Viaplay Sports UK Crisis - Daily Record: Scotland Euro 2024 qualifying blackout to be avoided

Story from Daily Record:

Scotland's armchair fans look set to avoid a blackout of the national team’s bid for Euro 2024 qualification despite Viaplay’s decision to pull out of all UK sport coverage.

Record Sport broke the news on Tuesday that SPFL bosses have already banked a cheque worth around £2.5m from the troubled broadcasters to pay for this season’s title sponsorship package of the League Cup. And we further revealed yesterday the Scandinavian TV firm will continue to screen the competition as planned starting with this weekend’s group stage clash between Motherwell and Queens Park - despite announcing a major strategic shake-up yesterday following eye watering losses of more than £24m.

Now we understand live coverage of Scotland’s march towards next summer’s finals in Germany should also avoid any disruption even though Viaplay are now actively looking to get out of the British market. Scotland’s football authorities expect all live games to continue to be broadcast as scheduled with all subscriptions still valid while the Nordic company attempts to find a buyer or a partner for its output.

Should the UK wing of its operation be successfully sold off then it’s understood that those games and subscriptions would be automatically transferred across to the new owners - just as they were when Viaplay bought out Premier Sports 12 months ago.

That means coverage of this season’s Scottish Cup should also be unaffected with the only anticipated disruption to the national game is likely to come in the form of a potential name change to the Viaplay Cup. One source close to the situation explained last night: “While this is clearly a major strategic restructuring of Viaplay’s existing business model it does not appear to be an insolvency event - as the fact that the SPFL has already been paid in full for this season’s League Cup would indicate.

“In fact, if they are looking to sell off their UK business as a going concern any disruption to the current services would not only prejudice the sale but it would also torpedo the asking price. For all of those reasons, Scottish football can be fairly relaxed about what’s going on even if the financial situation at Viaplay is obviously far from ideal.”

Viaplay currently have a deal in place to jointly cover and sponsor the League Cup until the summer of 2007. They have one year left on a contract to screen the Scottish Cup - but also own the rights to screen all Scotland games until 2028. Now the Scandinavian streamers have confirmed they will end all broadcasting in Britain, the USA and Canada as they lay off 25 per cent of staff.

Viaplay CEO Jorgen Madsen Lindemann said: “We are today announcing a new strategy and plan, which includes, but is not limited to, focusing on our core Nordic, Netherlands and Viaplay Select operations (which make available a wide range of Viaplay series, films and documentaries through partners around the world); implementing a new operational model; downsizing, partnering or exiting our other international markets; rightsizing and pricing our product offering in the Nordics; undertaking a major cost reduction program; and conducting an immediate strategic review of the entire business to consider all options, including content sublicensing, asset disposals, equity injections or the sale of the whole group.”