Study: Finland’s immigrants favour commercial television channels

“Watching Finnish-language programmes for too long stresses me out”

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“Unfortunately I watch more Russian-language television channels. I cannot watch Finnish-language programmes for too long, because I cannot hear just Finnish 24 hours a day. It causes me stress.”
      “Well, if my husband is watching some Finnish television series, I can sit down and watch for about 15 minutes, maximum.”
     
Of the Finnish television channels, the favourites among those who have moved here from elsewhere are the largest commercial channels Nelonen (Channel Four) and MTV3, reveals Mari Maasilta’s research project entitled “Finnish Television and Multicultural Audiences”.
      For her study for the University of Tampere, Maasilta interviewed foreigners living in Finland.
      In popularity, Nelonen and MTV3 are followed by the Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE’s TV1 and TV2 channels, although among the younger viewers the channel Sub-TV, which airs for example the Big Brother Finland reality show, has proved more popular than the YLE channels.
      “The commercial channels air the TV series that people watch the world over”, explains Maasilta. “Programmes such as Friends, Lost, The Simpsons, and Desperate Housewives that some of the foreign-born viewers were already familiar with even before moving to Finland.”
     
The use of subtitles rather than dubbing naturally makes these programmes instantly accessible to anyone speaking English as either a first or second language.
      Many of the popular foreign-made series feature extensively in the programming of the commercial channels, although of late YLE has made some inroads in this area by forging a deal with HBO, the makers of such hit series as The Sopranos and True Blood.
     
In 2008 up to a third of Finland’s television viewer of immigrant backgrounds followed various satellite stations.
      Programmes from their former home country as well as from various international sources were followed most eagerly by those hailing from the Middle East.
      “Following the Finnish-language programmes can be stressful, as one struggles with the language the whole time”, Maasilta says. “Familiar TV programmes act as a means of retreat and relaxation.”
      The channels of one’s former home country are mostly followed by the older immigrants. The younger generation are the most enthusiastic viewers of the Finnish programming.
     
Even though the younger viewers may consider a lot of the Finnish TV drama “embarrassing”, the soap opera Salatut Elämät (“Secret Lives”) is an exception.
      And so are the franchised Talent, Idols, and the Finnish Super Model shows - which all include immigrant-background contestants as well.
     
Finland’s immigrants are an extremely heterogenic group, Maasilta points out.
      Many are fed up with the news and current affairs programmes’ stereotypical portrayal of the country’s immigrants: more often than not they are depicted as non-European refugees or asylum-seekers.
      Many of the interviewed also wished that they would see an increasing number of immigrants involved in the Finnish television shows - as their makers.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Helsinki: city of immigrants (2.3.2010)
  Digital TV brings more channels to Finnish TV screens (28.8.2007)

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