In Sweden and Denmark, streaming giants Disney+ and Amazon Prime have recently entered the football rights market.
The former will show the Europa League and Conference League in the coming years, while Amazon Prime will broadcast approximately 40 Premier League matches next season.
In Norway, the major international broadcasters have not yet acquired any football rights, but media expert Lasse Gimnes does not ignore the fact that they will eventually enter the Norwegian market as well.
– I think they are increasingly focusing on the Norwegian market as well. And you shouldn't ignore the fact that they participated in bidding rounds and talked about sports rights in the past and did not win them, he tells Netavisen.
Read also: Zlatan is wanted in Norway. I got an unusual message
-It's tenderloin
So Jimens believes it is likely that streaming giants such as Disney+ and Amazon Prime will secure football rights in Norway in the future.
– He says there is every reason to believe that large multinational broadcasting services will be involved in evaluating and possibly competing for other sports rights targeting the Norwegian market in the coming years.
In Norway, Premier League rights are probably the best football rights you can get.
Today, Viaplay owns those rights in Norway, but Gimnes believes it is realistic that they could end up with one of the foreign streaming giants in the future.
-It's completely realistic. He says the Premier League is the meat of rights.
It is believed that there are several reasons why these rights are so attractive.
– One thing is that there is a very high interest in English football in Norway, and therefore also a very high willingness to pay, but the other thing is that the English Premier League is rights that last for about twelve months a year, he explains.
Read also: The file suffered with the old club: – Painfully
-It's a bit like believing in Santa Claus
For several years, the price of the Premier League in Norway has been a topic of debate. Many expressed their dissatisfaction and thought that the prices of both TV 2 and Viaplay were too high.
However, if the streaming giants enter the Norwegian market, Jimens does not believe it will lead to lower prices for Norwegian viewers. Quite the opposite.
– I don't want to think that it will be cheaper. It might be like believing in Santa Claus. The bigger the struggle for rights, the higher the price. He says there is no reason to believe it would be cheaper with other players.
Jimens believes that if streaming giants also express interest in Premier League rights, that will push up the price that media companies have to pay. Then the price also goes up for consumers.
– These are commercial representatives on the same level as TV 2 and Viaplay. He says they have to earn a living.
Read also: Working with the English Premier League: – It's not safe
That's what Disney and Amazon Prime say
However, at the moment, none of the international streaming giants have acquired the football rights in Norway.
Nettavisen has been in contact with Disney to see if they would be interested in purchasing the football rights in Norway as well, considering the rights they have acquired in our neighboring countries.
They're strict about it.
– Unfortunately, Disney cannot comment on speculation or future plans, Disney Norway's press contact, Helene Vansen Raunhaug, tells Nettavisen.
Amazon Prime does not rule out that they will try to buy sports rights in Norway as well.
-We are very happy to have acquired the rights to broadcast the English Premier League in Sweden and Denmark. Premium sports has been an integral part of our long-term strategy for a long time, and this opportunity was very interesting for us. We are constantly looking for opportunities to expand our range of live sports on a global level, and we will continue to do so, Max Bellmann, Head of Nordic PR at Prime Video, tells Nettavisen.
“Infuriatingly humble internet trailblazer. Twitter buff. Beer nerd. Bacon scholar. Coffee practitioner.”
