In addition to the fact that the television will be replaced in approximately 150,000 antenna network households, televisions must also be renewed in cable households if you want to watch Yle’s channels. Yle will switch to HD time in a year and a half.
Up to 300,000 Finnish households will have to go to TV stores by spring 2025 if they want to watch Yle’s channels. Tero Vesalainen / Alamy Stock Photo
Yle said on Tuesday that it will switch to high-definition in the spring of 2025. This means that Yle’s non-HD broadcasts on both the antenna and cable networks will end.
The change means going to television stores if you want to continue watching Yle’s channels.
Up to 300,000 households
According to Yle, there are up to 150,000 antenna households in Finland, where the television will be replaced with the change.
– A significant part of Finnish households already have an HD-capable TV receiver, and HD content is already widely viewed. An estimated 100,000–150,000 antenna network households will have to purchase a new receiver, Yle’s press release stated.
In his announcement However, Yle did not mention how many cable households have to go shopping.
Expert at Ficom, the Confederation of Telecommunications and Technology Katja Laine tells Iltalehte that about 40 percent of Finnish households receive programs on the antenna network and 60 percent on the cable television network.
Referring to Finnpanel’s data, Ficom says that in August 2023, approximately 90 percent of Finnish households had a device capable of HD reception. There are more than 4.5 million televisions in Finland, but many households have more than one receiver.
Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom project manager Tiina Aaltonen states to Iltalehti that there are estimated to be just under 300,000 TV cable and antenna households in Finland that do not have a receiver equipped with an HD tuner at all.
However, according to Aaltonen, the number is based on estimates from information obtained from various studies.
– It is impossible to say any exact amounts, says Aaltonen.
Such households are highlighted
According to Aaltonen, the studies conducted on the matter show that households unable to receive HD broadcasts are connected by, among other things, low income, living alone and being over 65 years of age.
– For antenna households, the emphasis is on living outside the cities, while for cable households, large cities are emphasized, says Aaltonen.
“It’s worth checking with the seller”
Those heading to television stores can be relatively safe in the knowledge that the TV they are traveling with is ready to watch HD broadcasts.
– As a general rule, all new televisions for sale have an HD tuner, but you should check with the seller, advises Aaltonen.
Ficom’s Laine would go shopping even more carefree than Aalto.
– I don’t think that there are any more televisions for sale in home appliance stores that don’t have an HD tuner, Laine says.
A list of all TVs and set-top boxes suitable for watching HD broadcasts tested in Finland, both for antenna and cable networks, can be found at testattulitätt.fi. You can check your TV’s HD compatibility by searching the site with the model number of your receiver.
About the impact of the change on approximately 300,000 households, instead of the previously reported 150,000, reported earlier Turku Sanomat.