New free-to-air and basic cable TV channel: SuomiTV

Jukka Aho · Post by **Jukka Aho** » Sat Dec 19, 2009 8:26 am

Just in case someone is still watching TV these days instead of just hanging around on Finland Forum: a new “family-oriented” free-to-air and basic cable TV channel SuomiTV has started regular broadcasts.

It can be found on “channel number” 33 according to the logical channel numbering system followed by Digita and most cable companies. Not all set-top boxes follow that scheme, though. Depending on the set-top box or TV in question, you may need to manually rescan the channels to actually get this channel appear in the channel listings. (Some set-top boxes and TVs add new channels on their channel list automatically, though, so it might already be there.) Note that if you’re receiving your TV signal using a roof antenna, the channel is broadcast on multiplex E which is not available in all locales.

SuomiTV was founded by the Canadian investor Jeffrey Royer. He has a conservative Christian background and the Finnish executive director is apparently a Pentecostalist. This lineup probably tells you something about the content. The channel is not being marketed as a religious channel, though, but as a generic family-oriented, “safe” channel: they will be showing movies, cartoons, and gameshows, for example, but no sex and violence. If they show news, they will not be showing the goriest details. (There will be some amount of actual religious programming, too: a couple of hours on Sundays.)

In any case, it will be interesting to see how this kind of a channel will fare on the Finnish market... their goal is to grab 10% of the viewers, which sounds quite ambitious.

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Karhunkoski · Post by **Karhunkoski** » Sat Dec 19, 2009 8:40 am

Jukka Aho wrote: their goal is to grab 10% of the viewers, which sounds quite ambitious.

Totally agree. They will have to try harder than the drivel they aired last night.

Pursuivant · Post by **Pursuivant** » Sat Dec 19, 2009 12:12 pm

I thought it was MoonTV that got their viewers to grab themselves...

mita · Post by **mita** » Sun Dec 20, 2009 2:24 am

It sounds like a nice channel, i'll have to check it out

raamv · Post by **raamv** » Wed Dec 23, 2009 12:30 am

HS.fi and Kauppalehti gave it the thumbs down!! sayin it dont cut it..
But then.. Some ambitious investor needs to put their money somewhere to see is it is profitable..

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