How many are affected?
To watch free TV via the terrestrial network, no more than an antenna and a digital TV receiver are required. According to the Media Authority, which refers to a survey by SVT and Teracom from 2023, one in ten Swedes lives in households with a TV device that only has access to TV via the terrestrial network.
The proportion has decreased continuously over time and it is mainly the elderly who still watch terrestrial TV.
How do I know if I am affected?
If you live in an apartment building, you often get the TV signal via the property owner and do not need to do anything. If you have access to more channels than SVT and TV4, you do not need to do anything.
If you live in a villa, a small house or a cottage, have an antenna on the roof and can only see SVT and TV4, you will probably get your TV signal via the terrestrial network. Another clue may be if you only have one antenna socket in the wall.
What do I need to do to be able to watch TV4 after the New Year?
When TV4 leaves the terrestrial network, viewers are referred to the streaming service TV4 Play, where it is also possible to take part in some programs and news for free with advertising, or to other paid distribution forms such as cable TV, satellite or city network.
Only paying customers, either on TV4 Play or one of the TV operators, will be able to watch the linear TV channel TV4.
For those who do not have access to another distribution form, a stable internet connection is a prerequisite, states Alexander Widell, CEO of the comparison service Bredbandsval.se.
For the older population who have watched via a digital box, it means a big change. And in a summer cottage, it can get much more messy if you do not have a good connection.
Why is TV4 doing this?
TV4's CEO Mathias Berg describes the decision as economically and strategically motivated. They want to invest in the streaming service TV4 Play. At the same time, the company believes that the costs of broadcasting in the terrestrial network are too high.
Jonas Ohlsson, media researcher at the University of Gothenburg, states in Sveriges Radio that terrestrial TV is on its way to being phased out and that advertising investments have decreased rapidly.
It's about billions that have disappeared, which of course puts a company like TV4, which does not have a public service fee to rely on, in a difficult situation.
