In February, SVT presented a savings package of 355 million kronor, citing sharply increased costs. Since TV4 left the terrestrial network, SVT's costs for the terrestrial network have doubled. SVT's board has now turned directly to the culture minister, which Dagens Media was first to report. The board writes that they see with deep concern that funds the Riksdag explicitly intended for programming activities and vital security enhancement are now forced to finance infrastructure costs that the state itself defined as extraordinary. The board emphasizes that it is unusual for them to speak out in this type of issue.
The letter is dated March 11 and is written because the government has not yet given notice about the financing of the increased costs to Teracom after all commercial actors left the terrestrial network. In an interview with Kulturnyheterna, the culture minister says that the current government is actively working on the investigation expected to be presented later this year. Despite the notice and savings at SVT, culture minister Parisa Liljestrand does not want to give notice about or when SVT will get additional funding, according to Aftonbladet.
It is unusual for SVT's board to speak out directly in matters regarding the company's mission or financing. We normally safeguard the operational boundary, but when the basic economic rules for the entire license period are disrupted already at its beginning, we see it as our responsibility to act.
The Social Democrats' cultural policy spokesperson, Björn Wiechel, is critical of how the government has handled the issue of the terrestrial network. It remains unclear what specific financing solution the government will provide for SVT's increased terrestrial network costs, when the government's investigation into the terrestrial network issue will be presented and what its conclusions will be, and whether the government will act on SVT's board's request to avoid using programming funds for infrastructure costs.
We see with deep concern that funds the Riksdag explicitly intended for programming activities and vital security enhancement are now forced to finance infrastructure costs that the state itself defined as extraordinary.
The handling from the SD government follows a worrying development – first they break the tradition of a broad agreement, then they deliberately give underfunding despite increased demands and costs which has created large cuts. The government needs to act now.