Most of us associate Disney with iconic figures such as Mickey Mouse, Goofy or Snow White - even though it has almost been 100 years since they were created. For TV executives in the Nordics, the image of the company is different: the snotty competitor that has taken home sports rights such as the Champions League right in front of Viaplay's nose.
Disney pays over half a billion Swedish kronor per season to be able to broadcast the Champions League in Sweden from autumn 2027 and three seasons onwards, according to information provided to DN. Something that Di also reported on.
Disney has previously owned the rights to tournaments such as the Europa League, Conference League and Spanish La Liga in Sweden and Denmark, among others. This places the American giant among the three heaviest streaming players in sports in Sweden right now.
- We are entering a kind of David and Goliath battle in the television market and it is not certain that it will end as it does according to the Bible, says TV4's former CEO Jan Scherman about the international competition.
For Viaplay, this could be particularly difficult. The loss of the Champions League means that Viaplay - after this season - only owns one of the sports rights that count among the four crown jewels: the Premier League, for which they own the broadcasting rights for one more season. The other two, Allsvenskan and the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), are owned by TV4, which has long contracts with the respective leagues.
The point is that as recently as three years ago, Viaplay was close to a stock market crash, but was saved by new owners who shot to just over SEK 3 billion through a targeted new issue.
Jan Scherman believes that Viaplay's entire existence is at stake if they now also lose the Premier League.
- Keeping the Premier League is a question of fate for Viaplay, because they are a company that is still on a fragile financial basis, he says.
According to information provided to both The Times and Di, Viaplay paid over SEK 23 billion for the PL rights in the Nordics for the 2022–2028 seasons. In the agreement, the Swedish rights were valued at approximately SEK 1.5 billion per season, which TV4's Olof Lundh wrote about in his book "Den sista lägerelden. Kampen om sport på tv".
The Premier League has been described as Viaplay's backbone, around which they have built their strategy. With the exception of "Paradise hotel", the company has almost completely stopped investing in drama and entertainment, which has made them extra vulnerable to actors who want premium sports. The picture is corroborated by several of the experts we speak to.
One of the explanations for why the Premier League has become so important in Sweden is British football's strong position among a target group with strong purchasing power who grew up with "Tipsextra". Another is that the league offers a large number of games for long periods of the year, providing repeat viewing over an entire season.
The latter is something that is not at all obvious when it comes to content such as drama, which more and more streaming customers binge watch in a short time.
When the bidding starts for the next PL round is not official. It is about billion-dollar deals managed by international agency agencies. Several sources with insight into the industry tell DN that Viaplay is a given player in an upcoming bidding process. Disney and Skydance are also mentioned as likely interested parties.
Media professor Stefan Melesko, who has been counting on sports rights for several years, believes that one scenario could be that French Canal Plus - Viaplay's new major owner - pushes for money to save the rights.
- It could be that they see synergy effects in their other markets by supporting Viaplay, he says.
Media analyst Anders Malmsten emphasizes that the stock market crash in 2023 means that Viaplay themselves cannot overpay for the rights again.
- They have experienced what can happen if you pay too much, he says.
No one we spoke to believes that the price will exceed the 23 billion that Viaplay paid last time, unless an international giant comes in.
- Viaplay will do everything to defend the right, but they probably can't keep up with a bidding if the price is higher than what you paid then. Viaplay has had tough years and has been forced to sell some holdings, including one Premier League match per round to Amazon Prime, says Olof Lundh.
Viaplay did not want to participate in a telephone interview. Sports manager Erik Westberg writes in an email response that they do not comment on any negotiations, contract terms or amounts.
He does not directly answer the question of whether Viaplay can collapse without the Premier League, but emphasizes that the deal is based on more than that.
"Viaplay's sports offering is not based on a single league - but we offer world-class sports with a wide range throughout the year, including Formula 1, NHL, Champions League, Nations League, Viaplay Winter, Bundesliga, golf, handbook and much more. The strength lies in the overall picture and in the quality of our broadcasts," writes Erik Westberg.
Even TV4, under its previous owner Telia, bet on the Champions League for a short period. They broadcast for three seasons until the spring of 2024, before Viaplay took the league back.
Since then, the strategy has been different. Now the four top leagues in Sweden, along with the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics, are the priority.
- That strategy is fixed. We also have long contracts with, for example, the SHL and the Allsvenskan and think that we will do our best there, says TV4's sports director Johan Cederqvist.
The four own the right to the SHL until and including the spring of 2030. Last week came the surprising announcement that the right, after that season, is already up for bidding.
How hard would it be to lose the SHL?
- We are not diving into speculation, but what you can say is that the SHL is an important right for us, says Johan Cederqvist.
Which more international companies want to enter the Nordics, do you think?
- I don't know, it's a very attractive market in many ways, but also an extremely competitive market, he continues.
Back to Jan Scherman. It is only a matter of time before more streaming giants enter Sweden, he believes - and mentions the French Vivaldi owner Vincent Bolloré, Netflix, and Amazon Prime as possible players.
- If you had said five or six years ago that Disney will step in and buy the Champions League in the Nordics, then you would have been declared an idiot. Now this is exactly what happened, and this is of course a fight that will only intensify, says Jan Scherman.
Disney has declined an interview.
