Viaplay launches via Amazon in the US after shuttering North American D2C service

Viaplay drama Börje – The Journey of a Legend

Viaplay is launching a subscription video channel in the US via Amazon Prime Video Channels, two months after closing its direct-to-consumer app and SVoD service in North America.

The channel, which launched on Wednesday and costs US$5.99 a month, is already available in North America through platforms such as Comcast Xfinity, The Roku Channel and Xumo.

Nordic and European series set to launch soon on the channel include Börje – The Journey of a Legend, about Swedish ice hockey icon Börje Salming; the second season of political thriller Furia; and police drama Murderesses, based on Katarzyna Bonda’s bestselling true crime book.

At launch, the Amazon add-on channel is carrying dozens of new and older titles from the Viaplay Content Distribution library, including the interrogative drama Face to Face, starring Lars Mikkelsen; Danish police drama DNA; Faroe Islands-set mystery series Trom; Norwegian crime drama Fenris; young-adult drama Threesome; dystopian dramedy The Architect; and documentary The Most Remote Restaurant in the World, about a chef’s journey to set up shop in a remote location.

The channel launch comes following a turbulent 18 months for the Scandinavian outfit, which had initially set out an ambitious global growth strategy before those plans hit the rocks, prompting it lay off 25% of its workforce and exit the US, UK and Canada, with plans to also exit Poland and the Baltics.

The company has since reoriented its operations with a focus on sports rights and unscripted content. Earlier this week, after a year of downsizing, the company said it would resume hiring and initiate production for a dedicated sports channel with a focus on news. The upcoming service, which has a working brand name Viaplay Sports News, will provide coverage, news, debate and commentary on sports. It is set to premiere in Denmark in late summer, though details on the launch in Sweden, Norway and Finland have not yet been announced.

“We’re thrilled to increase the Viaplay subscription channel’s distribution in the United States,” said Vanda Rapti, exec VP of Viaplay Select and content distribution at Viaplay Group.

“This shows the universal appeal of high-quality Nordic and European content and will make these titles more accessible to viewers across the United States than ever before.”