Viaplay UK Now Live: Streaming App Offers Sports And Drama

Viaplay, a streaming service that offers a combination of live sports from Premier Sports, along with original Nordic films and TV shows, is now live in the UK, having launched on November 1.

The Viaplay streaming service includes two packages in the UK: The Films & Series package focuses on Viaplay Originals and curated third-party content, with more than 1,000 hours of drama.

The Viaplay Total package adds the combined UK sports line-up of Viaplay and UK sports streamer and TV channel operator Premier Sports, which was acquired by Viaplay earlier this year.

Premier Sports – which is now part of Viaplay, under a new name – holds the rights to some of the major sporting events in the world, such as all European Qualifiers for the UEFA EURO, LaLiga, FIFA World Cup matches, over 1,000 UEFA international matches, and more.

Viaplay offers three price points in the UK if you sign up directly:

• The Films & Series plan costs £3.99/month (after a free 7-day trial)
• Viaplay Total costs £14.99/month
• Viaplay Total Annual is £11.99/month (a saving of 20%), but you have to sign up for 12 months.

Viaplay’s announcement comes in a year that’s been full of big TV sports shakeups, including the merger of BT Sport and Eurosport/Discovery, Champions League games moving to Amazon’s Prime Video, and some LaLiga matches becoming free-to-watch on ITV.

Premier Sports Is Now Viaplay Sports

Premier Sports was a set of pay-TV sports channels, that were available on Sky and its streaming service NOW (though not on Sky Glass), Virgin Media, and on the standalone website via the Premier Sports Player.

Last year, Premier Sports also became a Prime Video Channel, where viewers can subscribe directly for £14.99/month.

Premier Sports had a total of 222,000 paying UK subscribers to its pay-TV channels Premier Sports 1 and Premier Sports 2 and streaming service Premier Player, as of June 2022.

Following the launch of Viaplay, Premier Sports 1 and Premier Sports 2 are now rebranded as Viaplay Sports 1 and Viaplay Sports 2, with the free-to-air TV channel FreeSports becoming Viaplay Xtra.

All channels will remain available through the existing distribution partners, and will continue to broadcast live sports to pubs, clubs and other commercial premises throughout the UK.

It seems that Amazon’s Prime Video version of Premier Sports is still branded under that name – but it will presumably change as well soon.

Premier Sports’ subscription also included BoxNation, a channel dedicated to boxing events. It’s still unclear what the plans are for BoxNation following the restructuring (we know it will be leaving BT TV, for example) – we’re waiting to get more information from Viaplay.

What Can I Watch On Viaplay?

Viaplay is a leading Nordic producer of original content and offers UK audiences a broad selection of its most successful series and films, all with English subtitles.

According to Viaplay, the service will initially skew towards popular genres such as Nordic noir, drama and young adult.

The Viaplay Originals available at launch include the Nordic noir series Cell 8 with Freddie Wise, Fenris, Honour, the Canneseries winner Partisan and Those Who Kill.

Also – the dramas Harmonica, Love Me and Pernille; the young adult shows A Class Apart, Delete Me, Threesome and Thunder in My Heart and many more.

Viewers can also access Viaplay’s documentary slate, with Nordic and international productions such as Natascha Kampusch – A Lifetime in Prison, Operation Cannabis, Superswede and The Prize of Silence.

The curated third-party content is from Nordic and international partners and includes the acclaimed films As in Heaven, Borg vs. McEnroe, I Am Zlatan, Margrete: Queen of the North and the Oscar-nominees A Royal Affair and The Square.

You will also find the hit dramas Catch and Release, Exit, Gåsmamman, Thin Blue Line, Wallander and more.

Sports On Viaplay Total:

UK sports fans will be able to follow a broad range of live events on Viaplay, including all European Qualifiers for the UEFA EURO and FIFA World Cup played by the Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland men’s national football teams, along with the UEFA Nations League and friendlies, until 2028.

Viaplay holds a comprehensive portfolio of rights to over 1,000 UEFA international matches from across Europe, including top-ranked teams such as Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain.

Viaplay will also show LaLiga, Scottish Cup, Scottish League Cup and Coppa Italia football; BKT United Rugby Championship, Rugby Football League and TOP 14 rugby; NHL, IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, Champions Hockey League and Elite Ice Hockey League; CEV volleyball; KSW mixed martial arts; EHF handball; ISU figure skating and speed skating; World Athletics Continental Tour Gold and Indoor Tour; and much more.

How To Watch Viaplay In The UK

Customers who were already subscribed to Premier Sports (via Sky or Virgin Media, for example), will have their channels automatically transformed into Viaplay.

Furthermore, the content offering on all Premier Sports channels will be expanded to include Viaplay’s series and film line-up – which means that the Viaplay sports channels on Sky and the other platforms will also air selected original dramas and films alongside sports (possibly as a way to introduce customers to the full service).

In addition, Viaplay is available directly as a subscription app on major Smart TV brands; iOS and Android smartphones and tablets; Chromecast, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV and Google TV; and PC and Mac.

It seems Roku is not currently supported in the UK. (2023 Update: A Viaplay Roku app has now been added).

You can also subscribe and watch directly on the Viaplay website.