Viaplay, the European media heavyweight, will continue as the home of Formula 1 (F1) in the Netherlands and Nordic countries after agreeing an exclusive new five-year deal with the top motor racing series.
The multi-year renewal, which covers the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, will run through the 2029 season, and continue to see all practice and qualifying sessions, F1 Sprint events, and grands prix shown live across Viaplay's platforms.
Coverage will be shown live in the Netherlands and Nordic countries on the Viaplay streaming service, and on the broadcaster’s pay-TV channels in Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Norway.
The five-year agreement is the longest in Viaplay and F1’s long-running partnership history.
The Swedish media giant’s present deal in the Netherlands, announced in May 2021 - with Viaplay only having gone live in the country in March 2022 - is reportedly worth just over $30 million per year. The new tie-up is reportedly valued at $47 million annually.
Viaplay claims to have broken F1 viewing records year-on-year in the Netherlands and Nordic region, largely due to the presence of home drivers such as Dutchman Max Verstappen, Finland’s Valtteri Bottas, and Denmark’s Kevin Magnussen.
F1 in the Netherlands has particularly seen a significant surge in popularity over the last few seasons, with the continued on-track success of Verstappen for the dominant Red Bull team.
Last year, there were approximately 12 million unique television viewers in the Netherlands, an increase of 35%, and almost 5.5 million unique viewers tuned in across Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden.
In addition, Viaplay and F1 will continue their strategic partnership in the Netherlands which enables the media group’s customers to access the F1 TV Pro premium streaming service as part of their subscriptions.
F1 TV Pro will remain available in the Netherlands and the Nordic countries as a stand-alone product.
Viaplay and Verstappen also have a long-term partnership under which he appears in Viaplay programming such as documentaries and has an ambassadorial role for the service.
Jørgen Madsen Lindemann, Viaplay Group president and chief executive, said: “Formula 1 is more than a sport – it’s a global phenomenon that spans streaming, Hollywood, social media, and beyond, and fascinates fans of all ages and backgrounds throughout the year.
“We are proud to renew our partnership with Formula 1 in our longest agreement so far. This shows Viaplay Group’s commitment to competing for the long term and growing profitably in the Netherlands and Nordics, and to offering our viewers the most attractive and relevant content available anywhere.”
Ian Holmes, Formula 1 director of media rights, added: “Formula 1 and Viaplay Group share a joint vision to create a world-class broadcast experience. It’s because of this dedication to quality programming that we have consistently seen Viaplay’s viewership increase year on year amongst a passionate fanbase which only continues to grow.
“This historic deal, also incorporating F1 TV Pro, will see F1 and Viaplay continue to push the boundaries of innovation.”
Alongside F1, Viaplay’s premium sports portfolio includes soccer’s English Premier League and German Bundesliga, and PDC darts in the Netherlands; and the Premier League, Bundesliga, Danish Superliga, NHL, FIS winter sports, IHF and EHF handball, and golf majors in the Nordic region.
