About Viaplay Group
Directors' report
Financial Statements
Sustainability report
Key figures 2022
2022 was another important year for Viaplay Group and we made significant progress as we further strengthened our position in the Nordic countries and continued our international expansion. The toughening geopolitical and macroeconomic climate has affected most of us in a tangible way, but the fact that we managed to stay focused and continue largely according to plan is proof of the strength and flexibility of our operating model.
Anders Jensen,President and CEO at the time of the publication
2022 highlights
In 2022, NENT Group became Viaplay Group. The Viaplay streaming service is present in all the Group´s markets, is our most recognisable brand, and the largest single revenue-generating unit, which makes this the right step at the right time for our fast-growing global company. Changes have also been made during the year to the operational model and the Group Executive Management team to reflect the Group’s expansion.
Viaplay launched in the Netherlands in March as a direct-to-consumer subscription and through partners. Viaplay original content has Dutch subtitles, and all kids content has Dutch dubbing. In November Viaplay went live in the UK with an offering of two packages; Films & Series, and Total that also includes premium live sports following the acquisition of Premier Sports.
Viaplay has ongoing partnerships with F1 hero Max Verstappen and football superstar Erling Haaland. Additionally, long-term sports rights were secured such as IHF Men’s and Women’s handball, PDC European Tour darts, FIS winter sports in Sweden, Hoofdklasse field hockey in the Netherlands, EFL Championship, and Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish national team football in the UK.
Committed to being an industry leader in producing outstanding original content, Viaplay Group premiered 75 Viaplay Films, Series and Documentaries during the year.
Together with additional in-house scripted and non-scripted and sports productions, this brings the total number of Viaplay original productions premiered in 2022 to 126, which is the highest number ever.
Strategy for sustainable growth
Viaplay Group is on a journey of international expansion guided by a company-wide strategy platform aimed at maximising growth and sustainable value creation. Building on a strong history in the Nordics, and with a growing international market presence, we are now an international entertainment provider.
With one of the world´s largest portfolios of live premium sports, original drama productions, and local non-scripted content in combination with acquired content from leading Hollywood studios, we bring an offering to consumers that is unique and tailored to each market. Our premium video streaming service was available direct-to-consumer in every Nordic and Baltic country, Poland, the Netherlands and the UK at the end of 2022, and launched in the US and Canada in the beginning of 2023.
The Group´s strategy is built of four business priorities and three integrated sustainability focus areas, which together permeate the whole organisation and form the foundation for all operations. By concentrating on these, we aim to achieve our long term goals.
Purpose
Telling stories, touching lives, expanding worlds
Vision
Our vision is to be the sustainable entertainment provider
Values
Bravery, Equality, Appreciation and Trust
Viaplay Group measures performance against a set of operational and financial targets relating to subscriber and revenue growth, profit margins and leverage over the five years from 2020 to 2025.
In 2022, the Group achieved a total organic revenue growth of 20%, 10% Nordic organic revenue growth, and added 3.3 million new Viaplay subscribers.
Our approach to Sustainability
A key to the future success of the Group is the commitment to sustainable development and creating long-term value for all stakeholders. This means we have integrated sustainability fully into the Group´s strategy and we incorporate sustainability into all our operations and throughout the value chain.
In addition to measuring performance against operational and financial targets, Viaplay Group´s strategy has integrated sustainability fully with a roadmap of long-term goals and annual targets across three focus areas. These goals are aligned with 8 of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Group has also set science-based targets according to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), is a signatory of the UN Global Compact, a member of the UN SDG Media Compact Initiative, a contributor to the Responsible Media Forum and an endorser of the UN Global Compacts Women’s Empowerment Principles.
Viaplay Group undertook an extensive stakeholder dialogue in 2021 to establish which issues and initiatives would be most relevant and make the most impact over the coming years. More than 80 in-depth interviews were conducted, and over 1,000 shareholders, employees, customers, partners, and experts were surveyed.
This helped us to understand our stakeholders’ expectations, and the challenges and opportunities facing society today. After a thorough materiality analysis, three focus areas were identified to work with across our business.
We strive to promote sustainability on and off screen, putting climate and the environment at the front and centre of our work. We work to reduce our own environmental ‘footprint’ and to minimise emissions from our whole value chain.
In 2022 we:
- Reduced GHG emissions 64.9% in own operations, scope 1 & scope 2 (fuel and energy) from 2019 levels.
- Reduced GHG emissions 12.3% in business travel, scope 3.6 from 2019 levels.
- Developed and piloted Viaplay’s Sustainable production guide.
We take a holistic approach to diversity and inclusion. Our content reflects the societies we operate in with stories that challenge stereotypes, reflect different realities, and address societal challenges. Diversity and inclusion in our working environment leads to better decisions and a sense of belonging and purpose.
In 2022 we:
- Maintained existing gender balance in the total workforce (44F/56M%).
- Improving gender balance in Nordic productions (51F/49M%).
- Increased our content portfolio with diverse storytelling in more than 20 productions.
We seek to strengthen ethics and compliance awareness across the business and supply chain using our Code of Conduct and values in our daily activities. The safety and well-being of our employees remain our most important considerations and we promote a transparent culture that includes everyone and upholds our values.
In 2022 we:
- Held child welfare & participant training and implemented speak-up line in all productions.
- Screened all Viaplay original productions & sent pulse surveys to 7 key productions.
- Increased well-being index score to 81, making progress on our long-term target to increase employee perception of well-being to 83.
