SVT Europa to be included in PlusTV’s pay-TV package (08.08.2007)

Press release August 8, 2007

PlusTV’s pay-TV package will expand at the beginning of September with the addition of programming from SVT Europa. YLE and PlusTV have agreed on adding SVT Europa to PlusTV’s pay-TV service. The service can also be obtained separately from PlusTV.

The Council of State has granted Yleisradio a licence to broadcast the digital SVT Europa channel via the terrestrial network from 1 September 2007. According to the terms of the operating licence granted to YLE, the channel will be encrypted. The broadcast can be decrypted in the networks of all operators using a single decryption card.

The service will cover 80% of households in Finland by the end of the year. YLE is responsible for distribution costs, i.e. network fees payable to Digita Oy. PlusTV has about 160,000 pay-TV customers who can have the SVT Europa channel included in their basic package without any extra charge from the beginning of September. Subscribed for separately, the card fee for SVT Europa is €3.50 per month.

“We are happy that we are able to provide this service to the Swedish-speaking population as well as other customers interested in Swedish culture. We have been surprised to find that there has been tentative demand for this service also from parts of Finland that are not Swedish-speaking,” says Vesa Mars, Managing Director of PlusTV.

“YLE is pleased with the cooperation started with PlusTV. We have also had discussions with other operators, involving similar contract terms,” says Olli-Pekka Heinonen, Director of Programming Area.

SVT Europa is a channel mainly consisting of the programmes offered by the Swedish television channels SVT1, SVT2, SVT24, and the Swedish language programmes aired on the science and children’s channels. The SVT Europa channel broadcasts 24 hours a day. Finnish subtitles are not available. SVT Europa is currently distributed via the analogue network.

For further information, contact

PlusTV, Managing Director Vesa Mars, tel. +358 (0) 50 3150 206

YLE, Director Olli-Pekka Heinonen, tel. +358 (0) 9 1480 2311

SVT Europa, Riffa Hänninen, tel. +46 (0) 708 99 91 98