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Viaplay Netherlands wants to raise the profile of the sports it streams much more prominently and is therefore going to invest "much more in social media." So says new managing director Roger Lodewick.

"We have missed opportunities in the last two years, but I am going to give Viaplay a face in the Netherlands." Director Lodewick says in an interview with Emerce how he plans to do that. It's mainly about expanding the country organization. "The production side really stands like a house already. I'm impressed with that."

Until the turn of the year, the Dutch branch of the Swedish streamer was run from its headquarters. There the realization sank in, however, that a local approach would be better. "The Netherlands is profitable and if you want to stay that way in the future you have to have a presence here," he said.

Lodewick has a past in the world of media and sports rights and has known Viaplay's top executives for years. The connection was quickly made.

The social media team consists of three people. That should at least double. They are particularly focused on Formula One, but more Viaplay sports need to get a face on the Internet. "You can watch Premier League with us, Bundesliga, darts and martial arts. We don't tell that at all now. In field hockey, of which we broadcast the premier league, I would also like to do more with the KNHB and the clubs. Around the sports you have to create communities."

Lodewick also wants to expand the marketing and commercial team.

In the setting with a country director, much more than before is determined in the country itself what is needed to grow. Head office plays a facilitating rather than a directing role.

Viaplay has 2.5 million subscribers internationally. Organic sales grew forty percent in the last quarter, mainly due to price increases in the Netherlands and Poland. In addition, the Swedes benefited from the fact that more TV viewers were subscribing to stream sports, movies and series. However, the big growth seems to be behind us.

Viaplay considers the Netherlands, together with the countries in its Scandinavian home market, as its core market.

© The Content Exchange, source News