Viaplay started in Poland on August 3, 2021. Poland was the fourth market outside Scandinavia where the site appeared. After 10 days, the new Bundesliga season began, for which the platform has rights until the 2028/29 season. – ‘We know you only watch Luego’ – Under this slogan Viaplay was promoting Bundesliga matches at the time (Lewandowski left Bayern Munich in July of this year.).
The sports platform’s offering also includes the European League, the Conference League, the African Zone qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup, the three women’s football tournaments, the Copa America in 2024, the US Open golf tournament, and the handball matches of the German League. In December, Viaplay exclusively launched KSW for the galas mixed martial arts federation. From August 5 this year. It will show the English Premier League matches, and Formula 1 will join it next year.
Viaplay has built two studios in Warsaw and a huge team of sports journalists, Take over among others people previously associated with Canal + or Eleven Sports. The editorial board is headed by Bowie Wilkovich, former editor-in-chief of the site Sport.pl in the Agora.
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technical problems
The joy of fans of such a wide sports show is spoiled by technical problems – Many users have complained about interruptions in broadcasting over the past year From the Europa League, Bundesliga or KSW Gale team. The platform said it is working to improve this situation.
However, Viaplay is not just a sport. The site’s offering also includes movies and series, including American and Scandinavian productions. The platform featured content among others from NBCUniversal, Sony, MGM, and CBS.
– This period showed that the decision to start work in Poland was one of the main elements of our success – convinced the Vyablay press office, when asked about the first year of work.
At the end of March this year. The Viaplay platform had less than 600 thousand. Users who pay. For comparison, at the end of September last year, two months after the start on the Vistula, the number of service was 286,000 outside Scandinavia. subscribers, and at the end of December – 547 thousand. – In both results, the vast majority of customers were Polish (the company does not disclose specific numbers for our country). in the beginning of the year Viaplay officially admitted that results in both Poland and Scandinavia were higher than planned
– BA very good start and great communication about the competitive advantages of the website has undoubtedly ensured a favorable position in the market for the first few months. Interesting aggregation, strong advertising in social media and a shift in marketing towards sports viewing have users interested and encouraged to visit the site, which translates into sales results – says Justina Troszyska, founder and president of Media4Fun, a film advisory agency.
What are the platform subscribers the most desire to watch? Our viewers appreciate the broadcast of sports events that we have rights to. The most original products that attracted Viaplay users were “Billy the Kid”, “Wisting” and “Under the Cover of Darkness”. Hayu programs, Nordic Noir series and True Crime documentaries, including a series on the kidnapping case of Natasha Kampush – “All Life in a Prison”. World-class productions and American action movies are popular, too — the platform counts.
Last year’s service also presented the Polish version of the reality show “Fort Boyard” with the participation of many celebrities, and his companions We will see the second series in the fall. – I don’t think anyone would require a payment card to watch “Fort Boyard” – The director of one of the broadcasters resides.
When does Viaplay show the Polish series?
A year ago, three Polish series were announced. They were supposed to be “Polish killers” (based on the book by Katarzyna Bunda), “Czarni Bays” and “Wolno Jaskoski” (based on Paula Air’s novel). However, filming has not yet begun. – We have been waiting curiously for a year for the presentation of Polish productions, which were initially announced, but so far there is no indication that they will appear in the near future – says Troszczyńska.
Viaplay in response to our questions about the Polish series tells us so Working on new Polish fantasy productions from Viaplay Originals We will announce more details soon. – We are the co-producer of the movie “Kos”, which will premiere in cinemas and then appear on our platform – reports the press service of the platform. She is also working on a project dedicated to the stories of exceptional women called “Powerwomen Polska”
Polish series produced by Netflix, Player, Canal +, Polsat Box GO, and soon also Disney +. Large foreign websites also have huge libraries of movie and series productions.
– In a direct confrontation with global giants such as Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery or Netflix, Viaplay can’t compete with its own productions in terms of plot and documentationHowever, it may participate in open bidding for sports broadcasting rights. Obviously winning in brutal competitive bids often means sports programming costs abstractly rise, and it’s impossible to recoup in the short term with such a small subscriber base, says Marek Swa, CEO of Golf Channel Polska.
Therefore, Viaplay no longer has all the exclusive rights – it has decided to sell a sub-license of two English Premier League matches to the channel +Who took these toys from under her nose. However, this is a bulk transaction, whereby Canal + customers will be able to access Viaplay at a special price (Details not yet known).
– Poland is a major market for Viaplay We want as many viewers as possible to benefit from our unique show in the coming years. A long-term contract with one of the largest pay-TV operators in Poland will significantly expand our reach, which is why this is an important step in the implementation of our ambitious plans – convinces the Fiablay press office.
– In the rapidly changing media market, distribution cooperation and the sharing of expensive sports broadcasting rights will replace the battle cry of “exclusivity!” , until recently considered a sine qua non in the struggle of new streaming platforms with traditional pay-TV operators – says Sowa.
– The Premier League is interesting. Regardless of whether the Poles play it or not, there will be a demand for it. The question is whether this will be achieved in Viaplay or in Canal + – wonders the director at one of the largest television stations.
Viaplay birthday and increase announcement
On August 1, a few days before the start of the new Premier League season, Viaplay announced Planned price increase. From March 2023 you will have to pay PLN 55 per month to access the website, PLN 21 more than at present. At the same time, by the end of 2022, Viaplay offers new and existing customers of the platform the possibility to purchase a 12-month package for PLN 33.25 per month.
– We are constantly investing in the development of the Viaplay streaming service to meet the high expectations of our customers, which is why we have adapted our offer accordingly – the platform’s press office reported.
Marek Sawa points out that Viaplay is another traditional media suite that is now betting everything in one stream tabTrying to get ahead of the much larger global competitors.
Warner Bros. Discovery, which announced the integration of Discovery+ services with HBO Max to create a stronger platform. And Disney, which is already shutting down Linear channels in some countries and betting almost entirely on Disney+. Everyone has to compete with Netflix, which is only streaming.
– It is worth noting that the company’s operations in Scandinavia and in the field of “traditional” electronic media are still profitable, while Viaplay International will make a loss this year of about 130 million euros. It is not without reason that the management of the Viaplay group describes itself as an “international broadcast competitor”, or rather a competitor in the war of live broadcasting giants – says Sawa.
Viaplay group photo
Will there be consolidation in the VoD services market?
Apart from Viaplay, Netflix, HBO Max, Player, Polsat Box GO and Canal + Online operate in a subscription model in Poland. Next year, nSkyshowtime Paramount Global Site. Such an extensive list is untenable.
– No doubt about it The growing fragmentation of the broadcast platform market, the high costs of private production and sports broadcasting rights will eventually force consolidation, also in Poland – Owl says.
Justyna Troszczyńska emphasizes that in the context of the current economic situation in Poland and rampant inflation, it is already clear that spending on entertainment is being reduced.
– Today’s statistic user can subscribe to two or three VoD platforms, but by comparing their repertoire, price and speed of content consumption, we can assume that in 2023 it will be one or two platforms. Currently, we have the services of the world’s largest players available in Poland, and soon they will be supplemented by Sky or local VOD services offering more personalized content. It should be borne in mind that extreme performances will be rejected by viewers and if there is no fusion with a larger player, a natural selection will occur – expert resides.
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