Modern Times Group (
MTG, ) is a
SwedishSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
media company. MTG was formed out of the media holdings of investment company
KinnevikInvestment AB Kinnevik was established in 1936 by Wilhelm Klingspor and Robert von Horn as an investment company. They had just sold their sugar company and were left with a farming company Mellersta Sveriges Lantbruks AB and cash. Their lawyer was Hugo Stenbeck. The lawyer got significant...
, which in 1997 was distributed to the company stockholders. Among the assets were
ViasatViasat is a DBS distributor and TV broadcaster, owned by the Swedish media conglomerate Modern Times Group. Broadcasting from London, the target markets are in the Nordic and the Baltic Countries...
and
Metro InternationalMetro International is a Swedish media company based in Luxembourg that publishes the Metro newspapers. Metro International's advertising sales have grown at a compound annual growth rate of 41% since launch of the first newspaper edition in 1995. It is a freesheet, meaning that distribution is...
. Viasat is a group of television channels, included
TV3TV3 is the brand name used by Viasat's flagship channels in Scandinavia, the Baltic States, and Slovenia. Viasat is part of the Swedish media company Modern Times Group...
(the first commercial television channel in Sweden that had been started in 1987),
ZTVZTV is a television channel broadcast by Viasat to Sweden. Since May 2006, most of its programming consists of music videos.-History:The channel started in Sweden as a daily afternoon show in TV3 and TV4 in February 1991. The channel got its name as it was a simulcast version of the radio station Z...
,
Viasat SportViasat Sport is the common brand of several sports channels targeting the Nordic, Baltic and Eastern European countries owned by Modern Times Group.Viasat Sport is also the name of one tv-channel in Russia, Belarus and the Baltics...
and
TV1000TV1000 is a group of cable and satellite movie channels broadcasting to the Nordic countries and owned by Modern Times Group . It is also the name of the flagship channel....
. The shares of Metro International, which runs a chain of free newspapers, was distributed in a second round among the shareholders of MTG.
MTG is listed on the
Stockholm Stock ExchangeThe Stockholm Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in Stockholm, Sweden. Founded in 1863 it is the primary securities exchange of the Nordic Countries....
under the symbols MTGA and MTGB.
See also: List of Swedish companies, Media in Sweden- Press :The Swedish Press is self-regulated through the Public Press Ombudsman, or Allmänhetens Pressombudsman and the Swedish Press Council, or Pressens Opinionsnämnd. One example of this is that Swedish media follow a principle of not disclosing the identities of suspected criminals...
Viasat Broadcasting is the largest business area, representing more than half of the company (77 percent of the revenues in 2005).
Modern Times Group (
MTG, ) is a
SwedishSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
media company. MTG was formed out of the media holdings of investment company
KinnevikInvestment AB Kinnevik was established in 1936 by Wilhelm Klingspor and Robert von Horn as an investment company. They had just sold their sugar company and were left with a farming company Mellersta Sveriges Lantbruks AB and cash. Their lawyer was Hugo Stenbeck. The lawyer got significant...
, which in 1997 was distributed to the company stockholders. Among the assets were
ViasatViasat is a DBS distributor and TV broadcaster, owned by the Swedish media conglomerate Modern Times Group. Broadcasting from London, the target markets are in the Nordic and the Baltic Countries...
and
Metro InternationalMetro International is a Swedish media company based in Luxembourg that publishes the Metro newspapers. Metro International's advertising sales have grown at a compound annual growth rate of 41% since launch of the first newspaper edition in 1995. It is a freesheet, meaning that distribution is...
. Viasat is a group of television channels, included
TV3TV3 is the brand name used by Viasat's flagship channels in Scandinavia, the Baltic States, and Slovenia. Viasat is part of the Swedish media company Modern Times Group...
(the first commercial television channel in Sweden that had been started in 1987),
ZTVZTV is a television channel broadcast by Viasat to Sweden. Since May 2006, most of its programming consists of music videos.-History:The channel started in Sweden as a daily afternoon show in TV3 and TV4 in February 1991. The channel got its name as it was a simulcast version of the radio station Z...
,
Viasat SportViasat Sport is the common brand of several sports channels targeting the Nordic, Baltic and Eastern European countries owned by Modern Times Group.Viasat Sport is also the name of one tv-channel in Russia, Belarus and the Baltics...
and
TV1000TV1000 is a group of cable and satellite movie channels broadcasting to the Nordic countries and owned by Modern Times Group . It is also the name of the flagship channel....
. The shares of Metro International, which runs a chain of free newspapers, was distributed in a second round among the shareholders of MTG.
MTG is listed on the
Stockholm Stock ExchangeThe Stockholm Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in Stockholm, Sweden. Founded in 1863 it is the primary securities exchange of the Nordic Countries....
under the symbols MTGA and MTGB.
See also: List of Swedish companies, Media in Sweden- Press :The Swedish Press is self-regulated through the Public Press Ombudsman, or Allmänhetens Pressombudsman and the Swedish Press Council, or Pressens Opinionsnämnd. One example of this is that Swedish media follow a principle of not disclosing the identities of suspected criminals...
Viasat Broadcasting
Viasat Broadcasting is the largest business area, representing more than half of the company (77 percent of the revenues in 2005). It includes both free and pay television.
Free television
In Scandinavia and the Baltics, Viasat operates one main channel called "TV3" and a secondary channel in every country. Although MTG list these channels as "free-to-air", most of the Scandinavian channels are encrypted and subject to decoding fees.
Nordic countries
In Sweden:
- TV3 Sweden
TV3 is a television channel targeted at a Swedish language audience owned by Modern Times Group . It was founded on December 31, 1987 by entrepreneur Jan Stenbeck as joint Scandinavian channel, but Denmark and Norway soon got their own versions of TV3...
- TV6 Sweden
- TV8 Sweden
TV8 is a television channel owned by Modern Times Group broadcasting to Sweden. It focuses on news, current affairs, documentaries and drama. The channel was started by the private equity firm Ratos in 1997 and was sold to MTG in 1999....
- ZTV Sweden
In Denmark:
- TV3 Denmark
TV3 Denmark is a Danish television station.TV3 is one of the channels owned by the Viasat Corporation. The sister channel is TV3+. The channels shows a lot of American and British shows, such as: Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, NCIS, Las Vegas, Bones, Two And A Half Men, Prison Break, American Idol...
- TV3+ Denmark
- TV3 Puls
TV3 Puls is television channel broadcasting to Denmark. It starts broadcasting on March 23, 2009.Among the programmes broadcast on the channel from its launch are series such as Mad Men and Pushing Daisies, lifestyle programmes and sports events such as Formula One.-Programming:Recurring elements...
In Norway:
- TV3 Norway
TV3 Norway is a commercial television channel targeting Norway owned by Viasat, which is a part of the Swedish media group Modern Times Group...
- Viasat 4
Viasat 4 is a television channel broadcasting to Norway owned by the Modern Times Group. The channel was launched on 8th September 2007, a week after the launch of the digital terrestrial television network in Norway, replacing ZTV which ceased broadcasting shortly before.The channel opened with...
Baltic countries
In Estonia:
- TV3 Estonia
TV3 is a private television channel in Estonia.Acquired programming on TV3 include The Simpsons, CSI Crime Scene Investigation, CSI Miami, CSI New York, 7th Heaven, House, M.D. and several other shows.TV3 is also available in the Estonian version of Viasat...
- 3+ Estonia
- TV6 Estonia
TV6 Estonia is an entertainment television channel broadcasting to Estonia featuring series, music, fashion and sports. It was launched on March 24, 2008, as all of the current channels are obliged to have digital sister channels at the end of March 2008. Estonia will replace analogue television...
In Latvia:
- TV3 Latvia
TV3 Latvia is a television channel targeted at a Latvian language audience owned by Modern Times Group . It was launched in 1998, but didn't receive a terrestrial license until 2001...
- 3+ Latvia
3+ Latvia is a television channel owned by the Modern Times Group broadcasting to the Russian language minority in Latvia from the United Kingdom. It was launched in early 2003...
- TV6 Latvia
In Lithuania:
- TV3 Lithuania
TV3 is a television channel owned by Modern Times Group and targeted at a Lithuanian-speaking audience. It was founded on May 7, 1992 and launched on April 11, 1993 as "Tele-3" before being renamed "TV3" in 1996....
- TV6 Lithuania
Eastern Europe
In Hungary:
- Viasat 3
Viasat 3 is a Hungarian TV channel. It was originally named Alfa TV, but when in 2000 the station was bought by Swedish MTG its name was changed. It began broadcasting as Viasat 3 in October 2000....
- TV6 Hungary
In Russia:
- CTC Media
CTC Media, Inc. is a leading media company in Russia. It owns and operates two national free-to-air TV networks in Russia . It also operates two channels in the CIS - Channel 31 in Kazakhstan and a TV company in Uzbekistan...
is currently an international network owning channels in RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, MoldovaMoldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east and south....
, and KazakhstanKazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a country situated in Eurasia that is ranked as the ninth largest country in the world. It is also the world's largest landlocked country. Its territory of 2,727,300 km² is greater than Western Europe...
(39% of shareownership)
In Slovenia:
- TV3 Slovenia
TV3 is a television channel in Slovenia owned by Modern Times Group . The channel was also known as Prva TV from 1 November 2004 to 1 October 2006....
In Czech Republic:
- TV Prima
TV Prima is a Czech private television station. Its channel is broadcast from Prague. Its current owner is firm FTV Prima, spol. s r. o., general manager Marek Singer....
(50 percent)
- Prima Cool
Prima Cool is a Czech private television station.Prima Cool is second channel of TV Prima. Cool is a man-oriented station.Prima Cool launched on 1 April 2009 as new digital channel of TV Prima. It can be tuned in Czech DVB-T multiplex 2, where is free to air...
(50 percent)
In Bulgaria:
- Nova Television
Nova Television is the first Bulgarian commercial television network launched on July 22, 1994...
(95 percent)
- Diema
Diema is a private Bulgarian cable television broadcaster. Founded in 1999, it is currently owned by the London Stock Exchange-listed Apace Media Plc and Diema Group AD...
(95 percent)
- Diema 2 (95 percent)
- Diema Family (95 percent)
- MM (95 percent)
In Macedonia:
Nordic countries
MTG operates the
ViasatViasat is a DBS distributor and TV broadcaster, owned by the Swedish media conglomerate Modern Times Group. Broadcasting from London, the target markets are in the Nordic and the Baltic Countries...
satellite platform in the Nordic countries offering both in-house and third party channels. The sports channels available in the different Scandinavian countries differ somewhat depending on different rights held for different markets and different business agreements.
The following channels are available in all Scandinavian countries:
- TV1000
TV1000 is a group of cable and satellite movie channels broadcasting to the Nordic countries and owned by Modern Times Group . It is also the name of the flagship channel....
- TV1000 Action
TV1000 Action is a premium television channel showing action and thriller movies and erotic programming in Scandinavia....
- TV1000 Drama
TV1000 Drama is a television channel broadcasting drama movies.The channel launched on February 16, 2009. The same day, all TV1000 channels in the Nordic countries got new logos and graphics. Unlike the other TV1000 channels, which were broadcasting round-the-clock, TV1000 Drama would only...
- TV1000 Family
TV1000 Family is a premium television channel showing family movies....
- TV1000 Classic
TV1000 Classic is a premium television channel showing classic movies....
- TV1000 Nordic
TV1000 Nordic is a premium television channel showing movies from the Nordic countries....
- TV1000 Plus One
TV1000 is a group of cable and satellite movie channels broadcasting to the Nordic countries and owned by Modern Times Group . It is also the name of the flagship channel....
- TV1000 HD
- Viasat Nature/Crime
Viasat Nature/Crime is a television channel broadcasting nature documentaries and crime movies and series. It is broadcasting to Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland....
- Viasat Explorer
Viasat Explorer is a television channel owned by Modern Times Group showing documentaries about wild animals, extreme sports, adventure, travel and technology. It was launched in January 2002 in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. On November 1, 2003 it expanded into Russia, Estonia, Latvia,...
- Viasat History
Viasat History is a Scandinavian television channel showing documentaries about history, culture and society....
- Viasat Golf
Viasat Golf is a pan-Nordic television channel dedicated to broadcasting golf tournaments and golf-related programmes.The channel was launched in January 2007, after MTG had acquired lots of rights for live broadcasting of golf tournaments, such as the US PGA Tour, the PGA European Tour, the...
These channels are only available in Sweden:
- Viasat Sport Sweden (formerly known as Viasat Sport 1
Viasat Sport is a sports channel broadcasting from the United Kingdom, primarily targeting Sweden.The channel was launched in 1999 as a pan-Scandinavian channel...
)
- Viasat Fotboll
Viasat Fotboll is a Swedish television channel dedicated to football.The channel was launched on October 17, 2008, and became the primary home to most of Viasat's football broadcasts, which at the time included UEFA Champions League, 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification, the FA Cup, Football League...
(formerly known as Viasat Sport 2Viasat Sport 2 was a Scandinavian soccer channel. The channel started February 1, 2004 together with Viasat Sport 3. Viasat Sport 2 has the rights to Manchester United TV and Chelsea TV...
)
These channels are only available in Norway:
- SportN
SportN or Viasat SportN is the name of a former sports channel which broadcasted to Norway. The channel launched on November 29, 2005, as a replacement for the then pan-Nordic Viasat Sport 1 channel in Norway....
(in co-operation with Norsk rikskringkastingThe Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation , which is usually known as the NRK, is the Norwegian government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company, and the largest media organisation in Norway...
) (until 15 September 2009)
- Viasat Fotball (from 15 September 2009)
- Viasat Sport Norge
These channels are available in Norway and Sweden:
- Viasat Motor
Viasat Motor is a Scandinavian Motor sports channel that launched on 17 October 2008.Events broadcast on the channel include Formula One, NASCAR, GP2, WRC and MotoGP.-External links:* *...
(formerly known as Viasat Sport 3Viasat Sport 3 was a Scandinavian sports channel mainly showing combat sports, auto racing and American football. The channel started February 1, 2004 together with Viasat Sport 2 The main sports in the summer are NASCAR, Indy Racing League, Boxing, Football club TV.Viasat Sport 3 also have the...
)
- Viasat Sport HD
In Denmark, the sports channels are operated in a joint-venture with TV2/Danmark A/S. The following channels are available in Denmark only:
- TV 2 Sport
TV 2 Sport is a Danish sports channel operated as a joint-venture between Danish TV 2 and Swedish Modern Times Group.MTG launched a dedicated Danish version of its Viasat Sport channel in January 2002...
- TV 2 Sport HD
TV 2 Sport HD is the high-definition television sister channel to Danish television channel TV 2 Sport. It launched on January 2, 2008....
Baltic countries
The Viasat platform is also available in the Baltic countries with the following channels:
- TV1000 East
TV1000 East is a movie television channel targeting the Baltic countries, Russia and other Eastern European countries. It is owned by the Swedish media conglomerate Modern Times Group and was launched in 2004....
- TV1000 Russkoe Kino
TV1000 Russkoe Kino is a television channel broadcasting Russian language movies owned by Modern Times Group....
- TV1000 Premium
- TV1000 Action East
TV1000 Action East is a television channel broadcasting action movies to Russia, CIS countries and the Baltic states. It broadcasts action movies from the United States and Europe...
- Viasat Sport East
Viasat Sport East is a television channel available in Russia, the CIS countries and the Baltic states. The channel heavily features American sports such as the National Hockey League and Major League Baseball....
- Viasat Sport Baltic
Viasat Sport Baltic is a TV sport channel available in the Baltic States. The channel was launched January 7, 2009. Along with Viasat Golf it replaced Viasat Sport 2 and Viasat Sport 3 for viewers on the Viasat platform in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania...
- Viasat Golf
Viasat Golf is a pan-Nordic television channel dedicated to broadcasting golf tournaments and golf-related programmes.The channel was launched in January 2007, after MTG had acquired lots of rights for live broadcasting of golf tournaments, such as the US PGA Tour, the PGA European Tour, the...
- Viasat Explorer
Viasat Explorer is a television channel owned by Modern Times Group showing documentaries about wild animals, extreme sports, adventure, travel and technology. It was launched in January 2002 in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. On November 1, 2003 it expanded into Russia, Estonia, Latvia,...
- Viasat History
Viasat History is a Scandinavian television channel showing documentaries about history, culture and society....
Eastern Europe
Channels available to third party operators in the rest of Eastern Europe are
TV1000 EastTV1000 East is a movie television channel targeting the Baltic countries, Russia and other Eastern European countries. It is owned by the Swedish media conglomerate Modern Times Group and was launched in 2004....
, TV1000 Balkan,
TV1000 Russkoe KinoTV1000 Russkoe Kino is a television channel broadcasting Russian language movies owned by Modern Times Group....
,
TV1000 PolandTV1000 Poland is a Polish movie channel owned by Modern Times Group, owners of the original TV1000 channels. It was launched on the Cyfrowy Polsat satellite platform on March 5, 2007....
,
TV1000 Action EastTV1000 Action East is a television channel broadcasting action movies to Russia, CIS countries and the Baltic states. It broadcasts action movies from the United States and Europe...
,
Viasat Sport EastViasat Sport East is a television channel available in Russia, the CIS countries and the Baltic states. The channel heavily features American sports such as the National Hockey League and Major League Baseball....
,
Viasat ExplorerViasat Explorer is a television channel owned by Modern Times Group showing documentaries about wild animals, extreme sports, adventure, travel and technology. It was launched in January 2002 in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. On November 1, 2003 it expanded into Russia, Estonia, Latvia,...
and
Viasat HistoryViasat History is a Scandinavian television channel showing documentaries about history, culture and society....
.
In April 2008, MTG participated in the launch of
Viasat UkraineViasat Ukraine is a Ukrainian direct broadcast satellite television distributor. It is owned by "Vision TV" which is a joint venture between the Strong Media Group and the Swedish Modern Times Group...
, a satellite distibutor in the Ukraine.
MTG Radio
Viasat owns several radio networks and stations in Scandinavia and the Baltic countries:
- Rix FM, national network in Sweden
- P4 Radio Hele Norge
P4 Radio Hele Norge AS Norway's leading national, private radio station with 24% national market share, about one million daily listeners and two million weekly....
, national network in Norway
- Star FM
STAR FM is the student radio station for the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. The station broadcasts twice yearly on a three-week Ofcom Restricted Service Licence which allows a low-powered broadcast for up to 28 days...
, networks in Estonia and Latvia
- NRJ, network in Sweden
- Lugna favoriter, network in Sweden
- Star FM (Sweden), station in Stockholm
- Bandit Rock
Bandit Rock is a Swedish radio station which exclusively plays rock, punk and heavy metal. The station is part of Modern Times Group and started broadcasting in Stockholm in 2004 and expanded with broadcasts in Södertälje in 2005 and in Gotheburg 2008...
, station in Stockholm and Gothenburg
- Power Hit Radio (Estonia)
Power Hit Radio is an Estonian dance music radio station owned Mediainvest Holding AS in Estonia which belongs to Swedish media company Modern Times Group . It transmits on Tallinn 102,1 FM Pärnu 103,9 FM Tartu 89,7 FM.-History:...
- Power Hit Radio (Lithuania)
Power Hit Radio is a commercial radio station in Lithuania that plays dance music aimed at listeners aged around 15 to 35....
- Radio Nova
Radio Nova is a radio channel in Finland. It was a major radio industry milestone when it launched in 1997. Nova was the only national commercial broadcaster. It is owned by Bonnier and Proventus. Nova specializes in playing popular music for people aged 25-44 and hourly news bulletins....
, minority stake in Finnish network
Modern Studios
Includes the television production companies Strix Television and Modern TV and the film production company
Sonet FilmSonet Film is a Swedish film production company.Established in 1984, Sonet Film is one of Scandinavia's leading film companies and distributors of cinema. Since 1997 it is owned by the media company MTG Modern Times Group....
Home Shopping
"Home Shopping" includes the shopping website CDON.com and the television service TV Shop. In May 2007, MTG agreed to sell TV Shop to Guthy-Renker Europe. The completed on June 21, 2007.
Timeline
1987
- TV3
TV3 is a television channel targeted at a Swedish language audience owned by Modern Times Group . It was founded on December 31, 1987 by entrepreneur Jan Stenbeck as joint Scandinavian channel, but Denmark and Norway soon got their own versions of TV3...
launches in Sweden on New Year’s Eve becoming the first commercial channel in Scandinavia.
1988
- TV3 starts broadcasting to Norway and Denmark. The number of viewers increase from 1.2 million at launch to 3.4 million at end of 1988.
- Strix launches independent TV production.
1989
- August: Pay TV channel TV1000
TV1000 is a group of cable and satellite movie channels broadcasting to the Nordic countries and owned by Modern Times Group . It is also the name of the flagship channel....
launches.
- TV Shop starts selling products and services on TV3.
1990
- TV3 achieves 45% penetration in Sweden and commands 90% of TV advertising market.
- Acquisition of majority shareholding in Svensk Text (SDI Media).
- September: TV3 Denmark
TV3 Denmark is a Danish television station.TV3 is one of the channels owned by the Viasat Corporation. The sister channel is TV3+. The channels shows a lot of American and British shows, such as: Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, NCIS, Las Vegas, Bones, Two And A Half Men, Prison Break, American Idol...
launches, replacing the Pan-Scandinavian version.
1991
- TV3 reports annual profit.
- TV3 Norway
TV3 Norway is a commercial television channel targeting Norway owned by Viasat, which is a part of the Swedish media group Modern Times Group...
launches, each Scandinavian country now has its own version of TV3.
- TV4 granted license as Sweden’s third terrestrial TV station. Kinnevik acquires 30% shareholding in TV4.
- Launch of Viasat DTH satellite pay-TV platform.
- TV1000 merges with competitor SF Succé
SF Succé was a Swedish premium movie channel that operated in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Its owners included Warner Bros, Canal Plus, Svensk Filmindustri and Marieberg...
.
1992
- ZTV
ZTV is a television channel broadcast by Viasat to Sweden. Since May 2006, most of its programming consists of music videos.-History:The channel started in Sweden as a daily afternoon show in TV3 and TV4 in February 1991. The channel got its name as it was a simulcast version of the radio station Z...
's first year as independent channel.
- Kinnevik’s media companies report annual profit.
1993
- September: P4 Radio Hele Norge
P4 Radio Hele Norge AS Norway's leading national, private radio station with 24% national market share, about one million daily listeners and two million weekly....
a national commercial radio network in Norway is launched. MTG is one of its founders.
- First commercial radio licenses obtained in Sweden. TV3 commences Teletext broadcasting.
- Terrestrial TV channels launched in Estonia and Lithuania.
1994
- TV4 becomes largest channel in Sweden.
- TV6
TV6 was a television channel started by Kinnevik as a channel aimed at women. The channel showed TV shows such as Ricki Lake and Dynasty. During the daytime, the shopping channel TVG would broadcast on the same channel as TV6....
launched.
1995
- MTG incorporated as Kinnevik subsidiary.
- Metro
Metro is a free daily newspaper in Sweden, published by Metro International. It is printed in 4 editions: Stockholm, Gothenburg, Skåne and National , which is distributed in 67 towns and cities throughout the country....
launched in Stockholm.
- Minority holding acquired in Finanstidningen daily business newspaper.
1996
- Satellite TV distribution platform switched from Astra
SES Astra SA, is a corporate subsidiary of SES, based in Betzdorf, in eastern Luxembourg, that owns and operates the Astra series of geostationary communication satellites, which transmit approximately 2490 analogue and digital television and radio channels via 317 transponders to 122.2 million...
to NSAB.
- January: Radio Rix radio network formed through a merger between MTG's P6 and SRU.
- April: ZTV and TV6 merged to form 3+ in Denmark.
1997
- Launch of Viasat+, an analogue low-pay satellite package broadcast from the NSAB satellite consisting of MTG's own television channels as well as Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon Scandinavia is a children's channel broadcasting in Denmark, Norway and Finland. In June 2008, a separate channel for Sweden was launched. Nickelodeon Sweden replaces the pan-Nordic channel in all of Sweden...
, VH1VH1 Europe is a music television channel from MTV Networks Europe, based on the American Channel of the same name.-Programming:This version of VH1 is very different from its American counterpart as it has never ceased to be a proper music channel, playing a wide variety of music programs on a daily...
and Sci-Fi Channel.
- Shares in MTG distributed to Kinnevik shareholders and listed on Stockholm Börsinformation and Nasdaq National Market in New York. Second Metro edition published in Prague.
- Strix becomes first company in the world to produce the Survivor reality TV format.
1998
- February: Metro launches in Gothenburg.
- March: TV6 in Sweden relaunches as a Pan-Nordic pay channel called "TV6 Nature World" and "TV6 Action World".
- ZTV moves from Stockhom to London and expands its schedule considerably.
- MTG acquires the Latvian television channel Channel 31, which is later transformed into TV3 Latvia
TV3 Latvia is a television channel targeted at a Latvian language audience owned by Modern Times Group . It was launched in 1998, but didn't receive a terrestrial license until 2001...
.
- Viasat’s satellite TV subscribers exceed 1 million.
- Commercial radio operations launched in Estonia and Latvia.
- September: Metro launches in Budapest.
1999
- Metro launched in Malmö, Helsinki and the Netherlands.
- Monthly magazine Kapital launched in Sweden.
- Internet portal Everyday.com introduced.
- Swedish business channel TV8 acquired.
- MTG’s shares quoted on Stockholmsbörsen O-list.
- February: Launch of CDON.COM.
- March: Launch of sports channel Viasat Sport.
2000
- March: Launch of television channel Viasat Plus
Viasat Plus was a television channel established to entertain audience between the ages of 15-80. The channel broadcast re-runs of sit-coms shown on TV3 earlier and soap operas. Viasat Plus was broadcast in Norway, and was replaced by ZTV in 2002...
in Norway.
- Annual General Meeting approves distribution of Metro International S.A. share capital to MTG shareholders.
- Hans-Holger Albrecht appointed President and CEO of MTG.
- MTG buys the hungarian television channel Alfa TV which becomes Viasat3.
- PIN24 launches on Sky TV’s platform in UK.
- MTG buys the rest of TV1000 from its parent company.
- Viasat launched its digital satellite platform.
2001
- May: Viasat becomes first European satellite TV broadcaster to switch off analog transmission of premium pay-TV channels following successful transition to digital TV.
- TV3 awarded national terrestrial broadcasting license in Latvia.
- Digital home-shopping channel PIN24 launched in Denmark.
- MTG acquires 75% of Russian national commercial TV channel.
- Options to Strix reality TV formats sold in over 30 countries to date.
- Viasat launches four new digital pay-TV channels in Nordic region.
- EUR 120 million convertible subordinated bonds issued to fund further expansion.
- Number of Viasat digital DTH subscribers increases to over 550,000 by year-end.
2002
- January: Viasat Sport Denmark and Viasat Explorer
Viasat Explorer is a television channel owned by Modern Times Group showing documentaries about wild animals, extreme sports, adventure, travel and technology. It was launched in January 2002 in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. On November 1, 2003 it expanded into Russia, Estonia, Latvia,...
launches.
- January: Acquisition of 37 percent of StoryFirst Communications, Inc., owner of the Russian CTC
STS is a commercial television station based in Moscow, Russia. It belongs to the CTC Media, a Delaware-registered, Moscow-based NASDAQ-traded company with a market capitalization exceeding US$4 billion. The company is co-owned by Modern Times Group and Alfa Bank...
network.
- January: Acquisition of Swedish radio stations Lugna Favoriter and WOW 105.5 from RTL Group
RTL Group is Europe's largest TV, radio and production company, and is majority-owned by German media conglomerate Bertelsmann. It has 45 television and 32 radio stations in 11 countries...
.
- New TV3 schedule recovers share of viewing in Scandinavia.
- Doubling of Eastern European TV revenues.
- Launch of PIN24 in Germany, Austria and Switzerland
- Launch of Tango TV in Lithuania.
- Increase in number of digital DTH subscribers to 617,000 and more than doubling of pay-TV operating income.
- TV1000 and Baltic operations both report first annual profits, and TV-Shop turned around. SEK 423 million increase in operating free cash flow.
2003
- TV3 Scandinavia recovers share of viewing and advertisement sales.
- Eastern European operations profitable on a combined basis.
- Pay-TV record operating income SEK 505 million.
- Viasat signs agreement with NDS VideoGuard to eliminate piracy.
- Launch of pay TV channels TV 1000 East and Viasat Explorer
Viasat Explorer is a television channel owned by Modern Times Group showing documentaries about wild animals, extreme sports, adventure, travel and technology. It was launched in January 2002 in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. On November 1, 2003 it expanded into Russia, Estonia, Latvia,...
in Eastern and Central Europe.
2004
- MTG reports highest ever operating result.
- Ferbruary: Launch of Viasta Sport 2 and Viasat Sport 3
Viasat Sport 3 was a Scandinavian sports channel mainly showing combat sports, auto racing and American football. The channel started February 1, 2004 together with Viasat Sport 2 The main sports in the summer are NASCAR, Indy Racing League, Boxing, Football club TV.Viasat Sport 3 also have the...
- May: Viasat History
Viasat History is a Scandinavian television channel showing documentaries about history, culture and society....
launches in Eastern Europe.
- September: Launch of TV1000 Action
TV1000 Action is a premium television channel showing action and thriller movies and erotic programming in Scandinavia....
, TV1000 ClassicTV1000 Classic is a premium television channel showing classic movies....
, TV1000 FamilyTV1000 Family is a premium television channel showing family movies....
and TV1000 NordicTV1000 Nordic is a premium television channel showing movies from the Nordic countries....
.
- Viasat successfully completes implementation of new conditional access system.
- Highest net subscriber intake since digitalisation of platform in 2000.
- Viasat’s four channels reach 6.4 million homes in Central and Eastern Europe.
- MTG acquires remaining minority interests in DTV and increases its shareholding in CTC Media and Radio Hele Norge following sale of SDI Media for US$ 60 million.
- MTG acquires 19.9% of betting company BET24.
- MTG also signs agreement with NRJ Group to assume management of 20 radio stations in Sweden (and 5 in Norway), thereby increasing penetration for MTG’s national network to 83%.
2005
- January: MTG sells its 15,1 percent interest in TV4 AB
TV4 Group is a Swedish media company that owns the largest commercial television channel in Sweden, TV4.Since 2007, the company is fully owned by Bonnier through Nordic Broadcasting Oy...
.
- March: CTC Media
CTC Media, Inc. is a leading media company in Russia. It owns and operates two national free-to-air TV networks in Russia . It also operates two channels in the CIS - Channel 31 in Kazakhstan and a TV company in Uzbekistan...
launches the DomashnyDomashny or Domashniy is a TV Network which targets female viewers aged 25–60. It was launched in March 2005. Domashny was aimed to deliver programming to capture an attractive audience in demand by advertisers, but traditionally under-served by broadcasters.
CTC Media created the Domashny...
television network in Russia.
- October: Launch of Russian language movie channel TV1000 Russian Kino.
- October: SportN launches in Norway.
- November: TV1000 Balkan launches.
2006
- March: MTG became majority shareholder of Bet24, owning 90% of the company.http://www.bet24.com/bet24NetWeb/index.jsp?key=ABOUT_US_TXT
- May: TV6 launches in Sweden.
- September: MTG increases its holding P4 Radio Hele Norge to 90.8 percent, becoming the sole owner in December.
- November: Viasat Sport East
Viasat Sport East is a television channel available in Russia, the CIS countries and the Baltic states. The channel heavily features American sports such as the National Hockey League and Major League Baseball....
launches.
2007
- January: Viasat Golf
Viasat Golf is a pan-Nordic television channel dedicated to broadcasting golf tournaments and golf-related programmes.The channel was launched in January 2007, after MTG had acquired lots of rights for live broadcasting of golf tournaments, such as the US PGA Tour, the PGA European Tour, the...
launches in the Nordic countries.
- March: MTG buys 50 percent of Balkan Media Group Limited, owner of Bulgarian channels Diema
Diema is a private Bulgarian cable television broadcaster. Founded in 1999, it is currently owned by the London Stock Exchange-listed Apace Media Plc and Diema Group AD...
, Diema 2, Diema Family, Diema Extra, MM-Education:*Master of Management, a post-graduate business degree* Master of Music, a music degree-Computer technology:* MediaMonkey, a digital media player and media library application* mm tree, Andrew Morton's Linux kernel tree...
, MM2MM2 may refer to:* Mega Man 2, a 1988 video game for the NES* Mega Man II , a 1991 video game for the Game Boy* Midtown Madness 2, a 2000 video game for the PC* MM2 , a class of force fields...
and ERA TV.
- April: TV6
TV6 Latvia is an entertainment television channel broadcasting to Latvia featuring series, music, fashion and sports. It was launched on April 22, 2007...
launches in Latvia.
- September: Viasat 4
Viasat 4 is a television channel broadcasting to Norway owned by the Modern Times Group. The channel was launched on 8th September 2007, a week after the launch of the digital terrestrial television network in Norway, replacing ZTV which ceased broadcasting shortly before.The channel opened with...
launches, replacing ZTVZTV was a Norwegian entertainment television channel. Its programming consisted of music videos, movies and sitcoms.The channel was launched in Norway for the first time in 1995. It was unsuccessful, however, and it closed down in 1996....
in Norway.
2008
- January: Viasat
Viasat is a DBS distributor and TV broadcaster, owned by the Swedish media conglomerate Modern Times Group. Broadcasting from London, the target markets are in the Nordic and the Baltic Countries...
launches high-definition television in the Nordic countries.
- March: TV6
TV6 Estonia is an entertainment television channel broadcasting to Estonia featuring series, music, fashion and sports. It was launched on March 24, 2008, as all of the current channels are obliged to have digital sister channels at the end of March 2008. Estonia will replace analogue television...
launches in Estonia.
- April: MTG sells Russian network DTV to CTC Media
CTC Media, Inc. is a leading media company in Russia. It owns and operates two national free-to-air TV networks in Russia . It also operates two channels in the CIS - Channel 31 in Kazakhstan and a TV company in Uzbekistan...
.
- April: TV1000 Premium launches in the Baltics.
- July: MTG buys 100 percent of Nova Televizia from Antenna Group.
- September: Tango TV relaunches as TV6 Lithuania.
- December: Viasat 1
Viasat 1 is a Ghanaian television channel owned by the Swedish listed media group, Modern Times Group .The channel was awarded a licence from the National Communications Authority of the Republic of Ghana in December 2007 and started broadcasting on December 12, 2008 on 6 p.m...
launches in Ghana.
2009
- January: Viasat Sport Baltic
Viasat Sport Baltic is a TV sport channel available in the Baltic States. The channel was launched January 7, 2009. Along with Viasat Golf it replaced Viasat Sport 2 and Viasat Sport 3 for viewers on the Viasat platform in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania...
launches.
- February: TV1000 Drama
TV1000 Drama is a television channel broadcasting drama movies.The channel launched on February 16, 2009. The same day, all TV1000 channels in the Nordic countries got new logos and graphics. Unlike the other TV1000 channels, which were broadcasting round-the-clock, TV1000 Drama would only...
launches.
- March: TV3 Puls
TV3 Puls is television channel broadcasting to Denmark. It starts broadcasting on March 23, 2009.Among the programmes broadcast on the channel from its launch are series such as Mad Men and Pushing Daisies, lifestyle programmes and sports events such as Formula One.-Programming:Recurring elements...
launches in Denmark.
- The assets of Balkan Media Group, previously a joint-venture between MTG and Apace Media, are merged into Nova Televizia. MTG owns 95 percent of the new Nova Televizia.
- April: Prima Cool
Prima Cool is a Czech private television station.Prima Cool is second channel of TV Prima. Cool is a man-oriented station.Prima Cool launched on 1 April 2009 as new digital channel of TV Prima. It can be tuned in Czech DVB-T multiplex 2, where is free to air...
launches in the Czech Republic.
External links