The TV4 Group and Ericsson have entered into a strategic partnership for the joint prioritisation and development of future TV and multimedia solutions. Under the ten-year partnership and technology development agreement, Ericsson will be taking over responsibility for TV4 Group transmission operations. The 40 people at TV4 working in the departments concerned will be offered employment with Ericsson.

Under the partnership, the TV4 Group and Ericsson will also establish a new technology and business development forum, which will form the basis for future joint development projects. This will enable these two Swedish companies to establish a very strong position in the TV and multimedia field, focusing on the Swedish, Nordic and international markets.

The partnership between the TV Group and Ericsson is a long-term one and important to both companies. The TV4 Group's know-how in the field of TV content and digital media, its experience of TV consumption and close relationship with viewers and customers alike, coupled with Ericsson's technical know-how, global presence and expansive investment in the service and multimedia sectors, will enable the companies to develop new technical solutions and take up a position at the forefront of the TV and multimedia business of the future.

"These media are undergoing constant changes, both in consumption patterns and technology. These changes impact business models. The agreement will assure our transmission operations and technological development for a long time to come, while freeing resources for our programme and service content, and for business development. In addition, the partnership with Ericsson, which is a technology market leader, will enable us to help drive and develop the TV solutions of the future," says Jan Scherman, CEO of the TV4 Group.

Ericsson's Mikael Bäckström, Head of Market Unit Nordics and Baltics, says "This is a strategic step for us as we see telecoms, media and Internet converge. Beside the advantages of outsourcing for TV4, we see this as a way of gaining know-how from TV4's leading industry competence."

Ericsson has been responsible for transmission of C More Entertainment’s Nordic Canal+ channels since 2007. Canal+ was acquired by the TV4 Group in 2008. Under the new agreement, Ericsson will take over all TV4 Group transmission operations.

Press contacts:

TV4 Group: Gunnar Gidefeldt, Head of Communications, +46 70 546 74 44, gunnar.gidefeldt@tv4.se or Magnus Törnblom, Corporate Communications Manager, +46 70 266 27 12, magnus.tornblom@tv4.se

Ericsson: Ericsson Corporate Public & Media Relations, +46 10 719 69 92, press.relations@ericsson.com or Ericsson Investor Relations, +46 10 719 00 00, investor.relations@ericsson.com

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The TV4 Group is the Nordic region’s leading TV company. The TV4 Group has delivered engaging news coverage and a broad range of high quality entertainment to Swedish viewers for almost two decades. In addition to TV4, the group’s portfolio also includes 10 other channels, 25 local TV stations, 4 Finnish channel editions as well as Canal+, the leading provider of pay-tv in the Nordic region with 15 channels offering world class sports, films and television series. As one of the leading online content providers in Sweden, TV4 New Media offers a number of different web sites and mobile phone services as well as the video-on-demand service TV4 Play. For more information, visit tv4group.se.

Ericsson is the world's leading provider of technology and services to telecom operators. Ericsson is the leader in 2G, 3G and 4G mobile technologies, and provides support for networks with over 1 billion subscribers and has a leading position in managed services. The company's portfolio comprises of mobile and fixed network infrastructure, telecom services, software, broadband and multimedia solutions for operators, enterprises and the media industry. The Sony Ericsson and ST-Ericsson joint ventures provide consumers with feature-rich personal mobile devices. Ericsson is advancing its vision of "to be the prime driver in an all-communicating world" through innovation, technology, and sustainable business solutions. Working in 175 countries, more than 75,000 employees generated revenue of SEK 209 billion (USD 32.2 billion) in 2008. Founded in 1876 with the headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden, Ericsson is listed on NASDAQ OMX Stockholm and NASDAQ New York. More information: www.ericsson.com, www.ericsson.mobi, www.twitter.com/ericssonpress