Schibsted Media acquires TV4 Sweden, MTV Finland from Telia in $615m deal

Nordic media company Schibsted Media has agreed to acquire broadcasters TV4 in Sweden and MTV in Finland for SEK6.55bn (US$615m) in a deal with Swedish telecoms firm Telia Company.

Siv Juvik Tveitnes

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Telia said it had agreed to sell its television and media business to Schibsted on a cash and debt-free basis, using the proceeds from the sale to reduce its own debt.

In addition to TV4 and MTV, the business includes streaming services and websites.

Schibsted Media CEO Siv Juvik Tveitnes told TV4’s Nyhetsmorgon: “This is completely new, so we’re going to spend time discussing how we can collaborate with TV4 and the rest of Schibsted Media.”

Norway-headquartered Schibsted includes many media brands, such as news outlet Aftonbladet, newspaper Svenska Dagbladet, news aggregator Omni and podcast app Podme.

“Schibsted is an experienced publisher who, like us, believes in strong local media in a media world that is becoming increasingly globalised,” TV4 CEO Mathias Berg told Nyhetsmorgon.

According to Berg, viewers will not be affected by the purchase in the short term. “Long term, there are strong businesses within Schibsted Media where there are certainly opportunities for collaboration that can further strengthen our ability to reach users in Sweden and Finland,” he said.

The deal follows Schibsted acquisition of a 10% stake in stricken Scandi streaming service Viaplay at the end of 2023.