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- TV4 Media currently paying SEK1bn per year for Champions League rights
- CEO Anders Jensen says Viaplay will not bid unless price “significantly” comes down
Viaplay Group president and chief executive Anders Jensen has said the Nordic pay-TV broadcaster presently has “no interest” in a bidding war for the Uefa Champions League rights in Sweden.
The competition’s current broadcast partner for Sweden is Telia-owned TV4 Media, which beat out Viaplay by reportedly paying SEK1 billion (US$96.81 million) per year for the rights. Uefa’s last club competition cycle did see Viaplay retain the Champions League contract for Denmark, as well as acquire the Europa League and Europa Conference League rights for Sweden, Finland, Iceland and Norway.
European soccer’s governing body is currently out to market with the tenders for the 2024 to 2027 cycle but has yet to open the sales process in Sweden. However, Jensen has said Viaplay will not entertain an offer at the current price point.
“We know the value of the Champions League, we know what it’s worth,” Jensen said after Viaplay announced its fourth quarter results. “We’ve been dealing with it for a long time in Sweden and we still do in Denmark and some of our other markets.
“If the price is right, all potential rights are considered. There is no secret in that.”
He then added: “I can be very explicit [and say] that if it doesn’t come down significantly from current levels, [then] we have no interest in it.”
Viaplay has a six-year, UK£2 billion (US$2.4 billion) broadcast partnership with the Premier League for the Nordic region that will run until the end of the 2027/28 season but has recently been in Norwegian court battling the TV2 commercial network over an alleged infringement of rights to highlights clips.
TV2 now face paying compensation to Viaplay after the Oslo District Court decreed its usage of clips was excessive. Viaplay case was based on seven Premier League games within the first four matchdays of the current season, alleging that TV2 used more than the restricted number of clips considered ‘of great interest to the general public.’ The court has concluded that TV2’s conduct was unlawful, ordering it to pay compensation under the Copyright Act, as well as covering NOK1.2 million (US$116,542) of its rival’s legal costs.
While some clips featuring Norwegian stars Martin Ødegaard and Erling Haaland were considered to be within the news access right clause, others featuring the duo in action fell short, as well as other footage that did not feature any Norwegian players. TV2 were also found to have presented the clips in an unlawful manner, with the videos embedded in online articles that asked users to watch one or two ads before viewing the footage itself.
“We note that the court believes that some of the extracts were legal, while others are not,” Jan-Petter Dahl, TV2’s press manager said to Kampanje. “Now we have to familiarise ourselves with the rationale before we make any comments.”
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