Editing SVT2 (section)

==History==
===TV2===
[[Image:TV2-tillsats.jpg|thumb|left|TV2 box used to be able to view the new channel on an old TV set.]]

Debate persisted throughout the 1960s over a second Swedish television channel, following the opening of ''Radiotjänst TV'' (later ''Sveriges Radio TV'') in 1956. Some wanted the new channel to be private and funded by advertising, or integrated to the existing channel; but it was decided that the public service broadcaster, Sveriges Radio, would take responsibility, by having two separate structures, one for each channel. Sweden was the second Nordic country to launch a second TV channel, after Finland who [[Yle TV2|did it]] in March 1965.

''TV2'' began broadcasting on Friday 5 December 1969 - an occasion known widely as the "channel split" ({{lang|sv|kanalklyvningen}}).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kronbrink |first=Hans |date=2019-12-05 |title=En tv-klassiker fyller jämnt |url=https://www.dn.se/familj/en-tv-klassiker-fyller-jamnt/ |access-date=2024-02-21 |work=[[Dagens Nyheter]] |language=sv}}</ref> While TV1 was broadcast on VHF frequencies, TV2 used UHF frequencies, which meant that households had to buy a special converter box if they wanted to see TV2.

At 6am on Friday, 5 December 1969, Carl-Uno Sjöblom started as a "test announcer" with small talk, gramophone music for still images and with some film clips. He continued until 6pm when the service started. Radio manager Olof Rydbeck was given a minute to inaugurate the channel, followed by ''Les Aventures de Babar'', TV-nytt with the first broadcast of Rapport, ''[[Moomin (1969 TV series)|Moomin]]'' in colour, old and new images in colour, the premiere of {{lang|sv|Direkt - veckan som gick}} with Åke Ortmark as presenter, and ended with Shirley Bassey and The Young Generation.<ref>''Hört och sett : radio och television 1925-1974'', Nils-Olof Franzén, Per-Martin Hamberg, Philip von Krusenstierna, Sveriges radio, Stockholm 1974 {{ISBN|91-522-1333-1}}, p. 299</ref>

From the start, TV2 invested in social and current affairs programs under the title Direkt and were broadcast every weekday evening after TV news at 21:00, including the previously mentioned {{lang|sv|Direkt – veckan som gick}}, {{lang|sv|Direkt – mittiveckan}}, {{lang|sv|Direkt – reportage}} and {{lang|sv|Direkt – utifrån}}.<ref>{{cite book |title=Spegla, granska, tolka |date=2001 |publisher=Bokförlaget Prisma |location=Stockholm |url=https://www.ur.se/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Spegla_granska_tolka.pdf |language=sv |pp=220-221}}</ref> The Direkt investment was soon wound down, so when Direkt from outside remained and in the fall of 1970 changed its name to [[Dokument utifrån]].

Although TV2 was part of the same company as TV1, they were both editorially independent and encouraged to compete with each other. Both channels later agreed not to compete directly with similar programmes. For example, the weekend variety shows were aired on TV2 on Friday nights and TV1 on Saturday nights.

Both channels also shared a national news service, {{lang|sv|TV-nytt}}, which broadcast short bulletins at 7 pm and 9 pm on TV2 (6 pm, 7.30 pm, and 10 pm on TV1) - accompanying this on TV2 was {{lang|sv|Rapport}}, a 20-minute news magazine emphasising in-depth reports, analysis, and commentary. The initial format gave rise to accusations of left-wing bias with TV2 described by some as ''the red channel''. A revamp in 1972 saw ''Rapport'' move to 7.30 pm and introduce a broader format, eventually establishing the programme as the most-watched Swedish television news.

During its first year, TV2 was in a build-up phase, which meant, among other things, that it broadcast fewer hours and could not be received by as many as TV1. September 30, 1972 was the day TV2 officially achieved the same broadcast volume as TV1, namely 40 hours a week.<ref>{{cite news |title=Krock redan första dagen |url=https://www.svd.se/arkiv/1972-09-29/8 |work=Svenska Dagbladet |date=29 September 1972 |language=sv}}</ref>

On September 30, 1972, several extensive changes to the operations were also launched, including TV2's own news program Rapport moving to 19:30, which belonged to TV-nytt and was broadcast on TV1.

As TV2 was broadcast on UHF from the beginning, the channel was able to broadcast regional programming for the first time. In November 1970, the first regional news bulletin, ''[[Sydnytt]]'' (covering [[Scania]] and [[Blekinge]], was launched. In July 1979, both TV1 and TV2 were placed under the management of [[Sveriges Television]] (SVT).

TV2 was far from becoming a success in its early years, where it was speculated that one in every three Swedes owned a TV2 converter to receive UHF signals.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20191205132802/https://www.dn.se/familj/en-tv-klassiker-fyller-jamnt/ En tv-klassiker fyller jämnt]</ref>

Having gradually introduced regional news services across the country, TV2 was relaunched as the ''Sweden Channel'' ({{lang|sv|Sverigekanalen}}){{efn|In March 2024, a Christian channel created from dissidents of Vision Sverige named ''SverigeKanalen'' started broadcasting, though the channel has no relation with SVT2.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ny kristen tv-kanal börjar sända i Sverige |url=https://www.dagen.se/nyheter/2024/03/12/ny-kristen-tv-kanal-borjar-sanda-i-sverige/ |work=dagen.se |language=sv}}</ref>}} on 31 August 1987. As part of a reorganisation, the network's homegrown output consisted largely of programming from SVT's regional production centres (there were ten of them in total, the biggest of them being Gothenburg and Malmö), although some Stockholm-produced output continued, including ''Rapport''.<ref name="TV2-5DEC1994">{{cite news |title=TV 2 fyller 25 år i dag |url=https://www.dn.se/arkiv/teater/tv-2-fyller-25-ar-i-dag/ |work=[[Dagens Nyheter]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170220092029/https://www.dn.se/arkiv/teater/tv-2-fyller-25-ar-i-dag/ |archive-date=20 February 2017 |language=sv}}</ref>

The revamp helped to establish TV2 as the most-watched television network in Sweden, although by 1994, the channel lost its lead to commercial network [[TV4 (Swedish TV channel)|TV4]]. On the date of its 25th anniversary, the channel did not produce special programming, aside from a special edition of ''Go'morron Sverige'' and a ten-minute segment during that evening's edition of ''Rapport''.<ref name="TV2-5DEC1994"/>

===SVT2===
The increasing competition led to a relaunch as SVT2 in 1996, with programming from both Stockholm and the regional centres now shared between both channels. Among the changes, the 6 pm edition of SVT1's news service ''[[Aktuellt]]'' moved to the channel, while ''Rapport'' launched breakfast and lunchtime editions, but also moved some of its shorter bulletins to SVT1.

A major corporate revamp in 2001 saw SVT2 repositioned as a more specialist channel with SVT1 taking a broader, mainstream profile. As part of the revamp, ''Rapport'' moved to the first network and the less popular ''Aktuellt'' moved to SVT2, initially airing twice nightly at 6 pm and 9 pm. Regional news bulletins continued on SVT2 as before.<ref name="nyechefen"/>

Other popular programming on the network (such as ''[[Expedition: Robinson]]'') also moved to SVT1, although an effort was made to boost audiences with new programming schedules in 2003. In-vision continuity was abandoned in January 2005 in favour of pre-recorded announcements.

On August 24, 2020, the late local news and Sportnytt moved to SVT1. As a result, regional programs are no longer broadcast on SVT2. The change was partly a cost-cutting measure as it saved money by only having regional opt-outs in one channel compared to two.<ref>{{cite news |title=Nya sändningstider för lokala nyheter |url=https://www.svt.se/nyheter/lokalt/nya-sandningstider-for-lokala-nyheter-3 |work=SVT Nyheter |date=20 August 2020 |language=sv}}</ref>