• Customers spent an average of 32 hours streaming Viaplay every month during 2017 – an increase of 25%
• 40.5% more Viaplay streams started in 2017, with the total number of Viaplay customers growing 21%
• Viaplay original productions among most viewed new series in every Nordic country in 2017

Every Viaplay customer now spends an average of 32 hours a month viewing content on MTG’s Nordic video streaming service – a 25% increase between 2016 and 2017. The number of started streams rose 40.5% in the same period, with the total number of Viaplay customers growing 21%.

With streaming services increasingly dominating consumer entertainment, Viaplay customers are watching more content than ever before – driven by three key trends.

Trend #1: No substitute for original drama

Eight Viaplay original productions premiered during 2017. In every Nordic country, Viaplay’s originals were among the most viewed new series:

• ‘Hassel’ was the most watched new series in both Sweden and Finland
• ‘Veni Vidi Vici’ was the second most watched new series in Denmark
• ’Occupied’ season two was the second most watched new series in Norway
• ‘ALEX’ was the second most watched new series in Sweden and the fourth most watched new series in Finland.

(A list of the top 5 new series per country is presented below.)

Trend #2: football and fighting top of the league

In 2017, MTG streamed 50,000 hours of live sport on Viaplay. The most popular live events per country were:

• Sweden: Manchester United vs. Liverpool (Premier League, 15 January)
•  Denmark: Juventus vs. Real Madrid (UEFA Champions League Final, 3 June)
•  Norway: Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor (boxing, 26 August)
•  Finland: Makwan Amirkhani vs. Arnold Allen (UFC, 18 March). 

Trend #3: Big screens outsize mobile

Viewing on big screens (such as TVs or projectors) surpassed mobile devices for the first time since Viaplay launched in 2011, with a user base of 64% vs. 61% for mobile (December 2017).

Anders Jensen, MTG EVP & Chairman Nordic Entertainment: “More than one hour every day tells its own story – Viaplay is truly creating moments that matter. In just a few years, we’ve become a Nordic drama powerhouse producing amazing original content that’s captivating audiences across the region and beyond. On big screens and small, our stories have never been more relevant. We will continue to invest in our platforms, people and productions to take the Viaplay growth phenomenon to the next level.”

Alexander Bastin, Head of Viaplay: “As a Nordic media house at the cutting edge of innovation, MTG’s portfolio is continuously evolving to meet changing user preferences and behaviours. Viaplay is rapidly attracting more customers, and they are watching more than ever before. In parallel, the app for Viafree, our free streaming service in the Nordic region, has been downloaded close to 2.6 million times. It just shows what’s possible when fantastic stories meet the most advanced and accessible platforms in the business.”

Most viewed new series on Viaplay 2017: 

Sweden: 

1. ’Hassel’ (Viaplay Original)
2. ’ALEX’ (Viaplay Original)
3. ’Prison Break’
4. ’Outlander’
5. ’The Blacklist’

Denmark: 

1. ’Prison Break’
2. ‘Veni Vidi Vici’ (Viaplay Original)
3. ‘S.W.A.T.’
4. ’The Blacklist’
5. ’Lethal Weapon’

Norway: 

1. ’Prison Break’
2. ’Okkupert’ season 2 (Viaplay Original)
3. ’Elven’
4. ’The Blacklist’
5. ’S.W.A.T.’

Finland: 

1. ’Hassel’ (Viaplay Original)
2. ’Lethal Weapon’
3. ’The Blacklist: Redemption’
4. ’ALEX’ (Viaplay Original)
5. ’The Blacklist’

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NOTES TO EDITORS

MTG (Modern Times Group MTG AB (publ.)) is a leading international digital entertainment group and we are shaping the future of entertainment by connecting consumers with the content that they love in as many ways as possible. Our brands span TV, radio and next generation entertainment experiences in esports, digital video networks and online gaming. Born in Sweden, our shares are listed on Nasdaq Stockholm (‘MTGA’ and ‘MTGB’). 

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press@mtg.com (or Tobias Gyhlénius, Head of Public Relations; +46 73 699 27 09)

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