NENT Group and Telenor extend distribution deal

Kim Poder, chief commercial officer, NENT group

Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT Group) and Telenor have extended their distribution agreement. 

The agreement covers Telenor’s fixed line and satellite TV offerings, along with NENT Group’s Viaplay streaming service, free TV channels and Viasat pay TV channels offered to Telenor customers, which currently sits at over 1.7 million in the Nordic region. 

The fixed line (cable and IPTV) agreement covers Sweden and Norway and includes NENT Group’s TV3, TV6, TV8, TV10 and TV3 Sport channels in Sweden; and TV3, TV6 and Viasat 4 channels in Norway. NENT Group’s premium Viasat sports and film packages, along with the Viasat Golf channel, will be available to Telenor’s fixed line subscribers in both countries.

The satellite agreement covers Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland and includes NENT Group’s TV3, TV6, TV8, TV10 and TV3 Sport channels in Sweden; TV3, TV6 and Viasat 4 channels in Norway; and TV3, TV3 PULS, TV3+, TV3 MAX and TV3 SPORT channels in Denmark. NENT Group’s premium Viasat sports and film packages will be available to Telenor’s Canal Digital subscribers in all four countries. 

Kim Poder, NENT group chief commercial officer: “We want Viaplay and our TV channels to be available in as many homes as possible. Telenor customers across the Nordic region will now be able to add Viaplay to their TV subscription, and this will increase our reach even further. NENT Group’s partnerships show the attraction of our unique content offering of originals, international films and series, kids content and live sports. It is particularly exciting that Telenor’s customers will be able to enjoy our coverage of the massively popular FIS skiing events from 2021 onwards.”

The news comes shortly after the big announcement that both parties had come to an agreement to merge Viasat Consumer with Telenor’s Canal Digital. 

The companies said that the move would provide “a simpler and more complete content offering” that will “create substantial revenue and cost synergies, and enable sustained investment to stay competitive.”

Both NENT Group and Telenor hold 50% of the shares of the new joint venture company, which has combined net sales of approximately SEK7.6 billion (€710 million) and 1.257 million subscribers, as of June 30, 2019.