Nordic Entertainment (Nent) Group will launch its OTT streaming service Viaplay in Iceland in 2020, meaning the service will be available in all five Nordic countries.
The media group has said it will be launching the service in the “first half of 2020” and that it will be made available via direct subscriptions and third-party partnerships.
Viaplay is currently available in the other four Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden) and broadcasts a range of premium sports content. It has said it has over 1.4 million paying subscribers in those markets.
The dominant player in sports broadcasting in the Icelandic market is media group 365, which is owned by telco Vodafone Iceland. It holds a host of premium football rights including Uefa club competitions, Spain’s LaLiga, and Italy’s Serie A. 365 broadcast rights on the Stöð pay-television channels.
365 has been challenged in the last 18 months by telco Síminn, which took over rights to the English Premier League from 365 this season.
Public-service broadcaster RUV is the other main buyer of sports rights in the country.