Thursday 6 July 2023

Broadband TV News: Viaplay begins downsizing program

Story from Broadband TV News:

Troubled streaming service Viaplay has begun to reduce the headcount at its Stockholm headquarters.

Jørgen Madsen Lindemann, who returned as CEO last month, has begun to implement a new Nordic operating model based around country management. Several senior executives have also returned to the company.

According to a company insider, employees in Sweden are mostly being offered a severance package consisting of three months’ notice where the employee won’t be required to work. Many employees are not Swedish nationals and have yet to complete their paperwork.

In an internal memo Lindemann said: “We will have to take some very difficult decisions regarding changes in roles and responsibilities across many parts of the Group. The next steps and the timelines for this process will be communicated locally in each market.

“We will of course do all that we can to implement these changes as straightforwardly and sensitively as possible, including providing support structures to those affected by the adjustments.

“I wish that these changes were not necessary.”

Viaplay has expanded rapidly outside of its traditional markets of the Nordic and Baltic regions. It has spent heavily on sports in the Dutch market and entered the UK through the purchase of Premier Sports. It launched in the United States in February with a collection of Nordic Noir.

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