Modern Times Group

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Modern Times Group (MTG) is a Swedish media company. MTG was formed out of the media holdings of investment company Kinnevik, which in 1997 was distributed to the company stockholders. Among the assets were Viasat and Metro International. Viasat, a group of television channels, included TV3, the first commercial television channel in Sweden that had been started in 1987, ZTV, Viasat Sport and TV1000. The shares of Metro International, which runs a chain of free newspapers was distributed in a second round among the shareholders of MTG.

It is listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange under the symbols MTGA and MTGB.

See also: List of Swedish companies, Media in Sweden

Contents

[edit] Business areas

[edit] 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.

[edit] Free television

In Scandinavia and the Baltics, Viasat operates one main channel called "TV3" and a secondary channel in every country. The free channels are:

Other free channels owned by MTG include:

  • Viasat 3, launched in Hungary in 2000
  • DTV Russia in which MTG bought a majority stake in 2001.
  • CTC Media, a Russians television company that the channels CTC and Domashny. MTG has a 43 percent stake since 2005.
  • TV3 Slovenia, acquired in 2006.
  • TV Prima in which acquired a 50 percent stake in 2005.

In February 2007, MTG announced that they had acquired 50 percent of Balkan Media Group Limited, owners of the four Diema channels, 66 percent of the two Television MM channels and the television distributor TV ERA.

[edit] Pay television

MTG operates the Viasat satellite platform in the Nordic countries offering both in-house and third party channels. Pay channels from Viasat in the Nordic region include:

The Viasat platform is also available in the Baltic countries with the channels TV1000 East, TV1000 Russkoe Kino, Viasat Sport, Viasat Sport 2, Viasat Sport 3, Viasat Explorer and Viasat History.

Channels available to third party operators in the rest of Eastern Europe are TV1000 East, TV1000 Balkan, TV1000 Russkoe Kino, Viasat Sport, Viasat Explorer and Viasat History.

[edit] 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, national network in Norway
  • Star FM, networks in Estonia and Latvia
  • NRJ, network in Sweden
  • Lugna favoriter, network in Sweden
  • 101,9 Svenska favoriter, station in Stockholm
  • Bandit Rock 106,3, station in Stockholm
  • Power Hit FM, stations in Estonia and Lithuania
  • P4 Bandit, Norwegian radio channel
  • Radio Nova, minority stake in Finnish network

[edit] Modern Studios

Includes the television production companies Strix Television and Modern TV and the film production company Sonet Film

[edit] Home Shopping

"Home Shopping" includes the shopping website CDON.com and the television service TV Shop.

[edit] History

  • 1987 TV3 launched in Sweden on New Year’s Eve as Scandinavia’s first commercial TV channel.
  • 1988 Number of TV3 viewers increases from 1.2 million at launch to 3.4 million at end of 1988. TV3 broadcast to Denmark and Norway. Strix launches independent TV production.
  • 1989 Pay-TV channel TV1000 launched and TV-Shop sells 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).
  • 1991 TV3 reports annual profit. TV4 granted license as Sweden’s third terrestrial TV station. Kinnevik acquires 30% shareholding in TV4. Launch of Viasat DTH satellite pay-TV platform.
  • 1992 ZTV’s first year as independent channel. Kinnevik’s media companies report annual profit.
  • 1993 P4 Radio Hele Norge receives national commercial radio broadcasting license in Norway. 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 launched.
  • 1995 MTG incorporated as Kinnevik subsidiary. Metro launched in Stockholm. Minority holding acquired in Finanstidningen daily business newspaper.
  • 1996 Satellite TV distribution platform switched from Astra to NSAB. RIX FM radio network formed through mergers. ZTV and TV6 merged to form 3+ in Denmark.
  • 1997 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 TV3 acquires TV channel in Latvia. Viasat’s satellite TV subscribers exceed 1 million. Commercial radio operations launched in Estonia and Latvia. Metro launches editions in Gothenburg and 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.
  • 2000 Annual General Meeting approves distribution of Metro International S.A. share capital to MTG shareholders. Hans-Holger Albrecht appointed President and CEO of MTG. Viasat3 begins broadcasting in Hungary. PIN24 launches on Sky TV’s platform in UK.
  • 2001 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 Acquisition of 37% of StoryFirst Communications, Inc. and of Lugna Favoriter and WOW 105.5 Swedish radio stations. New TV3 schedule recovers share of viewing in Scandinavia. Doubling of Eastern European TV revenues. Launch of PIN24 in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and 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 and Viasat Explorer in Eastern and Central Europe.
  • 2004 MTG reports highest ever operating result. Viasat launches two new dedicated sports channels, four new thematic movie channels and a new documentary channel. 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%.

[edit] External links

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