The objective for Vikings: Valhalla was clear: continue the fiery success of the storied franchise in its first forays into streaming. Along our voyage, our messaging across platforms had to emphasize the show's unique new path - highlighting the journey of Leif Eriksson - while maintaining the integrity of the original series and attracting an audience accustomed to broadcast television.
The themes of Vikings: Valhalla often appeal to base emotions between its incredible battle scenes and tender romantic moments, but our strategy lead us to expand to another core tenet of fandom: history. Not textbook history, but a semi-fictional and entirely entertaining history, updated for the modern era.
We presented the incredible journey of Leif Eriksson, Harald Sigurdsson and Freydis Eriksdotter across a huge breadth of platforms from Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to Broadcast commercials and Digital Out of Home pieces. Our re-imagining of the story updated poignant moments from the series, even re-composing the famed song 'London Bridge is Falling Down' - a true historical event that plays an integral role in Season 1.
Vikings: Valhalla Season 1 was an immediate success with positive sentiment resounding across platforms, lauding the visceral and immersive escape audiences craved. The show was immediately catapulted to top 10 on the Netflix platform in 91 countries in its first weekend on the service. Moreover, the show was viewed more than 194 million hours in its first 9 days of availability. Fan response made it clear: the voyage wasn't over. Netflix immediately picked up the show for not 1, but 2 additional seasons that fans so craved.
