Oy Mainos-TV-Reklam Ab was founded on April 29, 1957. It was one of the very first commercial TV companies in Europe – only the British ITV and Central Europe’s RTL were established earlier. Learn more about MTV’s journey from Finland’s first commercial TV company to Finland’s leading commercial TV broadcasting and streaming company.
After MTV was founded, MTV leased Finnish broadcasting company Yle’s distribution network for over three decades. But MTV distinguished itself through its programming and unique style – which always entertained, moved, and sparked conversation among Finns.
In 1962, the press in Finland demanded a ban on TV advertising due to its excessive effectiveness. However, MTV kept on going. MTV’s headquarters, Pöllölaakso i.e. “Owl valley”, was completed in Helsinki in 1967. During the years, it became the iconic place for many historical TV moments. MTV was also involved in founding egta (egta.com) – nowadays known as the international trade body of multiplatform TV and audio businesses.
Our major milestones:
- The first MTV color broadcast aired in 1970.
- MTV’s first news (Ten O’Clock News) aired on September 1, 1981 – a major milestone in Finnish TV history.
- The company changed its name to MTV Oy in 1982.
- The Nordic region’s first morning TV show (Good morning, Finland) began broadcasting on December 1, 1989.
- The first Seven O’Clock News aired on September 3, 1990.
- MTV launched its first own TV channel, MTV3, on January 1, 1993.
- MTV began offering paid content on a small scale in the 1990s.
- MTV’s media family expanded into radio when Radio Nova began broadcasting in 1997.
- The cable channel from early 2000s (TVTV!) became Subtv in 2002. Nowadays known as MTV Sub.
- Netti-tv (web TV), now known as MTV Katsomo, was founded in 2002.
- MTV started significant societal discussion festival, SuomiAreena, in Finland with the City of Pori, in 2006. Nowadays we know SuomiAreena as Finland’s largest yearly societal discussion festival – an arena for democracy and freedom of speech .
- Bonnier became MTV’s owner in 2007.
- MTV’s pay-TV services were launched in the mid-2000s.
- MTV’s TV channel AVA, nowadays known as MTV Ava, became available to all Finns in 2011 (Note: AVA initially launched in the late 2000s as part of a pay-TV package).
- MTV rebranded and updated its visual identity on November 3, 2013.
- MTV exited the radio business in 2015.
- MTV Uutiset (MTV News) was transferred to Mediahub Helsinki Oy in 2015.
- C More became part of MTV in Finland in 2017.
- Mediahub Helsinki Oy merged with MTV Oy in October 2019.
- Huomenta Suomi was renamed as MTV Uutisaamu (MTV News Morning) in 2019.
- Telia Company became MTV’s owner in December 2019.
- In spring 2020, MTV and C More became part of Telia Company’s Nordic TV/Media business area, alongside Sweden’s TV4 and C More.
- In Finland, C More streaming business was transferred from MTV to Telia Finland in 2021.
- MTV Uutiset (MTV’s news) celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2021.
- MTV moved to new premises in Helsinki’s Vallila Konepaja area at the end of 2022.
- In December 2022, MTV brought its well-known content under one MTV brand. Visual identity was updated, and the free-to-air channels were renamed: MTV3, MTV Sub, MTV Ava.
- MTV’s news morning show brought back its original name Huomenta Suomi (Good morning, Finland) in early 2023.
- C More business was transferred from Telia Finland back to MTV in autumn 2023.
- MTV’s new MTV Katsomo streaming service was launched on October 10, 2023 – combining C More and MTV Katsomo content into one streaming service.
- In summer 2024, MTV and the City of Pori established a new company, SuomiAreena Oy, to drive SuomiAreena festival’s future forward.
- Schibsted became MTV’s owner in 2025.
In 2025, MTV continues bringing content to life of Finns: MTV’s media portfolio includes MTV Katsomo streaming service, free-to-air TV channels (MTV3, MTV Sub, MTV Ava), and MTV Uutiset (news) – delivering updates across MTV Katsomo, MTV3, MTVuutiset.fi (news website), and MTV Uutiset app (news app). It also includes MTV Urheilu (sports) and a range of pay-TV channels.
In addition, MTV co-owns SuomiAreena with the City of Pori – Finland’s largest yearly societal discussion festival, an arena for democracy and freedom of speech.
