Fans left in dark as Viaplay row back

THE future of live Top 14 – and United Rugby Championship – rugby coverage in the UK is up in the air after TV rights-holder Viaplay confirmed this week that it intends to scale back its international operations on the back of disappointing financial results.

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Subscribers to the Sweden-based broadcaster and streamer’s various British services – including rugby fans who have been able to watch up to four Top 14 matches a week for the past two seasons, as well as full URC coverage and selected Challenge Cup games – were understandably dismayed as news broke on Thursday that Viaplay was looking to ‘team up or sell off ’ its interests in the UK market, as well as those in Poland, the Baltic states, Canada and the US.

For all the disappointment of subscriber sports fans in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland – URC and Top 14 matches in Ireland are broadcast on Premier Sports Ireland, which is not owned by Viaplay – the big story behind the statement is the company’s decision to axe more than 25 per cent of its workforce in what the company’s new CEO Jorgen Madsen Lindemann described in a statement to investors as a “major cost reduction programme”.

Nor did he rule out more redundancies further down the line, as the company seeks to reverse losses of nearly €513million reported in its latest results.

Although there are no plans to pull out of the UK instantly, comments from the company’s president and CEO strongly hint that the broadcaster is eager to move out sooner rather than later.

For the moment, however, the company is busily pushing a ‘business as usual’ message for its British services.