Viaplay Completes Sale of Dutch Operations for €142 Million to Cut Debt
Key Facts
On October 30, Viaplay Group completed the sale of its Dutch TV and radio broadcasting operations to Videoland, owned by DPG Media, for €142 million, equivalent to SEK 1.57 billion, on a cash- and debt-free basis, according to a group statement. The company said gross cash proceeds are expected to total about €100 million after transaction and restructuring costs and future payments linked to several legacy multi-year agreements. Viaplay will use the proceeds to reduce net debt, a move it said strengthens its financial position and supports a focus on resources in its core Nordic markets. The parties announced the deal on July 1, and it was completed after receiving regulatory and lender approvals and meeting other closing conditions. Chief Executive Jørgen Madsen Lindemann said the proceeds from the sale “will enable us to reduce net debt levels and strengthen our financial position.” The group distinguishes between the €142 million deal value and the cash proceeds expected, which are lower after costs and specified payments.
The deal reflects Viaplay’s exit from its Dutch operations and focus on Nordic markets, while the business sold generated net sales of €149 million in 2025, according to group data. In its latest quarterly results, group sales in the third quarter of 2026 rose to SEK 5.251 billion from SEK 4.018 billion in the same period a year earlier. Operating income also increased to SEK 122 million from SEK 25 million, while the net loss narrowed to SEK 30 million from SEK 142 million. On a pro forma basis for continuing operations, sales were SEK 5.251 billion versus SEK 5.191 billion, and were organically stable year on year. Pro forma core operating EBITDA before items affecting comparability rose to SEK 313 million from SEK 276 million. The figures place the sale within the group’s efforts to improve its financial position, alongside stronger operating results and a narrower quarterly loss.
Viaplay said in its report that streaming subscription sales grew organically by 4% in the third quarter, while the Viaplay service subscriber base was stable compared with a year earlier and grew from the second quarter. The indicators show subscription activity continued in the period before completion of the sale of the Dutch operations, as the group’s stated focus shifts to its core Nordic markets. The deal does not change the company’s full-year 2026 financial targets or its long-term ambitions, according to Viaplay. The group also maintained its forecast for core operations to generate EBITDA of between SEK 1.0 billion and SEK 1.4 billion in 2026. The group expects the integration of Allente to generate full-year annual cash synergies of between SEK 300 million and SEK 400 million in 2027. Financial net debt was SEK 5.12 billion at the end of the second quarter, before accounting for proceeds from the sale of the Dutch operations, according to the group’s report at the time.
The total net gains from the deal are expected to appear among items affecting comparability in Viaplay’s fourth-quarter financial results, according to its statement. The group set February 18, 2027, as the date for publishing its fourth-quarter 2026 report, which will include those items in its quarterly results. Separately, the Dutch economy grew by 0.6% in the third quarter of 2026 compared with the previous quarter, following growth of 0.7% in the second quarter, according to Statistics Netherlands. The bureau attributed the growth mainly to a trade surplus and the replenishment of natural gas reserves. Year on year, gross domestic product rose by 2.1% in the third quarter, with household consumption and the trade balance making the largest contributions to growth. The bureau is scheduled to publish its second estimate of economic growth on December 24, 2026.