Published:  17.5.2017

Press Release
Digita Oy
17.5.2017

The new ten-year licence period for the terrestrial TV network starts
today, on Wednesday the 17th of May. Digita’s national network will feature 20
free-to-air channels and 45 pay channels.

“On a European scale, the status of free-to-air commercial channels is very
strong in Finland. Viewers in Finland have an exceptionally wide selection of
free-to-air channels on top of the channels of the National Broadcasting
Company, YLE. In other European countries, the situation is reversed,” explains
Juha-Pekka Weckström, CEO of Digita.
Statistics show that the majority of Finns watch TV approximately three hours
per day, most of which is free-to-air programming. This forms an excellent
basis for an efficient advertising media that reaches the masses.

”TV advertising has become more diverse, as has the new advertising
technology used in television. We have worked together with our customers to
make TV advertising more interactive. We have achieved excellent results by
offering TV viewers hybrid services which combine the Internet and standard
television. Hybrid services offer Digita’s media customers new growth potential
for their TV advertising business,” says Weckström, describing Digita’s new
services.

New licence period the
result of TV industry-wide joint effort

”The start of a new licence period has been a major technical and
commercial effort. The TV industry was once again able to complete an extensive
transformation in good cooperation,” says Weckström.

“The upcoming licence period will not only introduce a large channel
selection, but also an extension of the coverage area of several popular
channels, namely Frii, Hero, Kutonen and TLC. Moreover, it will be possible to
receive an increasing number of free-to-air channels from Digita’s
supplementary broadcasting station,” says Weckström.

The terrestrial distribution network is by far the most cost-efficient
way of distributing audio-visual mass content in Finland during the forthcoming
network licence period and beyond. Digita has the technical capacity to carry
out the transition to HD smoothly in March 2020.  The terrestrial
distribution network is a reliable and high-quality distribution channel that
enables equal opportunities for receiving content and sharing experiences
regardless of location. At present, Digita’s terrestrial TV broadcasts reach
99.96 per cent of the population of mainland Finland. Digita’s network also
plays a crucial role in Finland’s security of supply and operation in times of
crisis.

Digita/Communications