Alma Media to acquire Finland’s most popular TV programme information service Telkku.com
ALMA MEDIA CORPORATION PRESS RELEASE 20 February 2008
ALMA MEDIA TO ACQUIRE FINLAND’S MOST POPULAR TV PROGRAMME INFORMATION SERVICE TELKKU.COM
Jadecon Oy, the publisher of Telkku.com, Finland’s leading online TV programme information service, will join Iltalehti, part of Alma Media Corporation. The acquisition will support Alma Media’s strategy of increasing its online business and further strengthen Iltalehti’s position as Finland’s largest online service.
Iltalehti will also enhance its own TV coverage by starting a new weekly TV magazine in March 2008. The acquisition of Telkku.com will thus support Iltalehti’s strategy and strengthen its position in the TV programme information market. Telkku.com has more than half a million unique visitors every week, and its net sales exceeded 1 million in 2007.
“We expect increasing numbers of visitors to Telkku.com, because the TV channel offering that is growing with digitisation will increase demand for programme information. On the other hand, Telkku.com attracts many new, young visitors while at the same time being able to retain its existing visitors. When the acquisition is complete, we can market Telkku.com in other Alma Media online services,” says Kari Kivelä, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, Iltalehti.
“One of our objectives is also to strengthen Telkku.com’s position as a community medium and make it one of the three largest online communities in Finland,” Mr Kivelä continues.
Online advertising grew by 25% in Finland in 2007. The growth is expected to continue even if advertising growth in other media slowed down. Online media accounted for 4.7% of all advertising expenditure in Finland in 2007. The share in many European countries is over 10%, while Sweden and Norway have over 15%.
More information:
Petri Hakala, Assistant Editor-in-Chief, Iltalehti, tel. +358 10 665 2028.
Alma Media is a profitably growing, self-renewing and internationally expanding company that invests in the future of newspapers and online media. Its best known products are the Aamulehti, Iltalehti, Kauppalehti and Etuovi.com. Net sales in 2007 totalled 329 million and the operating margin was more than 19 %. The company’s share is listed in the Mid Cap segment of the OMX Exchange’s Nordic List, trading code ALN1V.
- Published: 20.2.2008 16:40
- Category: Press release, Releases