Sveriges Television facts for kids
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| Type | Public television broadcaster |
|---|---|
| Country | Sweden |
| Availability | National |
| Founded | 1956 (as Sveriges Radio TV) by Sveriges Radio |
| Parent | Foundation Management for SR, SVT, and UR |
| Key people |
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| Launch date | 4 September 1956 |
| Former names | Radiotjänst (1956–1957) Sveriges Radio TV (1957–1979) |
| Channels | SVT1, SVT2, SVT24, SVT Barn, Kunskapskanalen |
| Online | SVT Nyheter |
| Affiliates | European Broadcasting Union |
| Language | Swedish and a variety of minority languages. |
Sveriges Television AB, often called SVT, is Sweden's national public television broadcaster. It's like the main TV station for the whole country. SVT gets its money from a special tax on people's income, which is decided by the Swedish parliament, called the Riksdag. Before 2019, people paid a TV license fee if they owned a television.
SVT is set up a bit like the BBC in the United Kingdom. It's a company owned by an independent group called the Foundation Management for SR, SVT, and UR. This foundation also owns two other public broadcasters in Sweden: Sveriges Radio (for radio) and Sveriges Utbildningsradio (for educational programs). The foundation's board has 13 politicians, chosen by the Swedish government.
SVT follows Swedish laws. For a long time, from 1956 until 1992, SVT was the only TV channel you could watch in Sweden on regular antennas. It's not allowed to show commercials, except for sponsors during sports events. Even with other channels now, SVT is still the biggest TV network in Sweden, with a large audience.
Contents
History of SVT
When radio started in Sweden in the 1920s, it was decided to have one main company, AB Radiotjänst, which was funded by a license fee. This company was one of the first members of the European Broadcasting Union in 1950.
Later, the same idea was used for television. Test TV broadcasts began in June 1954. The very first ones were on October 29, 1954, from a university in Stockholm.
In 1956, the Swedish parliament decided that TV broadcasting should become a regular thing. On September 4, Radiotjänst started official TV broadcasts from a new antenna called the Nackasändaren. People who owned a TV set had to pay a license fee starting in October that year.
Regular TV shows began in 1957. At this time, Radiotjänst changed its name to Sveriges Radio (SR). In 1958, the first news show, Aktuellt, was broadcast.
During the 1960s, people talked a lot about starting a second TV channel. This led to the launch of TV2 on December 5, 1969. The first channel became TV1. The idea was for the two channels to compete in a friendly way, even though they were part of the same company.
The main building for Sveriges Television, called TV-huset, opened in Stockholm in two stages. The first part opened in 1967, and the second part, which included new studios, opened on December 5, 1969, the same day TV2 started. This made it one of the largest TV studios in Europe.
In 1970, the first regional TV program, Sydnytt, started from Malmö. By 1987, the whole country was covered by regional news programs.
News shows changed a few times. In 1972, Rapport became the main news show at 7:30 PM on TV2, while Aktuellt was brought back for TV1. These times for news stayed mostly the same for many years.
Color TV broadcasts started in 1966, and regular color shows began in 1970. Teletext, which showed text information on screen, started in 1978.
In 1979, Sveriges Radio was reorganized. It became the parent company for four separate companies: one for national radio, one for local radio, one for educational broadcasting (UR), and Sveriges Television (SVT) for all TV. SVT was chosen instead of "STV" because that name was already used by Scottish Television.
The two main channels were reorganized again in 1987. TV1 was renamed Kanal 1 and mostly showed programs made in Stockholm. TV2 showed programs from ten regional areas and the Rapport news team.
In 1988, TV shows started broadcasting in Nicam Stereo sound. A channel called SVT World also launched, showing SVT programs in southern Finland for Swedish-speaking people. This channel later expanded to all of Europe and then worldwide.
In 1992, the parliament decided to make the broadcasting companies more independent. By 1994, they were owned by separate foundations, which later became one.
In the 1990s, TV broadcasting hours increased. SVT also started facing competition from new commercial channels. TV3 was the first channel to break SVT's monopoly in 1987. In 1992, TV4 started broadcasting across the country and quickly became very popular.
In 1996, the channels were reorganized again. Kanal 1 and TV2 became SVT1 and SVT2. The popular show Expedition: Robinson (like Survivor) first aired in 1997.
Digital TV broadcasts began in 1999. SVT launched six new channels, including the news channel SVT24 and five regional channels. In 2000, all the news teams merged into one central news desk.
In 2001, SVT got a new logo and new TV schedules. SVT1 became the main channel for popular shows, and SVT2 focused more on culture and documentaries. The main news shows switched channels: Rapport moved to SVT1, and Aktuellt moved to SVT2.
New channels for children (Barnkanalen) and knowledge (Kunskapskanalen) were launched in 2002 and 2004. Also, in 2003, all SVT channels became free to watch on digital TV.
SVT started broadcasting in high definition (HD) during the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Regular HD broadcasting began on the SVT HD channel in October 2006.
SVT has hosted the Eurovision Song Contest several times: in 1975, 1985, 1992, 2000, 2013, and 2016. After Loreen won in 2023, SVT will host the contest again in 2024.
In 2018, the way SVT is funded changed from a TV license fee to a public service tax based on personal income.
SVT Programs
News Programs
News programs are very important for SVT. Since 1972, there have been two main news shows: Rapport and Aktuellt. These two shows used to be separate, but in 2000, they merged with SVT24 to form one big news team. Rapport is now the main news program.
The main national news shows are Rapport, shown at 6:00 PM and 7:30 PM, and Aktuellt, which goes deeper into stories at 9:00 PM. Shorter news updates, called SVT Nyheter, are shown throughout the day on SVT1, SVT2, and SVT24. SVT also has video news online called Play Rapport.
SVT provides news in different minority languages, like Finnish (Uutiset), Swedish Sign Language (Nyhetstecken), and Northern Sami (Ođđasat). There are also special versions of Sverige idag in Meänkieli and Romani.
SVT also has many regional news shows:
- ABC (Stockholm and Uppsala)
- Gävledala (Dalarna and Gävleborg)
- Mittnytt (Västernorrland)
- Nordnytt (Norrbotten)
- Östnytt (Östergötland, Södermanland and Gotland)
- Smålandsnytt (Kronoberg, Kalmar and Jönköping)
- SVT Nyheter Jämtland (Jämtland)
- SVT Nyheter Väst (Västra Götaland and Halland)
- Sydnytt (Skåne and Blekinge)
- Tvärsnytt (Örebro and Västmanland)
- Värmlandsnytt (Värmland)
- Västerbottensnytt (Västerbotten)
In 2023, SVT worked with many other news organizations around the world on a report called 'Cyprus Confidential'. This report looked into financial networks connected to important figures in Russia, especially those with links to Cyprus. The investigation led to calls for changes and new investigations by government officials.
Fairness in Reporting
A study in 1999 looked at the political views of journalists at SVT and Sveriges Radio. It found that more journalists supported certain political parties than the general public. However, the study also said that the journalists' personal political opinions did not affect their work, and news stories were reported fairly. Another study in 2006 compared SVT's news program Rapport to five large newspapers during the Swedish election. This study found that Rapport's coverage of the election was the most balanced of all.
Entertainment Shows
Entertainment shows on Fridays and Saturdays, along with popular sports, attract the largest audiences on SVT.
- Melodifestivalen (1959–present): This is Sweden's national competition to choose the song for the Eurovision Song Contest. The final usually has around four million viewers.
- Expedition Robinson (1997–2004, 2009–2012): This was the original Swedish version of the reality show Survivor. SVT was the first network to air this show in 1997, and it was a huge hit in Sweden.
- På spåret (1987–present): A popular entertainment show where celebrities answer questions about different places. They watch a fast-motion video of a train or car journey to a location and get points for guessing it quickly. This show is a unique Swedish idea and has been shown in other countries.
- Så ska det låta (1997–present): The Swedish version of The Lyrics Board, which has had over three million viewers many times.
- Allsång på Skansen (1979–present): A popular summer show where people sing along to Swedish folk music. It's broadcast live from Skansen in Stockholm and has been a summer tradition for a long time.
- Antikrundan (1989–present): The Swedish version of Antiques Roadshow, which often attracts about two million viewers.
Drama Series
SVT creates many different types of drama shows.
- Rederiet (1992–2002) was one of the most popular soap operas in Sweden.
Regional Programs
Regional content on SVT is mostly news, shown on SVT1 and SVT2. There are eighteen regional news programs, like ABC from Stockholm and Sydnytt from Malmö. These regional news shows are broadcast on SVT1 on weekdays and Sundays, with follow-up updates. SVT2 also has regional news on weekdays.
Children's Programs
Kalles klätterträd started in 1975 and became one of the most popular children's shows in the 1970s. The children's block Bolibompa used to be on SVT1 every day, but it moved to SVTB in 2008.
Foreign Programs
SVT also shows programs from other countries, mainly from the United States, the United Kingdom, and other Nordic countries. These shows are usually in their original language with Swedish subtitles.
Dubbing (changing the spoken language) is mostly used for programs made for young children who haven't learned to read yet. For some shows, viewers can also turn on "talking subtitles" where someone reads the subtitles aloud.
In 2005, about 33% of the new shows on SVT were from other countries. Of all the shows SVT bought (including Swedish ones not made by SVT), 27% came from the United States, 22% from the United Kingdom, and 13% from other Nordic countries.
SVT often works with other public broadcasters in Nordic countries through a group called Nordvision. This means many Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, and Finnish programs are shown on SVT, and Swedish programs are shown on their channels.
SVT Channels
SVT has five regular channels that broadcast in Sweden:
- SVT1: This is the main channel with a wide range of programs and regional content. The 10 most-watched Swedish TV shows in 2006 were on this channel. SVT1 HD also broadcasts in high definition.
- SVT2: This channel has more specific programming, focusing on culture, current events, and documentaries. SVT2 HD also broadcasts in high definition.
- SVT Barn (SVT Children): This channel shows programs for children and pre-teens.
- Kunskapskanalen (The Knowledge Channel): This channel broadcasts debates, seminars, and documentaries, working with UR.
- SVT24: This channel shows reruns of programs from SVT1 and SVT2 in the evenings and continuous news updates at night. It shares its broadcast time with Barnkanalen.
SVT also has a special events channel called SVT Extra, which is used for live coverage during big events like the Olympics. In 2006, SVT launched SVT HD for high-definition versions of its programs.
Most SVT channels are available across Sweden through digital TV antennas and satellites. Cable TV companies must provide four SVT channels for free.
SVT World is a mix of SVT channels that broadcasts via satellite and online worldwide. It also broadcasts as a regular channel in Swedish-speaking parts of southern Finland. Because of rights issues, SVT World does not show movies, sports, or English-language programs that SVT buys from other companies.
SVT's website, svt.se, is considered a channel itself. SVT also has an on-demand service called SVT Play, where you can watch most of its programs online. However, most non-news programs on SVT Play can only be watched in Sweden.
How SVT is Organized
SVT is led by a CEO, who is chosen by the board. The current CEO of SVT is Hanna Stjärne, who started in 2015.
SVT is divided into eight main groups that produce programs. Four of these are in Stockholm, and the other four are in regional studios around the country. These regional studios produce programs for the main network and handle the regional news services.
The regional studios are in:
The Stockholm-based groups handle:
- National news, current affairs, documentaries, and regional news for Stockholm.
- Sports programs.
- Drama, entertainment, and children's programming.
- Multimedia and online services.
Leaders of SVT
Here are some of the people who have led SVT over the years:
Chair of the Board of Directors:
- Anna-Greta Leijon, 1994–2000
- Allan Larsson, 2000–2005
- Lars Engqvist, 2005–present
Chief Executive Officers:
- Magnus Faxén, 1978–1981
- Sam Nilsson, 1981–1999
- Maria Curman, 2000–2001
- Christina Jutterström, 2001–2006
- Eva Hamilton, 2006–2014
- Hanna Stjärne, 2014–present
Audience Numbers
Since commercial TV channels arrived, SVT's total audience share has gone down. Digital channels have also added more competition. TV4 became the most-watched channel in 1995 and stayed that way until 2002, when SVT1 took the lead again. TV4 became the most-watched channel again in 2006.
In 2006, SVT was the most-watched TV network in Sweden, with 38.3% of the audience. However, the three biggest commercial channels attracted more viewers aged 15 to 24 than SVT's two main channels combined.
Audience Trust
A study in 2020 showed that how much people trusted SVT programs depended on their political views. Most viewers who supported liberal or left-leaning parties had high trust in SVT. However, fewer viewers who supported conservative-leaning parties had high trust. This means that trust in SVT was a topic that divided the audience more than some other big issues.
See also
- List of Swedish television channels
- Sveriges Utbildningsradio
- TV4
