All television broadcasts in Finland will transition to high-definition (HD) technology this year. Standard-definition (SD) broadcasts end on Yle’s channels on 31 March and on other channels on 30 June 2025. According to a recent survey commissioned by the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom, there are still approximately 100,000 households without a television that can receive HD broadcasts. Check whether your television is HD ready to ensure that you will continue to be able to watch television!
Finland will enter a new era of television broadcasting when standard-definition (SD) broadcasts end on Yle’s channels on 31 March 2025 and on other Finnish channels on 30 June 2025. After that, all freely available TV broadcasts will be only available in high definition. If your television or digital set-top box is not HD compatible, you will no longer be able to watch TV broadcasts after the switch. Traficom urges all households to check the compatibility of their devices well in advance. The switch applies to both terrestrial (i.e., antenna) and cable television networks.
“Entering the HD era is a major change for TV viewers. HD broadcasts offer higher picture quality with improved accuracy, brighter and more vibrant colours and multi-channel sound. Newer broadcasting technology also utilises the limited frequencies more efficiently, which enables a wider HD offering than at present and supports the digital transition,” says Director Lasse Laine.
Some 100,000 households still without HD compatible receiver
Up to 96 per cent of all Finnish households are already able to receive HD broadcasts. A year ago, the corresponding figure was 93 per cent. However, approximately 100,000 households still need a new HD-compatible receiver. The figures are based on data gathered in February in Finnpanel’s TV Audience Measurement to which Traficom subscribed.
“Our goal is that all homes will be ready to receive HD broadcasts after the transition. We encourage everyone to check the HD compatibility of their own televisions, but also those of other family members and friends, especially older persons, to ensure that everyone can continue to watch television,” emphasises Laine.
Traficom coordinates the communications on the switch to HD and cooperates closely with the TV industry, network operators, industry associations and senior and pensioner organisations, for example, so that information about the transition reaches different population groups as widely as possible.
A national campaign will provide information about the HD transition this spring and summer with public service announcements on TV, for example.
Be green and recycle your old TV
An old but fully functional television can be donated or sold to a new user. If a television no longer works, you can take it to a recycling point for electrical and electronic equipment free of charge – televisions do not belong in mixed waste. If you buy a new television, you can also take the old one to the store for recycling. Up to 99 per cent of the materials contained in a television can be recycled.
Further information and enquiries
Instructional video on how to check whether a TV is HD ready (External link) (available in Finnish and Swedish)
Increase in HD ready equipment in households (External link)
For more information on the HD transition and instructions on how to check your television’s HD compatibility, how to perform a channel search and how to recycle a television, please visit hdtvopas.fi. (External link)
Lasse Laine, Director, tel. +358 29 534 5563, lasse.laine@traficom.fi
Television’s HD compatibility is easy to check
- Check whether HD channels appear in the TV channel list (programme guide). HD channels are available on slots 1–20 in both the terrestrial (antenna) and cable TV network. If you can see content on these channels, the transition does not require you to purchase a new receiver.
- If the content of HD channels is not displayed, it can either be that the housing company's antenna system is not compatible with HD broadcasts, or that your TV or set-top box does not have an HD tuner. In the latter case, you need to get a TV or set-top box with an HD tuner to continue to view TV broadcasts after the transition.
- If you live in a housing company and are not sure about your reception network, contact the property manager or a representative of the housing company's board. They can tell you whether TV broadcasts are received via a terrestrial or cable TV network in your housing company. If you live in a single-family house and have a UHF antenna on your roof, you probably receive TV broadcasts via the terrestrial TV network.
- Almost all new televisions and set-top boxes on sale have an HD tuner, which is mostly suitable for both terrestrial and cable TV networks. It is still smart to check with the seller, who has an obligation to tell you about the features of the devices they sell.