Yle Fem
Yle Fem was Yle’s Finland-Swedish public-service television channel for Swedish-language programming in Finland.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Yle Fem was a Finnish public-service television brand operated by Yleisradio, Finland’s national broadcasting company. Its primary role was to provide television programming in Swedish for Finland’s Swedish-speaking minority, while also supporting understanding across the country’s Finnish-Swedish language and cultural boundary. The channel was therefore more than a language-specific outlet: it formed part of Yle’s public-service responsibility in a bilingual country and gave Finland-Swedish audiences a dedicated television identity within the national broadcasting system. Yle’s Swedish-language television activity developed gradually rather than beginning with a fully independent channel. Swedish-language programming had been produced by Yle since 1959, initially in the form of a weekly half-hour programme. The service expanded with the news magazine Sju dagar in 1964 and Swedish-language news bulletins in 1965. Programming was first carried through Yle’s existing television channels. Proposals for a separate Swedish-language channel had been discussed during the 1970s, but an early plan for a third channel was rejected amid concerns about the practicality of a joint Finnish-Swedish service and the possibility that a separate outlet could isolate Finland from its national language. A later 1975 petition was followed by a 1977 assessment plan focused on allocating more Swedish-language airtime within existing Yle channels. A dedicated Finland-Swedish television unit emerged in 1983, and it acquired a clearer public identity in 1988. That year, the service launched as FST, short for Finlands Svenska Television, initially operating as a late-evening programming block on Yle TV2 and Yle TV1. The block was scheduled after the conclusion of the commercial broadcaster MTV3’s late-evening news, allowing Swedish-language programming to reach viewers through established national channels. On 27 August 2001, the service was relaunched as a dedicated channel under the YLE FST name. This change doubled the weekly amount of Swedish-language programming from approximately 20 hours to approximately 40 hours. The channel also experimented with interactive television: in December 2002 it introduced the NE quiz game using its Multimedia Home Platform capacity during daytime downtime. By 2003, FST programming had reached approximately 2,000 hours, compared with about 950 hours in 2000, illustrating the expansion of its output around the time of its dedicated-channel phase. The brand was renamed YLE FST5 from 2006 to 2012. The change reflected the channel’s position on channel five, while the later move to the name Yle Fem responded to audience perceptions that “FST” was merely an unexplained combination of letters. “Fem” is Swedish for “five,” linking the brand to its channel position while making the identity more accessible to viewers. Yle Fem remained a specialized national television service until 24 April 2017, when it was merged with Yle Teema to form Yle Teema & Fem. The merger ended Yle Fem as a standalone television network, although the combined service continued to bring together cultural, thematic and Swedish-language programming under the wider Yle brand. The present-day Swedish-language Yle service is represented online through Yle’s Swedish-language platform, but the historic Yle Fem channel identity itself is no longer an independent broadcast network.
History
Yle’s Swedish-language television service grew from a relatively small programming operation into a dedicated Finland-Swedish channel. Yle began producing television programmes in Swedish in 1959, initially broadcasting a weekly half-hour programme. The service expanded in 1964 with the news magazine Sju dagar and in 1965 with Swedish-language news bulletins. Swedish-language output was initially carried on Yle’s established television channels rather than through an independent network. The idea of a separate channel for Finland’s Swedish-speaking population was debated during the 1970s. A proposed third channel was rejected because critics questioned whether a joint Finnish-Swedish channel would be workable and expressed concern that a separate service might increase linguistic separation. A further petition in 1975 did not immediately produce a channel. Instead, Yle assessed in 1977 how additional Swedish-language programming could be placed within its existing television services. A dedicated Swedish-language television unit was formed in 1983. In 1988 it developed a recognizable identity as FST, meaning Finlands Svenska Television. At first, FST was not a full-time independent channel. It operated as a late-evening programming block on Yle TV2 on Mondays and Yle TV1 on Tuesdays, scheduled after MTV3’s late-evening news. This arrangement allowed Yle to expand Swedish-language programming while continuing to use the infrastructure and schedules of its two main channels. The service reached a major organizational milestone on 27 August 2001, when it was relaunched as a dedicated channel called YLE FST. The launch increased weekly Swedish-language output from approximately 20 hours to approximately 40 hours. The channel also explored interactive television, introducing the NE quiz game in December 2002 through its MHP capability during periods when regular programming was not being broadcast. In 2003, FST carried around 2,000 hours of programming, more than twice the approximately 950 hours recorded in 2000. From 2006 to 2012, the channel was known as YLE FST5. The name reflected its channel position, but the service later changed its branding because some viewers regarded “FST” as an unintelligible string of initials. Yle Fem used the Swedish word for five and maintained a connection to the channel’s position while offering a more pronounceable and audience-facing identity. Yle Fem’s standalone existence ended on 24 April 2017, when it was merged with Yle Teema. The resulting Yle Teema & Fem network combined the thematic and cultural orientation associated with Yle Teema with the Swedish-language public-service role associated with Yle Fem. The merger marked a change in channel structure rather than the disappearance of Swedish-language broadcasting from Yle. Yle’s Swedish-language services continue under the broader Yle organization, while Yle Fem remains the historical name of the dedicated channel that served Finland’s Swedish-speaking audience from 2001 until the 2017 reorganization.
- 2017
Yle Fem merges with Yle Teema
[1]Yle Fem is merged with Yle Teema on 24 April, creating Yle Teema & Fem.
- 2012
The channel becomes Yle Fem
[1]The service changes its name to Yle Fem to make the brand more understandable to viewers while retaining the reference to channel five.
- 2006
The channel becomes YLE FST5
[1]The service adopts the YLE FST5 name, reflecting its channel position.
- 2002
NE interactive quiz is introduced
[1]The channel introduces the NE quiz game using its MHP interactive television capacity during daytime downtime.
- 2001
YLE FST becomes a dedicated channel
[1]The service is relaunched as a dedicated channel, doubling the scheduled Swedish-language output to approximately 40 hours per week.
- 1988
FST programming block launches
[1]Finlands Svenska Television launches as a late-evening programming block on Yle TV1 and Yle TV2.
- 1983
Dedicated Swedish-language television unit is established
[1]Yle creates a dedicated unit for Finland-Swedish television programming.
- 1965
Swedish-language news bulletins begin
[1]Swedish-language news bulletins are added to Yle’s television programming.
- 1964
Sju dagar is introduced
[1]Yle expands its Swedish-language television output with the news magazine Sju dagar.
- 1959
Yle begins Swedish-language television production
[1]Yle begins producing Swedish-language television programming, initially with a weekly half-hour programme.
Products and positioning
A national public-service television service dedicated primarily to Swedish-language audiences in Finland, with an additional role in connecting the country’s Finnish- and Swedish-speaking communities.
Public-service television channel · 2001
Yle Fem
Yle Fem was a national Finnish television channel focused on Swedish-language programming for Finland’s Swedish-speaking minority. Its output formed part of Yle’s public-service mandate and also supported cultural exchange and understanding across Finland’s two national-language communities. The channel existed under several related identities, including FST, YLE FST5 and Yle Fem, before merging with Yle Teema in 2017.
Swedish-language television programming block · 1988
FST
FST, short for Finlands Svenska Television, was the predecessor identity of Yle Fem. It began in 1988 as a late-evening programming block carried on Yle TV1 and Yle TV2. The block provided Swedish-language television within Yle’s existing channel structure before becoming a dedicated channel in 2001.
Interactive television service · 2002
NE quiz game
The NE quiz game was an interactive television offering introduced by FST in December 2002. It used the channel’s MHP capacity and was available during daytime periods when regular broadcast programming was not being transmitted.
Brand decisions
2017
Merger with Yle TeemaM&ABackground
Yle reorganized its thematic and Finland-Swedish television services as part of a revised channel structure.
Action taken
On 24 April 2017, Yle Fem was combined with Yle Teema to form Yle Teema & Fem.
Aftermath
Yle Fem ceased to operate as an independent broadcast network, while Swedish-language programming continued within the combined Yle service.
2012
Rebranding from YLE FST5 to Yle FemStrategyBackground
The FST5 name referred to the channel’s position but was perceived by viewers as an unclear combination of letters.
Action taken
Yle changed the channel’s name to Yle Fem, using the Swedish word for five and creating a more recognizable spoken brand.
Aftermath
Yle Fem became the channel’s final standalone identity before the 2017 merger with Yle Teema.
2001
Conversion from programming block to dedicated channelStrategyBackground
FST had operated as scheduled late-evening programming on Yle’s principal television channels since 1988. Yle expanded the service in response to the continuing public-service need for Swedish-language television in Finland.
Action taken
On 27 August 2001, Yle relaunched the service as the dedicated YLE FST channel and increased weekly Swedish-language programming from approximately 20 to approximately 40 hours.
Aftermath
The dedicated-channel structure supported a substantial expansion of output; FST carried approximately 2,000 hours of programming in 2003, compared with approximately 950 hours in 2000.
Sources2 sources
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