Viaplay, the Scandinavian SVOD service owned by Europe’s Modern Times Group (MTG), will now provide subscribers with transactional VOD options. The new feature is accessible to anyone in the Nordic region, whether or not they are subscribers to Viaplay’s subscription service.
The move will allow
Viaplay to expand on its content acquisitions by adding another window to its services, which can enable the company to acquire films sooner after their theatrical releases, according to a company statement.
Among the first titles available in the Viaplay transactional store will be Mockingjay Part 2, the final installment of the Hunger Games franchise, and the newest James Bond movie, Spectre (pictured).
Jakob Mejlhede Andersen, EVP of Viaplay and head programming and content development at MTG, said the move is part of Viaplay’s ongoing evolution to keep pace with consumer expectations in an on-demand environment ruled by global players such as Netflix and Amazon.
“Globally this is a multi-billion dollar business, moving online very fast, with digital expected to be as big as physical sales (of DVDs and Blu-Ray) within a few years,” said Andersen in a statement.
Like its larger SVOD rivals, Viaplay also recently moved into the original production arena with the series Swedish Dicks, an English-language comedy/action series featuring Matrix star Keanu Reeves.