Viaplay Select joins SBS streaming platform in Australia

Viaplay Group and SBS in Australia have agreed a multi-year partnership that makes curated content from Viaplay Select available in Australia on the SBS On Demand streaming service. Launching November 2, the agreement gives SBS On Demand’s users access to hundreds of hours of Viaplay Originals and additional curated content over the course of the partnership.

Vanda Rapti

The agreement is the latest Viaplay Select partnership to be announced, following deals with DMD’s CINDIE service in Latin America and with WOWOW in Japan, with further markets targeted soon.

Vanda Rapti, Viaplay group SVP & head of acquisitions, content distribution & partnerships, called it: “a compelling concept that helps our partners stand out in today’s competitive streaming market. Australia and the Nordic region may be on opposite sides of the globe, but top-quality drama is a universal language.”

Kathryn Fink, director of TV at SBS added: “SBS has long been a pioneer of premium Nordic programming in Australia. Viaplay Originals like Wisting and Darkness: Those Who Kill are already among SBS On Demand’s most-watched series. We’re thrilled to partner with Viaplay and reinforce SBS’s reputation as a leader in international drama, while meeting the growing appetite of Australian audiences for global storytelling.”

Viaplay Select is focused on markets where Viaplay is not currently prioritising the launch of a direct-to-consumer service. Viaplay’s direct-to-consumer offering is today available in the Nordic and Baltic countries, Poland, the Netherlands and the UK (as of this week), and will launch in the US and Canada in the first quarter of 2023.

Viaplay Original series set to premiere in Australia as part of the deal include the gritty crime show Fenris and acclaimed comedy-drama Pørni.