Viasat, the pay-television operator run by multi-territory commercial and pay-television broadcaster Modern Times Group, has opted to revamp its sports offering in Norway by introducing four new channels under the Viasport banner.
The change will take effect from September 4, with the existing Viasat Sport, Viasat Motor, Viasat Hockey and Viasat Fotball channels to be replaced. In their place, Viasport +, Viasport 1, Viasport 2 and Viasport 3 will be introduced with sports rights spread across the channels.
Viasport + will offer the biggest games from club football’s Uefa Champions League, Spanish LaLiga, English FA Cup, Italian Serie A and French Ligue 1, along with American football league the NFL and ice hockey’s NHL.
Viasport 1 will also offer club football and NHL action, along with the main races from the Formula One motor-racing championship. Viasport 2 will also feature football, along with men’s and women’s handball from the EHF Champions League. Viasport 3’s content will include the Championship, English football’s second tier. However, the Viasat Golf channel will remain in place and will be provided free-to-air.
Viasat’s administrative director, Vegard Klubbenes Drogseth, told the Kampanje.com website that the initiative represents a major shift in the distribution of sports content in Norway, with MTG’s pay-television channels also set to become part of distributors’ basic packages.
Drogseth said: “From the autumn a very big change will take place when we expect more than half of Norwegian households to have access to the Viasport channels as part of the basic package. It will give us a very wide distribution. This is a big revolution in how to distribute sports in Norway.”