Sweden’s TV4 Group Taps New Director of Content

STOCKHOLM: Åsa Sjöberg has been named director of content at TV4 Group in Sweden, taking on overall responsibility for programming of all channels and across all platforms.

Sjöberg has been director of programs for general TV since 2007. She started her TV4 career in 1999, as commissioning editor and executive producer in the programming department, before taking over as head of commissioning in 2005. Previously, she was an editor and producer at Strix Television. She is a member of the board of Nordic World and also represents the Swedish film and drama industry on the board of the Nordisk Film & TV Fond. She will assume her new role on October 1, when Johan Kleberg leaves TV4 Group. She will report to Casten Almqvist, the CEO, and will join TV4 Group's management team.

TV4 Group is further streamlining the organization of its content department once Sjöberg's appointment takes effect, including the departments of general TV (led by Maria Mowbray, the head of commissioning), news and current affairs (Viveka Hansson, the director of programs for news and current affairs), sports (Fredrik Olofson, the head of sports), acquisitions and formats (Cathrine Wiernik, the head of acquisitions and formats), and drama. The head of drama will be appointed soon, as will an entirely new head of digital programs. This will be a role that cuts across the five different content departments.

Almqvist said: "Åsa Sjöberg combines a strong journalistic focus with broad experience and knowledge of television production. She is now being entrusted with the further development of TV4's unique position, and utilizing the power of this to continue to drive the digital transformation, to secure the necessary rights for all platforms and to continue to build the digital content that will ensure TV4 remains relevant to all of the country's viewers."

Sjöberg added: "In a time of immense change, it is a great and interesting challenge to continue to develop TV4 Group's content along with the country's foremost program makers. The local Swedish offering is what distinguishes us, in terms of news, community journalism, sports, our own drama and entertainment. And this will continue to be the case. We are now intensifying our efforts to transform ourselves digitally in order to address our viewers when and where they choose."