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Television wasintroduced inFinland in 1955.^[1]Color television started in 1969^[2][3] and was introduced gradually, with most programs in color by the late 1970s. All terrestrialanalogue stations stopped broadcasting on 1 September 2007 after the introduction ofdigital television;cable providers were allowed to continue analog broadcasting in their networks until 1 March 2008.

Typically, foreign-language content issubtitled, retaining the original languagesoundtrack. This includes interview responses in news or magazine programmes not given in the main language of that programme. Foreign programming intended for children is, however, usually dubbed into one of the national languages. Regardless of the intended audience or original language, many shows receive aFinnish and/orSwedish title which is used in programme schedules.

In 2016 it was said that 47% of people watch via terrestrial antenna, 43% via cable, 11% via IPTV and 4% via satellite.^[4]

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On 24 May 1955, the first public television broadcast in Finland was aired by theRadioinsinööriseura [fi] (laterElektroniikkainsinöörien seura [fi]).^[5] The project eventually developed intoTES-TV (later Tesvisio), the first television channel in Finland that began regular broadcasts on 21 March 1956.^[6][7] The public broadcasterYleisradio began their television project in 1957, with regular broadcasts starting from 1 January 1958.Suomen Televisio (nowYle TV1), as the channel was called, also featured commercial programming fromMTV, a separate channel that leased programming blocks from Yleisradio. This arrangement would last until 1993.

Yleisradio acquired Tesvisio in 1964 and reorganized its assets into a second TV channel (nowYle TV2). Despite MTV's demands that the second channel be in their control, Yleisradio maintained ownership of the second channel but sold MTV more time on it. In 1986, a third channelKolmoskanava was introduced as a joint venture between Yleisradio, MTV andNokia. MTV gradually purchased Kolmoskanava into their ownership and in 1993, turned it intoMTV3. Once MTV3 was introduced, MTV moved all of its programming there.

Since 2021, around 75% of the Finnish population watch television content online viaYouTube,Vimeo, and other, in addition to onlineTV broadcasting companies.^[8]

• Bosch
• Broadchurch
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
• CSI: Miami
• CSI: NY
• Crisis
• Emmerdale
• Hostages
• Legends
• Madam Secretary
• Major Crimes
• NCIS: New Orleans
• Prison Break
• Survivor
• The Amazing Race
• The Apprentice
• The Bold and the Beautiful
• The Closer
• The Mentalist
• The Night Manager
• Wallander
• 24

• Army Wives
• The Biggest Loser: Toinen mahdollisuus
• Chicago Fire
• Bates Motel
• Bones
• Kallista kipua
• Sex and the City – Sinkkuelämää
• Chance
• West Wing
• Revolution
• C.S.I.
• Num3rot
• Gossip Girl
• Kuuntelija
• Nurse Jackie
• Smash
• Dexter
• Nuoret poliisit
• Yli synkän virran
• Burn Notice
• The Real Housewives franchise
• Rikoksista pahin
• Wild at Heart
• Medium
• Psych
• Shattered
• Ruma Betty
• Kova laki: Erikoisyksikkö
• Kova laki
• Kova laki: Rikollinen mieli
• Kova laki: Los Angeles
• Mike & Molly
• Tyhjätaskut
• Orange Is the New Black
• Brooklyn 99
• Kunnian miehet
• Downton Abbey
• The Mindy Project
• C.S.I. Cyber
• Havaiji 5-0
• Tarkka-ampujat
• The Oprah Winfrey Show
• Good Wife
• House
• Muodon vuoksi
• Mad Love
• Tuho-osasto
• Monk
• Vampyyripäiväkirjat
• Keeping Up with the Kardashians
• Eureka
• The Originals
• Isojen poikien leikit
• Event

Digital terrestrial television was launched on 21 August 2001. The analogue networks continued its broadcasts alongside the digital ones until 1 September 2007, when they were shut down nationwide.

Before the analogue switchoff, the terrestrial network had threemultiplexes: MUX A, MUX B and MUX C. MUX A contained the channels of the public broadcasterYleisradio and MUX B was shared between the two commercial broadcasters:MTV3 andNelonen. MUX C contained channels of various other broadcasters. After the analogue closedown, a fourth multiplex named MUX E was launched.

In addition the free-to-air broadcasts, two companies are providing encryption cards for pay television:Canal Digital andPlusTV. Canal Digital was the first to launch, originally only offering four Canal+ channels (theDisney Channel was added later on).PlusTV was launched in November 2006, originally only broadcastingMTV3 Max andSubtv Juniori (later on addingSubtv Leffa andUrheilu+kanava). Both packages got more channels with the launch of MUX E in September 2007:SVT Europa andMTV3 Fakta was added to PlusTV andKinoTV was added to Canal Digital, whileDiscovery Channel,Eurosport,MTV Finland andNickelodeon were added to both packages.^{[citation needed]}

September 2007 also saw the launch of theSveaTV package inOstrobothnia which broadcasts channels fromSweden.^{[citation needed]}

The digital channelYLE Extra was closed on 31 December 2007 and was replaced by YLE TV1+, a simulcast of TV1 with subtitles included in the video stream. TV1+ was closed on 4 August 2008 due to its low viewing share.^[9]

Finland fully launchedDVB-T2 in November 2024, and will exclusively use DVB-T2 starting June 2025.^[10]

Analogue cable television were switched off in Finland on 1 March 2008, but digital cable television is widespread all over the country and its infrastructure used forcable internet services.^{[citation needed]}

The major cable operators are DNA, Welho and TTV, operating inTurku,Helsinki andTampere areas. All pay television uses digital broadcasts, DVB-Cset-top boxes have been available since 2001.^{[citation needed]}

Digital satellite television started in Nordic countries, and also in Finland, by Multichoice Nordic pay-TV platform during 1996. The firstset-top boxes available were manufactured byNokia andPace. After that, the service merged with Canal Digital in late 1997. Competing pay television Viasat andYle's channelTV Finland started digital broadcasts in 1999.^{[citation needed]}

Canal Digital launched some HDTV channels, like Discovery HD, on their digital paytv-package during 2006. Pan-European HDTV-channelEuro1080 HD1 is available also in Finland.^{[citation needed]}

All Yle channels are broadcast free-to-air and so are a few commercial ones includingMTV3,Nelonen,MTV Sub,Jim,TV5,Star Channel andKutonen. Yle channels are state owned and are funded by aring fenced so-called "Yle tax".

Most of the channels are the same throughout mainland Finland. InOstrobothnia andÅland there is an extra multiplex available which provides encrypted channels from Sweden, along with respective local stations,^[11] and of course due to overlapping signals, Russian, Swedish, Norwegian and Estonian stations are able to be seen near the border areas and vice versa.

• Links:
  • Information about closed pay-TV package in DTT from 31 May 2025^[14]
  • List of DTT channels from 1 April 2025^[15]
  • PID list^[16]

• Media of Finland

• Viestinävirasto - Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority
• Digita - Terrestrial Broadcast Operator
• DNA - Terrestrial Broadcast Operator
• Finnpanel - Measures TV viewing and radio listening
• Telkku.com - TV-guide

• Television in Finland
• Television by country

• CS1 Finnish-language sources (fi)
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