Modern Times Group is Scandinavian media company owned by Kinnevik.
Which in 1997 was distributed to the company stockholders. MTG operates free-to-air and pay-TV channels and their catch-up (AVOD) services, radio stations, a premium subscription online service Viaplay, multi-channel networks (MCN) Splay Networks and Zoomin.TV, as well as eSports businesses, ESL and Dreamhack.
September: P4 a national commercial radio network in Norway is launched. MTG is one of its founders.
First commercial radio licenses obtained in Sweden. TV3 commences Teletext broadcasting.
Terrestrial TV channels launched in Estonia and Lithuania.
1994[]
TV4 becomes largest channel in Sweden.
TV6 launched.
1995[]
MTG incorporated as Kinnevik subsidiary.
Metro launched in Stockholm.
Minority holding acquired in Finanstidningen daily business newspaper.
1996[]
Satellite TV distribution platform switched from Astra to NSAB.
January: Radio Rix radio network formed through a merger between MTG's P6 and SRU.
April: ZTV and TV6 merged to form 3+ in Denmark.
1997[]
Launch of Viasat+, an analogue low-pay satellite package broadcast from the NSAB satellite consisting of MTG's own television channels as well as Nickelodeon, VH1 and Sci-Fi Channel.
Shares in MTG distributed to Kinnevik shareholders and listed on Stockholm Börsinformation and Nasdaq National Market in New York. Second Metro edition published in Prague.
Strix becomes first company in the world to produce the Survivor reality TV format.
1998[]
February: Metro launches in Gothenburg.
March: TV6 in Sweden relaunches as a Pan-Nordic pay channel called TV6 Nature World and TV6 Action World.
ZTV moves from Stockholm to London and expands its schedule considerably.
MTG acquires the Latvian television channel 31 Kanals, which is later transformed into TV3.
Viasat's satellite TV subscribers exceed 1 million.
Commercial radio operations launched in Estonia and Latvia.
September: Metro launches in Budapest.
1999[]
Metro launched in Malmö, Helsinki and the Netherlands.
MTG buys the rest of TV1000 from its parent company.
Viasat launched its digital satellite platform.
2001[]
May: Viasat becomes first European satellite TV broadcaster to switch off analog transmission of premium pay-TV channels following successful transition to digital TV.
TV3 awarded national terrestrial broadcasting license in Latvia.
Digital home-shopping channel Pin 24 launched in Denmark.
MTG acquires 75% of Russian national commercial TV channel.
Options to Strix reality TV formats sold in over 30 countries to date.
Viasat launches four new digital pay-TV channels in Nordic region.
EUR 120 million convertible subordinated bonds issued to fund further expansion.
Number of Viasat digital DTH subscribers increases to over 550,000 by year-end.
2002[]
January: Viasat Sport Denmark and Viasat Explorer launches.
January: Acquisition of 37 percent of StoryFirst Communications, Inc., owner of the Russian STS network.
January: Acquisition of Swedish radio stations Lugna Favoriter and WOW 105.5 from RTL Group.
New TV3 schedule recovers share of viewing in Scandinavia.
Doubling of Eastern European TV revenues.
Launch of Pin 24 in Germany, Austria and Switzerland
Launch of Tango TV in Lithuania.
Increase in number of digital DTH subscribers to 617,000 and more than doubling of pay-TV operating income.
TV1000 and Baltic operations both report first annual profits, and TV Shop turned around. SEK 423 million increase in operating free cash flow.
2003[]
TV3 recovers share of viewing and advertisement sales.
Eastern European operations profitable on a combined basis.
Pay-TV record operating income SEK 505 million.
Viasat signs agreement with NDS VideoGuard to eliminate piracy.
Launch of pay TV channels TV1000 and Viasat Explorer in Eastern and Central Europe.
2004[]
MTG reports highest ever operating result.
February: Launch of Viasat Sport 2 and Viasat Sport 3
Viasat successfully completes implementation of new conditional access system.
Highest net subscriber intake since digitalisation of platform in 2000.
Viasat's four channels reach 6.4 million homes in Central and Eastern Europe.
MTG acquires remaining minority interests in DTV and increases its shareholding in STS Media and P4 following sale of SDI Media for US$60 million.
MTG acquires 19.9% of betting company BET24.
MTG also signs agreement with NRJ Group to assume management of 20 radio stations in Sweden (and 5 in Norway), thereby increasing penetration for MTG's national network to 83%.
2005[]
MTG sells its 15.1 percent interest in TV4 AB in January 2005. In March, STS Media launches the Domashniy television network in Russia.
In July 2005, Modern Entertainment Ltd., its film rights unit in Los Angeles, agreed to sell 332 films to Lionsgate Films and shut down its operations to focus on European operations.
October: Launch of Russian language movie channel TV1000 Russkoe Kino.
The Diema Media Group and MM, previously a joint-venture between MTG and Apace Media, are merged with Nova television to create the Nova Broadcasting Group.
April: Prima Cool launches in the Czech Republic.
2010[]
April: Nova Sport launches in Bulgaria, replacing MM.
September: MTG acquires majority stake in esports company Turtle Entertainment and its subsidiaries Electronic Sports League (ESL)
October: MTG sold Viasat Russian & international pay-TV channels (factual, movie and sports channels in Russia. TV1000 and pan-regional factual channels in international) to Baring Vostok Company in international and LLC Sinerdzhi in Russia.
November: MTG acquires Swedish esports tournament DreamHack
December: MTG and minoritaries sold 75% STS Media to UTH Holding in Russia.
2016[]
March: MTG sold Ukrainian pay-TV company Viasat Ukraine to 1+1 Media In Latvia Russian-language channel TV5 closed down.
May: MTG took a 22 per cent stake in Engage Sports Media (ESM). ESM described the deal as a ‘strategically important investment’ that will allow ESM to accelerate its growth and focuses on content IP development, technical tools and adding new talent across the business. Arnd Benninghoff, CEO of MTGx said “this investment reflects our focus on becoming the leading digital video entertainment company in each of our markets, and our strategy to invest in relevant, complementary and scalable digital brands, content and communities.”
August: For the Nordic Market, Viasat launches Scandinavia's first UHD Channel to deliver select Rio 2016 OL programs (and future UHD Sports Broadcasts) as well as a new HD Sports Channel branded Viasat Sport Premium.
December: MTG sold African business (Viasat 1, TV1 and Modern African Production (MAP)) to Econet Media Group.
2017[]
January: MTG sold FTV Prima Holding to Denemo Media (part of GES GROUP). In April 2017, the transaction was completed.
March: MTG sold business in Baltic States to Providence Equity Partners. In October 2017, the transaction was completed.
May: MTG increased its stake in German games developer InnoGames to 51% by investing EUR 82.6 million.
