Broadcast sportsbiz

Nordic Entertainment Group And Matchroom Sport Renew Media Rights For Nine Countries

May 7, 2021

Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT Group), the Nordic region’s leading streaming company, and Matchroom Sport have renewed their media rights partnership in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland while extending it to Iceland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland for the first time.

The five-year agreement secures more than 700 hours of world-class live streamed sports action from Matchroom Sport’s extensive portfolio every year for NENT Group’s Viaplay streaming service, and represents NENT Group’s latest long-term, multi-territory deal with a key sports rights holder.

The agreement makes Viaplay the exclusive home of top darts tournaments such as the World Darts Championship, Premier League Darts, World Cup of Darts, World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, European Championship, Grand Slam of Darts and the Players Championship, in addition to the prestigious World Series of Darts Finals to be held this year in Amsterdam.

Cue sports fans can also stream snooker’s Champion of Champions and Championship League events on Viaplay, along with the World Pool Masters, World Pool Championship, World Cup of Pool, US Open 9-Ball Championships and the Mosconi Cup. The agreement includes a comprehensive range of further content including table tennis, ten-pin bowling, basketball and netball.

Peter Nørrelund, NENT Group Chief Sports Officer: “Our vision is to be the European streaming champion, which means Viaplay should offer something for everyone. We co-operate closely with Matchroom in the Nordic region and will now bring live coverage of some of Europe’s fastest growing sports to our newest markets. We work continuously with rights holders to develop sports properties together, so this agreement is great news for these sports and their fans across Viaplay’s rapidly expanding footprint.”

Barry Hearn, President of Matchroom: “We’re delighted to expand our existing partnership with NENT Group over the next few years offering sports fans fantastic access to some of the biggest moments in sport on Viaplay. NENT Group have been huge supporters of our sports over the years and we hope this continues to grow.”

In the Nordic region, NENT Group holds rights to Bundesliga to 2029; Premier League (SE/NO/DK/FI), national football team qualifiers (SE/IS) and IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship to 2028; FIS winter sports (SE/NO/DK/FI) and NHL to 2026; and UEFA Champions League (DK/IS), UEFA Europa League (SE/NO/FI/IS) and Formula 1 to 2024.

Broadcast sportsbiz