Nordic streaming service Viaplay has set its U.S. launch date, announcing plans Monday to bow on Comcast’s Xfinity platforms stateside on Wednesday.
With the U.S. launch, Viaplay will expand its footprint to 10 countries. Parent company NENT Group expects to roll out Viaplay in the U.K. and the Netherlands next year, followed by Canada and Germany-speaking Europe by the end of 2023 at the latest.
Viaplay’s U.S. service will focus on its Scandinavian drama offerings, with more than 1,100 hours of Nordic film and series content as well as the platform’s growing volume of drama originals. Among Viaplay’s originals lineup are the Norwegian dramedy series Porni, the Swedish thriller Partisan starring Fares Fares (Chernobyl) and Nordic noir Wisting.
Viaplay’s US service will be initially available on Comcast’s entertainment devices, including Xfinity X1, Xfinity Flex and the XClass TV, as an add-on subscription priced at $4.99 per month. Viaplay intends to follow up with a direct-to-consumer app in the U.S..
The Nordic drama streamer is the latest niche platform, following the likes of Spanish-language specialist Pantaya, arthouse film service MUBI and the BBC/ITV-owned BritBox, looking to carve out an audience in the world’s largest SVOD market. It’s estimated that more than 80 percent of the 130 million U.S. households subscribe to a streaming service with an average of three subscriptions per streaming household.
