TV4 is Sweden’s leading commercial TV channel, delivering news, entertainment, sport and drama to its users and viewers around the clock via its destinations: TV4, TV4 Play, TV4.se and the TV4 News app. To finance programme content, the TV4 Sales Department requires high presence in the ad market, which also helps its customers make effective brand investments. When the pandemic broke out in spring 2020, all of the TV4 Sales Department’s natural links for business communication were cut off. The situation rapidly became business critical when physical events and meetings with customers and advertisers were no longer possible. As a solution, the TV4 Sales Department presented the TV4 Growth programme format to reach out with its B2B communication and strengthen the B2B brand.

The idea behind the programme was initially to maintain communication with customers, advertisers and media agencies when the pandemic made it impossible to meet as usual. The global situation generated a huge need in the industry for people to be able to meet and discuss challenges and solutions. By extension, the approach of working with a TV broadcast as a primary B2B channel has become an effective means of lighting a new “campfire” for the media industry: a forum in which the challenges of advertisers, media and agencies can be showcased and debated in a changing business climate.

TV4 Growth deepens and extends the TV4 Sales Department’s strategy of being a partner for growth that imparts insights and knowledge on various platforms. The goal of the programme content in TV4 Growth and TV4 Growth Executive Talks, as well on Growth Business Day, is to communicate with the market by talking about issues and subjects of urgent interest to current and future customers.

The initiative meshes perfectly with the Sales Department’s overall strategy: to be a partner for growth that delivers knowledge and insights on multiple platforms: in the customer encounter, in newsletters, in events and with the TV4 Growth programme.

The broadcasts originate in the high-tech TV4 studio via the TV4 Play platform. TV4Growth is hosted by Sales Director Malin Häger, a clear spokesperson for the Sales Department who possesses profound industry expertise, understanding and insight. Invited Growth guests discuss issues affecting today’s media landscape.

The format was expanded in 2021 with Growth Executive Talks, where invited business leaders talk about leadership, challenges and opportunities in their industries.

Programmes are published on TV4 Play about every three weeks and marketed with trailers that are presented via TV4’s LinkedIn and available to all sales reps to share. Invitations are distributed via CRM before every programme.

To deepen TV4 Growth, a three-hour live broadcast, Growth Business Day, was presented 22 September. Moderated by Professor Kjell A. Nordström, the theme was “Future-Proofing Business with Research”. World-renowned researchers in future studies, economics and marketing participated along with prominent Swedish business leaders.

TV4 Growth widened the TV4 Sales Department’s communication and clarified and boosted TV4’s B2B brand.

From the “pre-pandemic” situation with customer meetings and physical events limited to 300 people, TV4 Growth averages 700 stream starts.

When 100 marketing managers were asked “Which medium helped you reach your goals in 2021 in a professional and preferably innovative way?” TV4 was named Medium of the Year.

What started as a way to reach out in a crisis has become a permanent business communications platform that deepens the customer relationship and grows the market knowledge bank. Customer benefit is delivered via TV4 Growth when viewers/users are given an inside look at how entire industries and company managements are approaching today’s changeable business climate. This inspires them to sharpen their competitive edge in tomorrow’s market and aligns with the TV4 Sales Department’s overall communication goal of delivering knowledge and insight to our customers.