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Country | Finland |
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Broadcast area | Finland Åland |
Programming | |
Language(s) | Finnish English (with Finnish subtitles) |
Picture format | 16:9 SDTV and HDTV |
Ownership | |
Owner | The Walt Disney Company Nordic AB, filial i Finland (Disney Entertainment) |
Sister channels | Star Channel HD |
History | |
Launched | 18 December 2009 |
Former names | SuomiTV (until 15 April 2012) Fox (Until 6 January 2023) |
Links | |
Website | www |
Availability | |
Terrestrial | |
Digital terrestrial | Channel 12 |
Star Channel (formerly SuomiTV and later Fox) is a Finnish entertainment TV channel owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its local subsidiary The Walt Disney Company Nordic AB, filial i Finland (formerly Family Channel Oy, Fox International Channels Oy and Fox Networks Group Oy). The channel was acquired by FNG Nordic (then known as FIC Nordic) in January 2012, and then relaunched as its current incarnation on 16 April that year.[1][2]
Star Channel is freely available in Finland both over-the-air and through cable, as it bases its funding on television advertisements. It is FNG Nordic's first channel that does not operate on subscriber fees.[3]
As the channel was licensed as generalist channel, it was required to broadcast certain television programmes. As of 2018, Fox fulfilled such requirements by simulcasting Sky News (which was a fellow 21st Century Fox business until November 2018) overnight, and showing programmes aimed at children in mornings under Fox Kids programming block. Such requirements were later[when?] lifted.
Fox Networks Group Oy also operates the Finnish version of National Geographic television channel.
The channel provided a free catch up service through its online platform FOXplay until 2019.
Effective 1 January 2019, Sanoma Media Finland took over media sales representation of Fox Networks Group channels in Finland, which includes this channel.[4][5]
On October 26, 2022, The Walt Disney Company Nordic & Baltic announced that Fox would be renamed as Star Channel on 6 January 2023.[6]