Viaplay sticks to commercially viable entertainment formats following tough few years
The 2025 slate for troubled Nordic streamer Viaplay is dominated by documentaries and a variety of unscripted shows in each market, the company unveiled along with its fourth-quarter and full-year financial report.
Jørgen Madsen Lindemann
“It is no secret that it has been a very tough time,” Viaplay’s content manager Alexander Tanno told Swedish news site Dagens Industri. “But looking at the content, this spring feels like a comeback. We have made a lot of adjustments, and I am optimistic that we will reach a large audience.”
Tanno added that more scripted could be added later in the year but underlined that scripted productions are at a completely different price level compared to unscripted, and the company has shifted its content strategy.
Reality series for this year include Swedish author Camilla Läckberg opening the door to her life in the new reality series Läckbergs and St Göran’s Hospital, which follows the daily lives of healthcare workers at an emergency hospital. However, Viaplay has two scripted series on the slate: the second season of the Swedish dramedy The Meaning of Life and the fifth season of the Norwegian crime series Wisting.
Viaplay also today presented its financial figures for the fourth quarter of 2024 and the complete year, which shows that the company, nearly on the verge of bankruptcy two years ago, has weathered the worst of the storm.
“We made progress in 2024, but much remains to be done as we continue our efforts to transform Viaplay Group into a strong and sustainable business for the benefit of all stakeholders,” CEO Jørgen Madsen Lindemann said in a financial announcement.
Regarding content, Madsen Lindemann confirmed a continued focus on commercial and relevant non-scripted entertainment formats.
“Looking ahead, we have a strong line-up, including new seasons of established formats like Paradise Hotel, Robinson Expedition and Luxury Trap and exciting new formats such as Better Sex, Elbæks – Real Estate for Millions and Tobias & Patricia: Love in Chaos together with Borgs 24/7,” Madsen Lindemann said.
