Breaking: Viaplay to Shut Down Access to US Streaming App in February
Fans of Viaplay’s titles will be able to continue watching via a handful of American partners.
Six months after being initially announced, fans of Nordic Noir living in the United States will have to find a new streaming source for their favorite Swedish police series as Viaplay confirmed on Thursday that it would officially be shutting down its streaming service in the U.S. on Thursday, Feb. 29. The move to shutter its service in the U.S. and the United Kingdom was initially announced in July 2023 as the company lost one million customers worldwide leading to a number of leadership changes at the company. Despite the closing of Viaplay’s standalone streamer, viewers will still be able to watch the brand’s titles via domestic partners.
- The Sweden-based company will shut down its streaming service in the United States next month.
- Despite the streaming closure, domestic viewers will still be able to watch Viaplay content through a handful of U.S. partners.
- The streamer launched in the U.S. in February 2023, meaning that upon its shuttering, it will have been in the market for just over one year.
What Will Happen to Viaplay Accounts When the Streaming Service Closes?
The official closing date for the American arm of the service comes one year and one week after Viaplay first launched in the United States. In an email to subscribers, the streamer informed customers that Wednesday, Feb. 28 was the last day that they would be able to use their accounts, and beginning the next day, they would be unable to log in.
For customers with either monthly or annual active subscriptions, they will receive a prorated refund for the days remaining on their plan. Subscribers do not need to take any action to receive their refund as it will be initiated automatically upon the services closing. For customers who subscribed via third-party platforms, including Roku and Apple, their accounts will not be renewed following Jan. 29, meaning that, depending on their renewal date, their subscriptions might expire before the official closing date.
While Viaplay is moving to shut down its U.S.-based streamer, domestic fans will still be able to watch the company’s titles through cable and streaming partners. Viaplay confirmed that viewers will be able to continue enjoying its library via Xfinity X1 or Flex, the Roku Channel, and Xumo.
Why Is Viaplay Closing Its American Streaming Service?
Viaplay’s initial launch in the U.S. and Canada helped push the streamer’s international subscriber total to 7.64 million, however, things started going downhill for the company. In June 2023, Viaplay downgraded its future financial forecasts and CEO Anders Jensen resigned; Jorgen Madsen Lindemann, who was the former CEO of Viaplay’s previous parent company, took over the chief executive role.
Despite the tumult at the top of Viaplay’s C-suite, executives were still optimistic about its future in the U.S. thanks to a strategy of focusing on its core content and not trying to outspend English-language streamers. Viaplay's chief commercial officer for North America Vanda Rapti told The Streamable that she thought that it was well within the streamer’s reach to be profitable in America quickly.
“We are not aspiring to have the 20,000 hours that we have in the Nordics [in the U.S.],” she said. “Unlike other streamer launches in the U.S. where the investments and risks are high, Viaplay is mostly monetizing on its European investments, with the incremental spend in its U.S. operations being minimal, which won’t make profitability a difficult game in the U.S.”
Less than a month into Jensen’s tenure, Viaplay announced that it would be closing down its standalone streaming services in the United States and the United Kingdom. While the company did not continue releasing U.S. subscriber totals, Viaplay cut off the marketing of its service in the States immediately following the announcement. Jensen’s approach was to refocus Viaplay on its core market and strengths. The English-speaking streamers were not considered to be fundamental to Viaplay’s future, so now American fans of Nordic Noir and other types of Scandinavian programming will have to turn to Roku, Xfinity, and Xumo.
Viaplay
Viaplay is a video on demand service focused on Nordic storytelling with more than 1,500 hours of award-winning content. The content library includes “Trom,” “Furia,” and “Partisan.” The line-up also includes Viaplay’s provocative young adult drama “Threesome,” a broad range of compelling documentaries, and much more.