DNA Welho and Viasat bring KHL and NHL matches to all homes, now including the terrestrial network and mobile devices

Starting this autumn, Jokerit will as the first Finnish club play in the toughest ice hockey league on the continent, the Russian KHL league. In addition to Jokerit, several top Finnish players play in the various KHL clubs. Viasat has exclusive rights to broadcast KHL matches in Finland. The KHL season will open on 3 September and will end in April 2015. Russian KHL league matches were available for viewing on the cable network starting last season, as part of the Viasat channel packages.

Following a recent agreement between DNA and Viasat, the Viasat Sport package will now be available to terrestrial network households from 18 August onwards. From the viewpoint of Finnish hockey fans, the Viasat Hockey Finland channel included in the package is the most important channel in the package, since it shows those KHL and NHL matches that are most interesting to the Finnish audience. These matches come with Finnish commentary. The Viasat Hockey Finland channel is available for reception via DNA’s VHF terrestrial network.

The entire Viasat Sport package is available to terrestrial network subscribers on the DNA Welho MatkaTV service because DNA Welho MatkaTV will stream all sports channels included in the Viasat Sport package to smart phones, tablets and desktops. Subscribers of this package can also view the channels included in the package via the MatkaTV service on a TV set using the Google Chromecast media player, which retrieves programmes from a cloud via a wlan network.

“Our customers have long awaited an opening on the terrestrial network from us. We are now extremely pleased to make our flagship in the sporting entertainment, Viasat Hoceky Finland, available via the terrestrial network. With Jokerit joining the toughest ice hockey league in Europe, the forthcoming sporting season will be all the more interesting, says Johannes Leppänen, Viasat Finland's Managing Director.

Subscribers to the Viasat Sport and Viasat Kulta packages on cable network will also be able to view Viasat’s sports channels using, their mobile devices, provided that they have subscribed to the DNA Welho MatkaTV service.

The DNA Welho MatkaTV service is based on Booxmedia's cloud TV technology. While MatkaTV is part of the DNA Welho Viihde service, it is also available independently. Viewing the Viasat sports channels via the MatkaTV service requires both the channel package and the MatkaTV service subscription. MatkaTV can also be used to record programmes on several free-to-view channels and to view them at the time they wish, even without a network connection.

“We find it important to be able to offer our customers interesting content which they can receive in full and in as many ways as possible, using both our television networks and mobile devices. We are delighted to enhance our cooperation with Viasat, as their effort to show sports interesting to Finnish viewers, ice hockey fans in particular, will certainly appeal to our customers as well. We are continuously developing our services, and, thanks to the cooperation, we promise that we will continue to announce interesting news,” says Jarno Haikonen, director of DNA's entertainment business.

Viasat's five sports channel broadcast the best ice hockey in the world, including the NHL, KHL and the Swedish SHL league. In addition to ice hockey, Viasat's sports programmes cover all the major golf tournaments, available on the Viasat Golf channel, football including Serie A and La Liga, World and European Championship and Euro league basketball, the NFL and many other sports. Viasat's all sports channels (Viasat Sport, Viasat Golf, Viasat Hockey, Viasat Hockey Finland and Viasat Sport Xtra) will now be available in streamed broadcasts via the DNA Welho MatkaTV service to the subscribers of the Viasat Sport and Viasat Kulta pakages. Viasat Hockey, Viasat Sport and Viasat Golf are included in the packages transmitted over DNA's cable network in a high-definition version.

A new terrestrial television — two antennas make available the entire programme coverage of the terrestrial network

Finland has two parallel terrestrial networks. If two antennas — UHF and VHF— are used for terrestrial reception, the entire programme coverage of the terrestrial networks can be received at home. The terrestrial networks are now undergoing a transition to a new DVB-T2-technology (T2). Modern equipment will ensure versatile TV reception far into the future.

For distribution of the content of the Viasat Hockey Finland channel, DNA uses its own terrestrial network, which already broadcasts programmes fully in the new T2 format. Reception of channels transmitted via the VHF network requires a VHF aerial directed at DNA's network and a receiver marked with the Antenna Ready HD label (DVB-T2). DNA's terrestrial network already covers approximately 85 per cent of Finland's households.

To view Visat's KHL matches — in both cable and terrestrial network households:

• The Viasat Hockey Finland channel will show each week 7 to 10 live NHL matches, 4 to 5 KHL matches, including all Jokerit’s home and away matches, and 1 to 2 Swedish SHL matches. During the NHL season, in addition to matches televised at night, 1 to 3 matches a week will televised in the early evening Finnish time, with Finnish commentary.
• The Viasat Sport Xtra channel will show four La Liga and Serie A football matches a week, and, in cooperation with the Viasat Sport channel, all the World Championship basketball matches, including those played by the Finnish national team. 
• On the terrestrial network, the Viasat Hockey Finland channel will be available for viewing from 18 August onwards as part of the Viasat Sport package. To view this channel, you will need a VHF aerial and a receiver with an Antenna Ready HD label. Package subscribers can view all the channels in the Viasat Sport package via the DNA Welho MatkaTV service. 
• In the cable network, the Viasat Hockey Finland channel will be included in both the Viasat Sport and Viasat Kulta packages. If you wish to view the Viasat sports channels on other screens, you can do so by subscribing to the DNA Welho MatkaTV service. 
• All five Viasat's sports channels are available via the DNA Welho MatkaTV service to both terrestrial and cable network households, as long as you have subscribed to the Viasat Sport package (in the cable network, alternatively to the Viasat Kulta package) and to the DNA Welho MatkaTV service. Channels available via the DNA Welho MatkaTV service can be viewed on a mobile device, on a computer or on a TV set using the Chromecast media player. The Chromecast device is available in Finland at the price of approximately €35.
• The price of the Viasat Sport package (cable/terrestrial) is €19.95 /month; that of the Viasat Kulta package (cable) €29.95/month; and that of the MatkaTV service €4.95/month
• Available via DNA are also professional antenna installation services.

Further information:

Jarno Haikonen, Director, Entertainment Business, DNA Ltd, tel. +358 44 044 2058, jarno.haikonen@dna.fi 
Johannes Leppänen, Managing Director, Viasat Finland Oy, tel. +358 40 162 1761, johannes.leppanen@viasat.fi

DNA Corporate Communications, tel. +358 44 044 8000, viestinta@dna.fi

DNA Ltd is a Finnish telecommunications group providing high-quality voice, data and TV services for communication, entertainment and working. DNA is Finland’s largest cable operator and the leading pay TV provider in both the cable and terrestrial networks. For DNA, the key area for growth in the Corporate Business is the new way of working, independent of time and place, facilitated by smart terminal devices, diverse communication services and rapid connections. In 2013, DNA recorded a turnover of EUR 766 million and an operating profit of EUR 44 million. DNA Ltd has more than 3 million mobile communications and fixed network customers. DNA and WELHO are registered trademarks of DNA Ltd. The Group also includes DNA Store, Finland’s largest retail chain selling mobile phones. For more information, please visit www.dna.fi. DNA Customer Service serves you on Twitter @dna_palvelu and on Facebook accounts DNA, DNA Kauppa and DNA Welho.

Modern Times Group (MTG) and Viasat Finland Oy: Oy Viasat Finland Ab is part of Modern Times Group (MTG), an international entertainment broadcasting group with operations that span six continents and include free-TV, pay-TV, radio and content production businesses. MTG’s Viasat Broadcasting operates free-TV and pay-TV channels, which are available on Viasat’s own satellite platforms and third party networks, and also distributes TV content over the internet. MTG is also the largest shareholder in CTC Media, which is Russia’s leading independent television broadcaster. Modern Times Group is a growth company and is listed on the Nasdaq OMX Stockholm stock exchange.
Viasat Finland is a pay-tv operator distributing entertainment to Finnish homes via satellite, cable TV, terrestrial TV and broadband TV platforms. Viasat started broadcasts in Finland in 1996 and currently Viasat Finland’s offering gathers Viasat Film channels, Viasat’s own factual channels and Viasat Sport channels including localized Viasat Hockey Finland and Viasat Sport Xtra. In addition Viasat Finland’s packages carry third party channels from Disney.