Viaplay at the end of March, it had 4,783 million subscribers, down 52 percent. more than a year earlier. It made up for it 3.575 million customers in the Nordic countries and Iceland, where the platform has been operating for several years, and 1.208 million in other markets.
Viaplay went beyond Scandinavia last spring. It first appeared in the Baltic states, in August last year. in Poland, at the end of the year in the USA (it does not offer sports broadcasts there, only series and movies), and at the beginning of March this year. in the Netherlands.
In the first quarter, the platform gained a net profit of 778 thousand. subscribers, of which 117 thousand. in Scandinavia, and 661 thousand. in other countries. In the report NENT Group reported that he contributed primarily to growth outside Scandinavia launch of the platform in the Netherlands, where at the end of March there were most of the 1.208 million service customers on foreign markets.
This means that in Poland Viaplay had less than 600 thousand. paying users. For comparison, at the end of September last year. the platform outside Scandinavia had 286 thousand. subscribers, and at the end of December – 547 thousand. In both results, the vast majority of customers were from Poland.
Viaplay in Poland since autumn last year. shows, among others the German football league, the Europa League and the Conference League, the NHL ice hockey and the tear competitions. In December, it acquired the exclusive broadcasts from KSW, in August this year. will start showing the English football league, and next spring – Formula 1.
Anders Jensen, head of NENT Group, emphasized that in the first quarter, 13 non-sport original productions appeared on the platform, and throughout this year. There will be over 70 such titles.
29 percent more with Viaplay
Viaplay is NENT Group’s largest and fastest growing business segment. In the first quarter, revenues from the platform increased by 28.7% year-on-year. up to 1.302 billion Swedish crowns.
Revenues from TV subscriptions and production services increased by 3.1%. to 1.146 billion crowns, and from advertising – by 2 percent. up to CZK 876 million. In organic terms, advertising revenue decreased by 1%, incl. in connection with the Winter Olympics, which were broadcast by competing broadcasters, and the fall in demand after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.
Higher profit thanks to a court settlement
Total NENT Group revenues increased by 11.5 percent in the past quarter. to CZK 3.324 billion, organic growth was 9.9%.
The company’s profitability was significantly increased by SEK 595 million obtained as part of a court settlement with the Danish broadcaster TV 2. As a result, operating profit rose from CZK 210 to CZK 602 million (without this settlement it would have been CZK 6 million).
On the other hand, the net profit of NENT Group increased from 145 to 483 million kroons.
“The year-on-year increase in profitability of operations in Scandinavia has been achieved despite continued investment in original productions and new sports rights,” said Anders Jensen.
– Losses related to the international expansion were in line with our expectations. Our full-year forecast does not change, he added. He noted that Viaplay’s entry into new markets will result in the company’s profitability will decline, but it will increase significantly next year.
Viaplay soon in Great Britain and Germany
In the fall of last year NENT Group Viaplay announced that Viaplay will be available in the UK, Germany, Canada, Austria and Switzerland by the end of 2023. As a result, it will be available in 16 countries.
At the same time, the concern raised Viaplay’s business goals for the coming years. The number of subscribers to be achieved by the platform by the end of 2025 has been increased from approx. 10.5 million to approx. 12 million, and those acquired outside Scandinavia – from approx. 4.5 million to approx. 6 million.
At a general meeting in mid-May NENT Group shareholders will vote to change the company’s name to Viaplay. The new name is to emphasize the international development of the concern.
Recently a company announced the opening of a technology center in Barcelona to support its expansion into new markets.
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