The newest TV channel Liv of Nelonen Media starts broadcasting on Valentine's Day, on 14 February 2009. The commercial channel Liv is Finland's first lifestyle TV channel and its programmes will be seen free of charge in homes connected to cable and satellite network.
Katja Santala is the channel manager of the TV channel Liv. She says that people's interest towards lifestyle themes is a worldwide trend. As a result of this trend, new lifestyle TV channels are created all around.
"Nowadays home is considered more important and the interest towards wellbeing is rising. It is more acceptable than before to take care of yourself and your looks in all age groups. Aiming for a better everyday life is the "it" factor in today's world," Santala explains.
Santala's channel concept was approved by the Management Group of Nelonen Media last spring, and Santala was able to start acquiring the programmes for the channel. The final decision of founding the new TV channel was made in the end of autumn 2008.
"The name of the channel was considered long and hard. As the emphasis was on lifestyle the name Liv was finally a very natural choice. I'm very pleased with the name," Santala states and adds that it is never easy to name a new product.
Versatile programmes and clear structure
The programming schedule on Liv TV channel is constructed to be as clear as possible. The programmes are divided under four categories: home, relationships, me and trends.
Main themes of the programmes in the versatile home category are cooking and interior design. Programmes of home category are seen for instance on weeknights' prime time at 21. In addition, there is going to be five hours of cooking and food programmes on Saturdays and five hours of interior design on Sundays.
Santala has acquired a great part of Liv's programmes from Canada and Australia. The channel sends also a talk show that comes from the USA, Ellen DeGeneres Show.
Ellen DeGeneres Show has been done in the USA since 2003 and it has received all possible awards. Ellen DeGeneres and her programmes have won for instance 11 Daytime Emmy Awards and 8 People's Choice Awards. DeGeneres is a stand-up comedian and an actor who also has been the presenter of the Emmy Awards and the Oscars.
Liv D documents will be shown in the trends category in addition to the Ellen DeGeneres Show. "Our documents are human – still with an edge," Santala describes. Almost all Liv D documents and alltogether about 70 per cent of the Liv programmes will be broadcasted online.
More information on the Liv website www.livtv.fi
Nelonen Media is part of Sanoma Entertainment, the electronic media division of the Sanoma Group.