Abstract
Sweden is characterized by a population with a high demand of and access to media. In 2005, Swedes between 9 and 79 years old consumed around six hours of media a day, 97% had access to the Radio, 98% to television, 74% to the Internet and 75% had subscriptions to daily newspapers. Over 80% of the Swedes read a newspaper on weekdays, mostly at least a local morning one. Sweden has a tradition of strong local and party press, but since two decades the press landscape adapted to the new media market and technology, content changed and most newspapers are now present on the Internet and some even have TV channels. The Swedish Television and Radio has a long tradition of public service and the end of its monopoly occurred late. Fundamental changes occurred in the TV landscape, from the first TV channel in 1956 to the introduction of TV4, the first terrestrial commercial channel in 1992. In modern days, television can be received through terrestrial networks (in which the main channels are SVT1, SVT2, TV3, TV4 and Kanal5), cable networks or by satellites. The development of mobile TV is an important issue for its future and some channels already produce special programs for this new technology. The Swedish Radio is composed of the public service radio, the local commercial radio and the non-profit community radio. The Internet is the technology in which the Radio, as TV, invests a lot with some stations only available on it. Licences to broadcast radio and TV programs are granted by the Radio and TV Authority or the Government. Even special licences exist to broadcast radio programs on the Internet.
