Entertainment giants are driving a major change around the globe – Finnish consumers will soon be faced with a choice in their living rooms

The world’s largest streaming services, such as Netflix and Disney Plus, recently announced that they will now be using Dolby Atmos for almost all of their output. The music and film industries are also moving in the same direction.

Saarentaus gives a good example of the scale of the upcoming change – only 14 of Finland’s just under 200 cinemas currently use Dolby Atmos audio. Yet Disney Plus has announced that it will produce all of its new content in Dolby Atmos, while Netflix has said that it will make at least 70 per cent of its original series using the same format.

“Sound plays a very significant role in the entertainment experience, so this is a really major change that hasn’t been talked about enough. In practice, it means that many Finns may not be able to experience major international entertainment as intended in cinemas, let alone in their own living rooms. Finnish and other Nordic operators are clearly lagging behind international players at the moment,” says Saarentaus.

In addition to sound, Saarentaus is also concerned about the picture quality available to households.

“All Finnish TV content has been produced in HD format for many years, and 4K is already commonplace. Yet most free channels are still only available to a significant number of Finns as standard-quality SD broadcasts. The unfortunate fact is that when you watch an SD broadcast on a TV larger than 50 inches, it looks quite blurry and not as the creators intended.”

Significant investments ahead

The entertainment business expert believes that significant investments lie ahead. For Finnish consumers, this will soon mean choosing what kind of distribution network or content service they want in their living rooms.

“Entertainment producers, consumers and distributors will all have to consider whether they want to invest in the necessary equipment. If these changes and investments are not made, Finland will soon find itself at the periphery when it comes to entertainment on a global scale. And not only Finland – many Nordic service providers are also in danger of being left behind in terms of audio-visual quality,” says Saarentaus.

DNA is also reacting to global changes.

“DNA’s next entertainment box will support both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. Through DNA, Finns can already acquire a service that allows all free channels to be broadcast in HD in homes all across Finland,” says Saarentaus.

Additional information for the media
Mikko Saarentaus, Vice President, Entertainment Business at DNA, tel. +358 (0)44 549 0374 DNA Corporate Communications, tel. +358 (0)44 044 8000, viestinta@dna.fi