Disney+ acquires major football rights for Nordic region

Disney has secured the rights to UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League football for Disney+ in Sweden and Denmark.

Hans van Rijn

The deal follows rival streamer Prime Video sub-licensing live Premier League rights from Viaplay in the territory.

The Disney deal for the 2024/25 season through the 2026/27 season includes more than 340 live-streamed matches per season. The matches will be offered exclusively on Disney+ in Sweden and Denmark at no extra subscription charge.

“Our aim is delivering the best offer for fans who are passionate about football while spreading the two tournaments to a larger audience and introducing the rights to a new generation of fans and supporters,” said Hans van Rijn, SVP and Country Manager, The Walt Disney Company Nordic & Baltic.

The Disney agreement increases pressure on Viaplay and both Danish TV2 and Norwegian TV2, which are already reeling from tech giants that have acquired a taste for sports rights in the Nordic region.

In March, Amazon Prime Video announced that the US streamer has secured Nordic rights to Saturday matches in the Premier League. Apple has previously secured global rights to Major League Soccer (MLS) football, which is sold as a season package in Denmark.

The next order of business in the Nordic region is the crown jewel UFEA Champions League. So far, Norway is the only market with an agreement as TV2 has secured the Champions League until 2027.

According to Kampanje.com, negotiations have dragged on because UEFA is selling the rights country by country rather than as one single Nordic package.