Sky Loses Home Nations Football Rights
Nordic Entertainment Group-owned (Nent) streaming service Viaplay has secured the UK rights for the men’s national football teams in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Viaplay, which plans to launch its UK service later this year, is continuing to build its sport content offering, having recently secured the rights for NHL is the UK. Now, it enters the world of football, agreeing a four-year deal that covers selected FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers, UEFA Euro 2028 qualifiers, UEFA Nations League matches, and international friendlies.
The streaming service will show over 800 matches including the Home Nations’ teams from 2024, with Sky Sports missing out on the chance to extend its deal. It will be a blow for Sky, with reports that Channel 4 is close to sealing a deal for the UEFA Nations League, while ITV holds the rights to England’s qualifiers, damaging Sky’s international football offering.
Nent Group President and Chief Executive, Anders Jensen, said, “This is Viaplay’s biggest UK sports milestone so far. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have exciting young teams that millions of fans will be able to follow exclusively on our world-class platform.
“These matches are in good hands – we work closely with UEFA in the Nordic and Baltic regions and know how much national sides mean to supporters. Viaplay’s multi-territory partnerships with rights holders will be a key advantage as we challenge further in the UK sports market. The timing is also advantageous, with these rights coming on stream in 2024, which allows us time to build our UK brand and to innovate the Viaplay viewing experience even further.”
Marketing Director at UEFA, Guy-Laurent Epstein, added, “We are delighted to enter this new partnership with Viaplay with its expansion into the UK. Viaplay will provide a comprehensive and innovative home for the Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales National Team matches, as well as for all other third-party European national team matches.”
Viaplay’s growing portfolio also includes handball, volleyball, and ice skating.
Image: Shutterstock
