Sveriges Television
Sveriges Television AB (SVT) is Sweden's national public service television company, founded in 1956 and funded by an income-based public service fee. It operates four digital TV channels, the SVT Play streaming platform, and 21 local news desks across approximately 50 Swedish locations, serving the entire Swedish population.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1956
- HeadquartersStockholm, Sweden
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Sveriges Television does
Sveriges Television AB (SVT) is Sweden's national public service television company, founded in 1956 and structured as a limited company (AB) owned by a foundation. It operates four national digital TV channels (SVT1, SVT2, SVT24/SVT Barn, and Kunskapskanalen jointly with UR), the SVT Play streaming platform — Sweden's first — a comprehensive text-TV service, and the svt.se digital news destination. Its core technology stack is shifting through the NEO initiative toward fully digital, software-defined broadcasting, with Vindral-powered low-latency video enabling remote production workflows for large-scale live sports. SVT Verifierar layers image analysis and open-source intelligence on top of traditional journalism to combat disinformation, and Nyhetskoll extends verification to younger users on social media.
SVT is financed exclusively through a public service fee collected as an income-based tax by the Swedish government (maximum 1,329 SEK per individual annually), a model in place since January 1, 2019. Programming is non-commercial: advertising is prohibited, though sponsorship of sports events is permitted. The same appropriation envelope also funds Sveriges Radio (SR) and Utbildningsradion (UR). For 2025, SVT received 5,565,900,000 SEK. The company employs between 5,001 and 10,000 people across headquarters in Stockholm and regional offices in Gothenburg, Malmö, Umeå, and approximately 50 locations organized into 21 local news desks.
SVT's customer base, in revenue terms, is effectively the Swedish state (a single funder), while its end-user reach spans the entire Swedish population — a horizontal, non-commercial audience mandated by the broadcaster's charter to receive impartial news, regional coverage, sports, culture, children's content, Sámi and Finnish-language programming, and emergency communications. Distribution extends across all major platforms: terrestrial, cable, satellite, IPTV, web, mobile, and connected TV devices, with terrestrial network presence maintained as part of civil preparedness (beredskap). Recent strategic pressure includes a 355M SEK cost-reduction program and 141 redundancies for 2026, driven by increased terrestrial network costs after commercial broadcaster TV4's exit from the marknätet and expanded digital preparedness mandates.
Sveriges Television firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sveriges Television
- Legal name
- Sveriges Television AB
- Website
- https://svt.se
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1956
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- Sveriges Television AB (SVT) is Sweden's national public service television company, founded in 1956 and funded by an income-based public service fee. It operates four digital TV channels, the SVT Play streaming platform, and 21 local news desks across approximately 50 Swedish locations, serving the entire Swedish population.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sveriges Television industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public Broadcasting Services
- NAICS
- Television Broadcasting Stations (516120), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)
- SIC
- Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)
- akta.pro primary industry
- General Entertainment SVOD Platforms (MPACAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- SVOD Streaming Channels (Subscription OTT) (MPABAHAB), Live TV Streaming (vMVPD/IPTV OTT) (MPACAAAD)
Keywords
Where Sveriges Television is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Stockholm
- HQ country
- Sweden
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices5 records
Markets served
Sveriges Television business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Public Service Fee (Radio- och TV-avgiften): SVT is financed by a public service fee collected as an income-based tax. From January 1, 2019, the fee replaced previous advertising-based and license fee models. The maximum annual fee per individual is 1,329 SEK. The fee also finances public service radio (SR) and the Swedish Educational Broadcasting company (UR). SVT programming is non-commercial; advertising is not allowed, though sponsoring of sports events is permitted.
- Government Appropriation: SVT receives annual government funding as part of its public service remit. For 2025, SVT received a total appropriation of 5,565,900,000 SEK. The funding covers the public service mandate including news, sports, culture, and entertainment programming across TV, streaming, and digital platforms.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Public Service Fee (Income-based tax) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Sveriges Television product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sveriges Television is Sweden's national public service television broadcaster, operating five free-to-air TV channels and the SVT Play streaming platform. It produces and distributes news, current affairs, documentaries, children's programming, cultural content, regional programming, and Sami-language programming under a statutory public service mandate. Revenue is primarily derived from the public service fee and government appropriations, with limited advertising permitted adjacent to specific programs.
Product overview
SVT operates as Sweden's public service broadcaster with a multi-platform portfolio comprising four TV channels (SVT1, SVT2, SVT24/SVT Barn, and Kunskapskanalen with UR), the streaming service SVT Play, digital news platform SVT Nyheter, and teletext service SVT Text. Key digital features include Nyhetskoll for news verification and SVT Verifierar for fact-checking. All channels are digital-only and distributed across all major platforms. Programming is non-commercial with no advertising permitted.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SVT Barn: Children's television app and content service
- Bolibompa
- SVT Play
- Rapport
- Aktuellt
- Morgonstudion
- Uppdrag Granskning
- SVT Verifierar
- Text-TV
- Nyhetskoll
Products and services
- SVT1 SVT's flagship main television channel carrying a broad mix of news, drama, documentaries, and entertainment aimed at the general Swedish public.
- SVT2 SVT's second television channel focused on culture, current affairs, documentaries, and in-depth programming.
- SVT24 SVT's 24-hour news and current affairs channel providing continuous coverage of news, weather, and live events.
- SVT Barn SVT's dedicated children's television channel broadcasting Swedish-language children's programming.
- Kunskapskanalen Educational television channel jointly operated with UR (Utbildningsradion) providing knowledge and educational programming for the Swedish public.
- SVT Play Free video-on-demand and live streaming platform offering SVT's programmes on-demand via the web and connected devices.
- SVT Nyheter Digital news portal providing continuous news coverage, ranked as Sweden's most trusted news source.
- Rapport SVT's flagship television news programme, with editions at lunch, evening, and late night, providing national and international news.
- Uppdrag Granskning SVT's investigative journalism programme exposing misconduct and societal issues, known for significant public impact.
- Agenda SVT's current affairs programme focusing on politics, policy, and societal issues, featuring studio discussions and interviews.
- SVT Verifierar SVT's dedicated fact-checking service that verifies claims circulating in public debate and on social media.
- SVT Text SVT's text-TV (teletext) service providing news, weather, sports, and program information, available via television and mobile app.
- SVT Sápmi SVT's dedicated editorial unit producing Sami-language television and online programming for Sweden's indigenous Sami minority.
- Regionala nyheter (Regional News) SVT's regional news service delivering locally produced news coverage from regional editors across Sweden.
Quantifiable outcome
- SVT and SR are the most trusted media in Sweden, enjoying very strong support from the Swedish TV audience.
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Sveriges Television
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Sveriges Television technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Sveriges Television partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.
- VindralcoreSVT used Vindral's software solutions as part of its remote production workflow for the Milano Cortina sporting event. Vindral's products facilitated low-latency feeds and real-time production over the internet, demonstrating the feasibility of large-scale remote sports coverage. This was a milestone in SVT's NEO initiative aimed at fully digital, software-based broadcasting.
- UR (Sveriges Utbildningsradio)coreSVT shares its public service fee (collected as a tax) with UR (Utbildningsradion), which also receives government funding through the same appropriation. SVT and UR co-operate on Kunskapskanalen (Knowledge Channel), a shared educational TV channel. Both organizations are part of Sweden's public service broadcasting structure alongside SR (Sveriges Radio).
- Eurovision News Exchange (EVN)coreSVT participates in the Eurovision News Exchange (EVN), an international collaboration among public service broadcasters in Europe and globally, for sharing news material. Within this framework, SVT shares breaking news content with other Swedish media and receives international content from partner broadcasters.
- DR (Danmarks Radio)strategicSVT collaborated with DR (Denmark's public service broadcaster) on an investigative reporting project examining Russia's military buildup near NATO's borders. DR contributed reporting and interviews, including with Russian policy advisors.
- NRK (Norsk Rikskringkasting)strategicSVT collaborated with NRK (Norway's public service broadcaster) on the cross-border investigative reporting into Russia's military expansion near NATO's eastern flank. The collaboration was part of a multi-country media partnership including also DR and Delfi.
- Delfi (Estonia)strategicSVT partnered with Estonian media company Delfi alongside DR (Denmark) and NRK (Norway) to jointly investigate and report on Russia's military buildup near NATO's borders using satellite imagery and expert interviews. The cross-border investigation was published simultaneously across all partner outlets.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Sveriges Television competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- NRK (Norsk Rikskringkasting): Norway's public service broadcaster, directly comparable as a Nordic public service TV/radio operator funded by state appropriation, operating multiple channels, a leading streaming platform (NRK TV), and a national news network. NRK and SVT are already active investigative partners.
- DR (Danmarks Radio): Denmark's public service broadcaster, structured and funded similarly to SVT. Operates linear channels, DRTV streaming, and a national news operation. Already a co-investigation partner with SVT on the Russia/NATO reporting project.
- Yleisradio (Yle): Finnish public service broadcaster with the same funding model (Yle-vero tax), multi-channel portfolio, Areena streaming platform, and minority-language services (including Sámi and Swedish-language content in Finland). Closest structural analogue to SVT in the Nordics.
- RÚV (Ríkisútvarpið): Iceland's national public service broadcaster, funded by a public service fee. Smallest Nordic public service peer but structurally identical: linear channels, streaming (RÚV Sarp), national news, and Eurovision News Exchange membership.
Broad incumbents
- BBC: The UK public service broadcaster, a much larger and globally recognized peer. Operates BBC iPlayer, multiple linear channels, and a global news operation; serves as the reference public service broadcaster model for smaller Nordic peers like SVT.
- ARD: Consortium of German regional public broadcasters, jointly funded via the Rundfunkbeitrag household fee. Comparable to SVT in mandate and funding model but operating at a much larger scale and with a federated regional structure.
- Netflix: Global SVOD leader competing for the same Swedish viewing hours as SVT Play. Operates on the opposite end of the model (paid subscription vs. tax-funded free access), but is the most relevant streaming benchmark for audience and content investment intensity.
Regional players
- TV4 Group: Sweden's largest commercial broadcaster. TV4's withdrawal from the marknätet at end-2025 is the proximate cause of SVT's 2026 cost pressure. Competes with SVT for Swedish advertising (where permitted) and audiences, but on a commercial, advertising-funded model.
- Expressen / Aftonbladet: Leading Swedish commercial news brands (Expressen part of Bonnier News; Aftonbladet part of Schibsted). Direct competitors to SVT Nyheter in Swedish news, particularly online, but operate on an advertising/subscription model rather than public service mandate.
Others
- Sveriges Radio (SR): Sweden's public service radio company, funded through the same public service fee and government appropriation as SVT. Sister organization under the Swedish public service umbrella, sharing budget allocation and regulatory framework.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Sveriges Television social profiles
Digital presenceSveriges Television financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sveriges Television leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Sveriges Television subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Sveriges Television funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sveriges Television M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sveriges Television
What does Sveriges Television do?
Sveriges Television is Sweden's national public service television broadcaster, operating five free-to-air TV channels and the SVT Play streaming platform. It produces and distributes news, current affairs, documentaries, children's programming, cultural content, regional programming, and Sami-language programming under a statutory public service mandate. Revenue is primarily derived from the public service fee and government appropriations, with limited advertising permitted adjacent to specific programs.
Is Sveriges Television a public or private company?
Sveriges Television is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Sveriges Television founded?
Sveriges Television was founded in 1956. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Sveriges Television based?
Sveriges Television is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, in the Europe region.
How does Sveriges Television make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Public Service Fee (Radio- och TV-avgiften) is the primary driver. The others are government Appropriation.
Who are Sveriges Television's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are NRK (Norsk Rikskringkasting), DR (Danmarks Radio), Yleisradio (Yle) and RÚV (Ríkisútvarpið). Broad incumbents are BBC, ARD and Netflix. Regional players are TV4 Group and Expressen / Aftonbladet. Sveriges Radio (SR) is listed as an others.
Does Sveriges Television have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sveriges Television.
What industry is Sveriges Television in?
Sveriges Television's product category is Public Broadcasting Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPACAAAA, General Entertainment SVOD Platforms, with a secondary code of MPABAHAB, SVOD Streaming Channels (Subscription OTT). Its NAICS code is 516120 and its SIC code is 4833.