 | |
| Type | Public television broadcaster |
|---|---|
| Country | |
| Availability | National |
| Founded | 1956; 69 years ago (1956) (as Radiotjänst) bySveriges Radio |
| Motto | Hela Sveriges Television |
| none | |
Broadcast area | Sweden |
| Area | Europe |
| Parent | Foundation Management for SR, SVT, and UR |
Key people |
|
Launch date | 4 September 1956; 69 years ago (1956-09-04) |
Former names | Radiotjänst (1956–1957) Sveriges Radio TV (1957–1979) |
Channels | SVT1,SVT2,SVT24,SVT Barn,Kunskapskanalen |
Online | SVT Nyheter |
Other broadcast languages | Ođđasat (Northern Sámi)Uutiset (Finnish)Nyhetstecken (Swedish sign language) |
| Affiliates | European Broadcasting Union |
Official website | svt |
| Language | Swedish and a variety ofminority languages. |
Notes [1] | |
Sveriges Television AB ("Sweden's TelevisionStock Company"), shortened toSVT (Swedish:[ˈsvæ̌rjɛstɛlɛvɪˈɧuːnɛsveːˈteː]ⓘ), is theSwedish nationalpublic television broadcaster and news website, funded by a public service tax on personal income set by theRiksdag (national parliament).[2] Prior to 2019, SVT was funded by atelevision licence fee payable by all owners oftelevision sets. The Swedish public broadcasting system is largely modelled after the system used in theUnited Kingdom, and Sveriges Television shares many traits with its British counterpart, theBBC.
SVT is apublic limited company that can be described as a "quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisation." Together with the other two public broadcasters,Sveriges Radio andSveriges Utbildningsradio, it is owned by an independent foundation,Förvaltningsstiftelsen för Sveriges Radio AB, Sveriges Television AB och Sveriges Utbildningsradio AB. The foundation's board consists of 13 politicians, representing the political parties in the Riksdag and appointed by theSwedish government. The foundation in turn appoints the SVT board members.
SVT's regulatory framework is governed by Swedish law. SVT and Sveriges Radio were originally a joint company, but since 1979 they and Sveriges Utbildningsradio are sibling companies sharing some joint services.
SVT maintained a monopoly in domestic terrestrial broadcasting from its start in 1956 until the privately heldTV4 started broadcasting terrestrially in 1992. It is barred from accepting advertisements except in the case of sponsors for sporting events. Until the launch of theSwedish languagesatellite television channelTV3 in 1987, Sveriges Television provided the only Swedish television available to the public. SVT is still the biggest TV network in Sweden, with an audience share of 36.4 per cent.[citation needed]
When radio broadcasting was first organised in the 1920s in Sweden, it was decided to adopt a model similar to that of theBritish Broadcasting Company in the United Kingdom. Radio would be a monopoly funded by a licence fee and organised as a limited company, AB Radiotjänst ("Radio Service Ltd."), owned by the radio industry and the press.[3] The transmitters were owned by the state throughTelegrafverket and the press held a monopoly on newscasts throughTidningarnas Telegrambyrå. AB Radiotjänst was one of 23 founding broadcasting organisations of theEuropean Broadcasting Union (EBU) in 1950.
Tidningarnas Telegrambyrå lost its monopoly on newscasts de jure in 1947 and de facto in 1956, but otherwise, the same model would be applied to television.[4]
It was decided to start test transmissions of television in June 1954. The first transmissions were made on 29 October 1954 from theRoyal Institute of Technology inStockholm.[4]
In 1956 the Riksdag decided that television broadcasting should continue permanently and on 4 September Radiotjänst initiated official transmissions from the newNacka transmitter. A television licence for those owning a television set was introduced in October of that year.[4]
Regularly scheduled television programming began in 1957. At the same time, Radiotjänst was renamedSveriges Radio (SR) and its ownership was changed. The state and the press would each have 40% shares, while the company itself would own 20% (in 1967, the state increased its share to 60% at the expense of the press).
In 1958, the first newscast,Aktuellt, was broadcast. During the 1960s the establishment of a second TV channel was frequently discussed. These discussions resulted in the launch ofTV2 on 5 December 1969. The original channel becameTV1 and it was intended that the two channels would broadcast in "stimulating competition" within the same company.[5]
The first stage of the main headquarters building and TV studios for Sveriges Television calledTV-huset(sv), was inaugurated on Oxenstiernsgatan in theÖstermalm district in Stockholm on 30 October 1967. The completion of the second stage of TV-huset and its official opening was on 5 December 1969, the same day as the start of operations of TV2, making it one of the largest television studios in Europe at that time.
1970 saw the start of the first regional programme,Sydnytt fromMalmö. More regional news programmes were launched in 1972 and the entire country was covered by regional news programmes by 1987 whenABC from Stockholm began.
When TV2 started the news programmes were reorganised.Aktuellt was replaced byTV-nytt, which was responsible for the main 19.30 bulletin on TV1 as well as news updates on both channels. In addition, the two channels would get one "commentary bulletin" each. TV2's was entitledRapport and TV1's wasNu.[6]
In 1972, the news was reorganised once again.Rapport was moved to the 19.30 slot on TV2 whileAktuellt was revived, to broadcast at 18.00 and 21.00 on TV1.[7] These timeslots would mostly stay unchanged for the following decades.
The first colour broadcast was made in 1966 , with regular colour broadcasts being introduced in 1970.Teletext started in 1978.
At the end of the 1970s, SR was reorganised. From 1 July 1979, Sveriges Radio AB became the parent company of four subsidiaries:
SVT would provide all television broadcasting, except for educational programming which was the responsibility of UR. The abbreviation SVT was chosen over the arguably more logical "STV" as that abbreviation was already occupied byScottish Television in the EBU.[8] The Swedish EBU membership is currently jointly held by SVT, SR and UR.
The SVT logo introduced in October 1980, as well as the individual channel logos for TV1 and TV2, were all created by British designerSid Sutton.[9]
The two channels were reorganised in 1987. TV1 was renamed Kanal 1 and contained almost all programmes produced in Stockholm, while TV2 consisted of the ten regional districts and theRapport news desk.
Broadcasting inNicam Stereo was made permanent in 1988. This year also saw the launch of a channel calledSVT World in southern Finland, broadcasting content from SVT forSwedish-speaking population of Finland. The channel, which was later renamed SVT4, was rebranded asSVT Europa in 1997 when it started broadcasting to all of Europe via satellite. Following its expansion intoAsia andAfrica, it was rebranded as SVT World in 2005.
In 1992, the Riksdag decided that Sveriges Radio would be reorganised once again, this time into three separate companies (with RR and LRAB merged) without a shared parent company. From 1994, they would be owned by three independent foundations. The three foundations later did only a few years later merge into one.[10]
In 1990, the television broadcasting day would usually begin at 16.00 and end before midnight. The 1990s saw an increase in broadcasting hours, with the addition of reruns in the afternoon, a morning show, and lunchtime news bulletins. SVT also met competition from new commercial broadcasters.TV3 became the first channel to break SVT's monopoly on television in Sweden and in 1992 the newly elected right-wing parliamentary majority allowedTV4 to start terrestrial broadcasting. TV4 soon established nationwide coverage and 1995 passed TV2 in the overall ratings to become the nation's most-viewed channel.
In 1996, the channels were once again reorganised. The previous organisation and competition between the two channels disappeared as they became part of a single organisation. Kanal 1 and TV2 were renamedSVT1 andSVT2. The first season ofExpedition: Robinson (Survivor) was shown in 1997.
The firstdigital terrestrial television (DTT) broadcasts took place in 1999. SVT started six new channels: the news channelSVT24 and five regional channels. 2000 saw the reorganisation of the news desks.Aktuellt,Rapport, and SVT24 all came under the control of one central news desk.
In 2001 a new logo and new programme schedules, among other things, were introduced. This made SVT1 the broader mainstream channel with higher ratings and SVT2 the narrower channel. The main news bulletins at 19.30 and 21.00 switched channels, withAktuellt now shown on SVT2 andRapport on SVT1. The new logo was a combination of a star and a flower made by English & Pockett. The symbol combined elements of the two channels: the star represented SVT1, while the petals around it represented SVT2.[11]
The regional channels were closed at the beginning of 2002 and replaced bySVT Extra. In December 2002, a new channel known asBarnkanalen began showing children's programmes during the day. On 24 February 2003, SVT24 and SVT Extra were renamed24, a theme channel for news and sports. Also in 2003, all the SVT channels dropped their encryption in the DTT network.
On 25 June 2003, SVT broadcast its first programme with5.1 sound on DTT. The first 5.1 show wasAllsång på Skansen. In November 2004, SVT added two audio streams that read out the translation subtitles on SVT1 and SVT2. The knowledge-oriented channelKunskapskanalen started broadcasting in September 2004.
The switch-off of analogue transmitters started in 2005 in Gotland. By 2007 all analogue transmissions from SVT had ceased.
SVT startedVODcasting several programmes in February 2006. Altogether three broadcasters competed to be the first one to VODcast in Sweden. In the end, all three started in the same week.
SVT made its first broadcasts inhigh-definition television during the2006 FIFA World Cup on a channel operated in co-operation withTV4 AB. Regular high-definition broadcasting started on theSVT HD channel on 22 October 2006. The first programme was the filmLost in Translation, followed the next day by a 50th-anniversary tribute to television in Sweden, which was the first live entertainment programme to be broadcast in high definition in Sweden. On 25 August 2008, new logos and channel identities were introduced on the network with Barnkanalen renamedSVTB and 24 returning to its former name of SVT24, while SVT1 began carryingRegionala Nyheter (regional news bulletins) for the first time.
SVT was the host broadcaster for the1975,1985,1992,2000,2013,2016 and2024Eurovision Song Contests.
In 2018, the Riksdag voted to replace the traditional TV licensing system with a new public service fee based on personal income tax.[2]
News programmes are an important part of SVT. Since 1972 there have been two main news programmes:Rapport andAktuellt (translated "Report" and "Current [events]", respectively). The two news programmes had completely separate organisations, meaning a lot of duplicated coverage was provided. After some co-operation in the 1990s, the two programmes were allowed to merge in 2000 with the newly createdSVT24 to form a single organisation. The different programme names and identities were kept, however. Eventually, Rapport has become the main news programme, and Aktuellt will only broadcast one bulletin per day from autumn 2007.
The main national news bulletins areRapport, broadcast at 18.00 and 19.30, andAktuellt which reports in greater depth at 21.00. Additionally, shorter news bulletins are shown in the mornings and throughout the day on SVT1, SVT2, and SVT24. These are styledSVT Nyheter. SVT also broadcasts video news on the Internet through a service calledPlay Rapport.
SVT provides news programmes in various minority languages:Uutiset in Finnish,Nyhetstecken inSwedish Sign Language, and, in co-operation withNRK andYle,Ođđasat inNorthern Sami, as well as special editions ofSverige idag inMeänkieli andRomani.[12]
There are also regional news bulletins
– on SVT1 at 18.33 on Mondays to Fridays and 18.10 on Sundays, as well as 19.55 daily except Saturdays
– on SVT2 at 21.46 on Mondays to Thursdays and 21.25 on Fridays
In November 2023, SVT joined with theInternational Consortium of Investigative Journalists,Paper Trail Media [de] and 69 media partners includingDistributed Denial of Secrets and theOrganized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and more than 270 journalists in 55 countries and territories[13][14] to produce the 'Cyprus Confidential' report on the financial network which supports the regime ofVladimir Putin, mostly with connections to Cyprus, and showed Cyprus to have strong links with high-up figures in the Kremlin, some of whom have been sanctioned.[15][16] Government officials including Cyprus presidentNikos Christodoulides[17] and European lawmakers[18] began responding to the investigation's findings in less than 24 hours,[19] calling for reforms and launching probes.[20][21]
A survey in 1999 claimed that 33 percent of the journalists working for SVT and SR supported theLeft Party, which was about the same proportion as among journalists employed in commercial broadcasting and the print media, but significantly higher than among the general public, only 15 percent of whom supported the Left Party. Support for the Left Party, theGreen Party and theLiberal Party was stronger among journalists on SVT and SR than among the general public, while theModerate Party, theSocial Democrats, and theChristian Democrats had significantly less support among SVT and SR journalists than they did among the public at large.[22] The study nevertheless concluded that the private political opinions of the journalists had little impact on their work and that news stories are treated the same regardless of the political colour of individual journalists.[22] It is also worth mentioning that SJF, the organisation amongst whose members the study was partly conducted, is atrade union, which could have skewed the representativity of the sample (lessening the validity of the survey) as it is possible it excluded some rightwing journalists. TheUniversity of Gothenburg also made another study during theSwedish 2006 general election, comparing SVT's news programmeRapport to the country's five largest newspapers. The study concluded thatRapport's coverage of the election was the most balanced of them all.[23]
Entertainment shows on Fridays and Saturdays are, together with popular sports, the programmes that attract the largest audiences.
Sveriges Television hosted theEurovision Song Contest 1985,1992,2000,2013,2016, and2024, and also as a part of Sveriges Radio hosted the1975 contest.
SVT produces drama in several genres and forms.
Regional content is entirely solely restricted to news which is broadcast onSVT1 andSVT2. The eighteen news programmes are:ABC,Blekingenytt,Gävledala,Hallandsnytt,Jämtlandsnytt,Jönköpingsnytt,Mittnytt,Nordnytt,Smålandsnytt,Sydnytt,Tvärsnytt,Uppland,Värmlandsnytt,Västerbottensnytt,Västmanlandsnytt,Västnytt andÖstnytt. The regional news programmes are broadcast on SVT1 at 18.33–18.45 on Mondays to Fridays (18.10–18.15 on Sundays), with a follow-up bulletin at 19.55–20.00. SVT2 also broadcasts regional news followingAktuellt at 21.46–21.56 on Mondays to Thursdays and 21.25–21.30 on Fridays. There are no regional news bulletins on Saturdays.
Kalles klätterträd ran on Sveriges Television starting in 1975 and grew to become one of the most popular children's programmes of the 1970s. The children's strandBolibompa was broadcast every day at 18.00 on SVT1, before moving to SVTB in August 2008.
SVT also airs foreign programming, primarily from theUnited States,United Kingdom and other Nordic countries, in their original audio with Swedish subtitles, as is the case on other Nordic television channels.[12]The only cases in which dubbing is widespread is in programming aimed directly at children who are not expected to have learned reading skills yet. However, for some programmes, viewers may also access 'talking subtitles' through their remote where someone reads the subtitles to viewers (though 'talking subtitles' are not strictly in sync with the original audio as dubbing is). These same practices are also done for segments of local programmes that contain foreign language dialogue.
33% of the national first-time broadcasts consisted of foreign content in 2005. Of all acquired programming (including Swedish programming not produced by SVT) 27% came from the United States, 22% from the United Kingdom, 13% from Sweden, 13% from the otherNordic countries, 6% fromFrance, 4% fromGermany and 9% from the rest ofEurope.[24]
SVT often cooperates with the other Nordic public broadcasters viaNordvision. Thus, many Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic and Finnish programming air on SVT, whileDR,NRK,YLE,KVF andRÚV show Swedish programmes. When there is major breaking news out of Denmark however, SVT may also source live coverage from TV2.
SVT has five regular channels broadcasting to Sweden:
In addition to these channels, SVT had a special events channel calledSVT Extra. It was generally unused and was (as of 2006) last used for live coverage during the2004 Summer Olympic Games. In 2006, SVT launched a high-definition channel calledSVT HD, simulcasting HD versions of programmes on the other SVT channels.
All channels, except SVT1 HD and SVT2 HD, are available in most of Sweden through the digital terrestrial television network and encrypted from Thor and Sirius satellites. Until September 2005, both SVT1 and SVT2 were available nationwide via analogue terrestrial transmitters. Cable networks are required to broadcast four SVT channels for free in either digital or analogue form.
SVT World, a mix of the SVT channels, was broadcast on satellite and worldwide via IPTV, and also as a terrestrial channel in Swedish-speaking areas of southern Finland. For rights reasons, SVT World does not show acquired material, such as movies, sports, orEnglish language programming. The channel was closed in April 2017.[25]
SVT1, SVT2, SVT Barn, SVT24, and Kunskapskanalen are also available through DTT onÅland[26] and can be distributed on Finnish cable networks. InOstrobothnia, Finland, SVT1, SVT2, SVTB and SVT24 are transmitted through DTT as pay TV to the Swedish-speaking population. The signals from the terrestrial transmitters in Sweden can be received in some areas of Denmark and Norway as well as in northernmost Finland near Sweden. With special equipment reception of Swedish terrestrial transmitters is possible even on some parts of the Finnish coast as well as the Polish and German coast closest to Sweden. Cable networks in the Nordic countries generally redistribute SVT1 and SVT2 often for an additional monthly subscription charge in addition to the subscriber's main package. Some Nordic hotels, especially in Denmark and Norway, also offer SVT1 or SVT2 to guests.
SVT considers its website,svt.se, a channel in its own right. SVT also provides an on-demand service calledSVT Play through which most of the programmes produced for SVT and aired on its channels are available. However, most non-news and non-current event programmes on SVT Play are only available for viewing in Sweden.
The executive management of SVT is handled by a CEO, appointed by the board. The CEO of SVT is currentlyHanna Stjärne who took over the role fromEva Hamilton in 2015. The chairman of the Board isLars Engqvist, deputy Prime Minister of the previous Social Democratic government.
SVT is divided into eight operative programme-producing units - four of these are located in Stockholm while the other four are located around the country at regional studios and are based on the ten regional transmission areas which were merged in 2000:
These four district areas produce networked output and co-ordinate ten of the eleven regional news services broadcast daily on SVT1.
The Stockholm-based units are:
Before Sveriges Television was formed in 1978, television broadcasting was controlled by channel controllers.Nils Erik Baehrentz was the controller between 1958 and 1968. He was succeeded byHåkan Unsgaard who became TV1's controller in 1968 andÖrjan Wallquist who became the TV2 controller in 1969.
When Sam Nilsson retired, the executive chair was split between a CEO and a Programme Officer. This position was abolished in 2007.
Since the arrival of commercial television, SVT's combined viewing share has declined steadily and digital channels have also provided competition. The commercial TV4 became the most watched station in 1995 and maintained its position until 2002, when SVT1 regained the status. TV4 became the most watched channel again 2006.
The combined viewing share of the SVT channels declined from 50% in 1997 to 40% in 2005. SVT was the most watched network in Sweden with a share of 38.3% in 2006, although all three major commercial channels attract a higher share of 15- to 24-year-olds than the two SVT channels combined.[28]
A media study released in 2020 showed that trust in SVT programming polarised the audience.[29] 80-90% of viewers who supported liberal or left-leaning partiesGreen Party,Swedish Social Democratic Party,Liberals,Left Party andCentre Party had high trust in SVT whereas fewer viewers who supported conservative-leaning partiesChristian Democrats (60%),Moderate Party (54%) andSweden Democrats (30%) had high trust in SVT.[30] This meant that SVT was an issue that polarised the audience more than theUS president Donald Trump.[29]
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