Banglalink’s Toffee Scores One Billion Views with FIFA World Cup



Streaming service success marks transition from 

traditional TV to viewing on digital devices

Amsterdam, 19 December 2022: VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ and Euronext Amsterdam: VEON), a global digital operator that provides converged connectivity and online services, announces that its Banglalink’s Toffee streaming service hit a new milestone with around one billion views of the FIFA World Cup and 15.5 million unique viewers for the World Cup Finals.
As the numbers set a new record for a digital streaming service in Bangladesh, they show football fans in Bangladesh turned away from traditional TV to digital operator services.
“The 2022 FIFA World cup has seen streaming on mobile go mainstream as a means to watch global sporting events,” states Kaan Terzioglu, CEO of VEON Group and Chairman of the Board of Banglalink.  “The investment in high-speed telecoms across Bangladesh has enabled the Toffee Streaming Service to reach 15.5 million unique viewers during the World Cup Finals.  The same technology is also powering digital services in finance, healthcare and education to the benefit of both the personal and national prosperity of the people of Bangladesh.”

The Toffee digital entertainment platform, the largest digital entertainment platform in Bangladesh, is operated by Banglalink, VEON’s digital operator in Bangladesh, and offers open access to customers of all telco operators in the country.
"As a future-ready digital service provider, we addressed the shift in people's sports consumption habits, and offered a personalized viewing experience on Toffee,” says Erik Aas, Chief Executive Officer, Banglalink. The massive turnout of viewers is another sign of our growing prominence as digital operator. We wholeheartedly thank all the viewers, partners, and advertisers who made Toffee’s World Cup campaign a success with their responses and support. This success will encourage us to bring more high-quality content to Toffee in the days to come.”
About VEON
VEON is a global digital operator that currently provides converged connectivity and online services to over 200 million customers in seven dynamic markets. We are transforming people’s lives, empowering individuals, creating opportunities for greater digital inclusion and driving economic growth across countries that are home to more than 8% of the world’s population. Headquartered in Amsterdam, VEON is listed on NASDAQ and Euronext.
For more information visit: https://www.veon.com.

About Banglalink
Banglalink is one of the leading digital communications service providers in Bangladesh, working to unlock new opportunities for its customers as they navigate the digital world. Driven by the vision of transforming lives through technology, Banglalink also strives to transform into a future-ready service provider capable of catering to the demands of the new digital era. It is a subsidiary of VEON Ltd - a Nasdaq and Euronext listed connectivity provider headquartered in the Netherlands.

About Toffee
Toffee is Bangladesh’s premier video streaming app, launched in November 2019. Just in few months after its launch, Toffee became the #1 entertainment app in Bangladesh in Google Play Store to date! Unlike any other video streaming app in the market, Toffee is accessible to everyone from any network. The app offers a buffer-less viewing experience with easy and simple navigation. It can be enjoyed on Android smartphones, Android TVs, and iOS devices. Toffee currently has 80+ national and international Live TV channels, live sports and offers a large collection of video-on-demand and user generated content

Disclaimer
This release contains “forward-looking statements,” as the phrase is defined in Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are not historical facts, and include statements relating to, among other things, the digital entertainment services we provide. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, many of which VEON cannot predict with accuracy and some of which VEON might not even anticipate. The forward-looking statements contained in this release speak only as of the date of this release. VEON does not undertake to publicly update, except as required by U.S. federal securities laws, any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after such dates or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. There can be no assurance that the digital entertainment services referred to above will continue to maintain the viewership reported above.

Contact Information

  • VEON Group

Group Communications Director
Marina Levina
PR@veon.com

  • TUVA Partners

Julian Tanner
Julian.tanner@tuvapartners.com