie titles that are available of a pay-per-day basis include hits such as The Wrestler, Slumdog Millionaire, Milk, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Millennium. The portal also provides pay-per-event live streaming of premium sports events, including UEFA Champions League games and Formula One races. There are also pay-per-day TV series and documentaries.

Hans-Holger Albrecht, the president and CEO of Modern Times Group, commented: “Internet penetration, connection speeds, bandwidth and usage levels in Scandinavia are amongst the highest in the world and this is continuing to shape both consumer behaviour and the media landscape. Services such as Viasat OnDemand are the future of television and we are one of the first broadcasters to create a portal of our own and leading third party channels and content. Our online services now feature content from all of the three leading broadcasters in Sweden, making us the clear leader in this field, and we are working to secure similar positions in our other markets”.

He added: “The development of Viasat OnDemand reflects our commitment to make a wide range of free and paid-for programming available to viewers on a flexible ‘anytime, anywhere’ basis via multiple distribution platforms including the internet. ‘Catch-up’ and ‘On Demand’ services enable viewers to choose when they want to watch popular TV shows, movies and sports events, whilst the latest video streaming and set-top box technology solutions enable broadband connected viewers to enjoy these services on either the TV or the computer.”