Yle Strategy 2012-2014

Foundation of the Yle strategy

Yle operations and content are based on the values of public service, distinguishing them among other content providers. Yle safeguards the vitality of Finnish culture, the languages of Finland, and civil society. It also seeks to care for the needs of special groups with services that promote equality between media consumers.

Content production and services are based on customer needs. Yle knows the Finnish people well, and works with them to build new creative media content that meets their expectations. Yle is a platform and motivator for Finnish creativity that continually reassesses and modifies its services from the perspective of the total value created for the public, society, and culture.

The operations of Yle are internally and externally open and interactive, and service development is based on interaction with the Finns. Yle improves its ability to create content by anticipating customer expectations in a rapidly changing usage environment. Yle increases its transparency and efficiency by clarifying its structure and operating model.

Objectives of the Yle strategy

Yle aims to be the leading producer of factual and cultural content, Finnish music programmes, children’s services, drama, news, current affairs programmes and regional services. Yle seeks to stand out among other operators in entertainment and popular culture through an innovative approach that suits the company’s values. Yle covers the major sporting events that unite the Finnish people and a diversity of sports.

Yle aims to be an influential content producer in Finnish civil society and culture. Younger customer groups present the most significant challenge. Yle wants to improve its services for children and young adults, and it invests in content and methods of interaction and supply that interest these groups.

Yle is a collective Finnish content supplier that is available to everybody in an increasingly diversified media field. Yle serves its customers in traditional and new ways of using media, considering all significant user groups and changes in the usage environment equally. This requires a unique combination of traditional services and new social media. The archives and content created by Yle are extensively provided for use by communities and the people.

Means of the Yle strategy

Yle focuses its resources and services to maximise impact. Resources are directed at events and content that create shared experiences that will be noticed, discussed and cited.

Yle seeks impact in online services by organising services in larger packages and enhancing their audience appeal for online users. This is particularly important in serving younger customer groups.

Interaction between various genres is increased to encourage new and creative content. Content requiring significant investment is more consciously separated from basic services in production. A high level of resource usage is secured in internal production.

Yle produces news and current affairs mainly internally. In other content areas, Yle will annually define the objectives and quantitative division of internal and purchased production. Yle will remain a significant content producer in these areas, but with a long-term aim of increasing external Finnish content acquisition.

Broadcasting services are based on four television channels with varying roles and motives for consumption, together with four Finnish and two Swedish language radio channels. The formats and profiles of these channels will be clarified to make programmes easier to find, and there are plans to make them meet the needs of various customer segments even more effectively. Brand management of channels and online services will be strengthened. Broadcasting services are managed as a single Yle package.

The “annorlunda på svenska” (“different in Swedish”) approach of Swedish Yle services brings added value to the overall service. Swedish Yle services will be increasingly harmonised with other services.

Yle forms diverse partnerships with operators in the third and community sectors, and in the media field. Through these partnerships, Yle aims to enable creative production and use of content in society, to improve the effectiveness of its operations, and to ensure the availability of its content,  also in new distribution environments.

Yle resource strategies

Personnel
Yle’s success is based on professional and creative personnel, and on target-oriented and motivated leadership in an innovative, open, and interactive working culture.

Yle develops the top expertise of journalists and other media professionals with a view to being the most popular place to work in the industry.

When hiring permanent employees, Yle ensures that new employees are motivated and have what it takes for a versatile career. Training and job rotation support the development of competence. The salary structure will increasingly emphasise performance-based individuality, with the entire personnel included in an incentive remuneration system.

The number of permanent employees will be maintained at the level required for internal production, with a maximum of 3,000 employees at the end of 2012.

Finance
The finances of Yle will be balanced. Operations will be dimensioned to allow some €10 million for development and new initiatives. Solvency will be ensured through flexible credit limits, maintaining an equity ratio exceeding 30% at all times.

Financial management will be tightened with improved transparency. Management of operations will be improved to support flexibility and a capacity to respond rapidly to change.

Technology
The controllability and cost-effectiveness of the information architecture will be enhanced by integrating system solutions and tools. Investments will be made in IT and infra risk management, and continuity planning will be improved.

The replacement value of production equipment will be reduced by 20 per cent by the end of 2012. The growing costs of technology will be controlled through partnership solutions, with total distribution costs kept below €45 million annually.

Facilities
Office premises will be cut by 40 per cent by 2016, and the remaining premises modified to support an innovative working environment. Ownership will gradually be relinquished as part of the reform.

Marketing
Brand management and branding will be improved. The Yle brand is based on reliability. The idea of independent communication is part of the brand structure. A new brand architecture will be created and implanted in 2011–2012, with a new Yle look.The brand will be mostly constructed through product marketing.

Rights
Yle content is part of the national audiovisual information and cultural heritage. Yle will increasingly make content available for the public good. Yle will make selected materials available for the public to use, promoting greater use of content and development of new and open production methods. Through its partnerships, Yle will seek a public presence and lend support to diversified development of an information society.