Stöð 2 (literally Station 2) is an Icelandic

subscription television Pay television, also known as subscription television, premium television or, when referring to an individual service, a premium channel, refers to Subscription business model, subscription-based television services, usually provided by multichan ...

channel, owned and operated by Sýn. Founded in 1986, it was the first privately owned television station in

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

following the lifting of the state monopoly on television broadcasting. Sister channels under the Stöð 2 name include

Stöð 2 Sport Stöð 2 Sport is an Icelandic television channel that broadcast a wide variety of different sports in Iceland. Stöð 2 Sport is only broadcast in Iceland and only in Icelandic. Sports shown Stöð 2 Sport offers a wide variety of live sports ...

and Stöð 2 Bíó. Stöð 2 is the second oldest private television station in the Nordic countries, after

MTV3 MTV3 ( fi, MTV Kolme, sv, MTV Tre) is a Finnish commercial television station. It had the biggest audience share of all Finnish TV channels until Yle TV1 (from Yle) took the lead. The letters MTV stand for Mainos-TV (literally "Advertisemen ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

History

New media laws of 1986

During the big BSRB strike in the fall of 1984, almost all of

RÚV Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV) (pronounced or ) ( en, 'The Icelandic National Broadcasting Service') is Iceland's national public-service broadcasting organization. Operating from studios in the country's capital, Reykjavík, as well as regional cent ...

's activities shut down and several illegal radio stations sprung up. As a result, consideration was given to revising the broadcasting laws during the tenure of Minister of Education Ragnhildar Helgadóttir. A new law, which allowed private radio and television stations, was approved by Alþingi on June 13, 1985, and came into effect at the beginning of 1986. Until that time, there had been two radio stations and one television station operating in Iceland, Rás 1 and Rás 2 and Ríkissjónvarpið.

Start of Stöð 2

Stöð 2 went on the air on October 9 that same year as a subscription station with a scrambled program where the subscriber had to buy a code number and enter a video code to unscramble the broadcast. Television presenter Jón Óttar and Vala Matt were prominent on the screen during the first days of the station. The line-up was made up of imported entertainment, dramatized Icelandic entertainment and news. It was difficult to get investors to participate in the activity to begin with. At the beginning of 1987, there were about five thousand subscribers, but by the end of the year there had been almost thirty thousand. At the same time, the number of employees increased and the station began to compete with RÚV for programmers and reporters, which was considered unheard of.

Unification of the brand

Many sister stations were operated under the same company, but in 2008 they were all united under the name of station 2, thus the sports station became Sýn a Stöð 2 Sport. Sirkus became Stöð 2 Extra and Fjölvarpið became Stöð 2 Fjölvarp, on the other hand, Stöð 2 Bíó kept its name.

Current Programming

Icelandic

News

* ''Fréttir'', an evening news program, every evening at 6:30 pm * ''Ísland í dag'', a daily magazine covering various aspects of life in Iceland such as politics, culture and entertainment. It also includes

sport Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...

news News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different media: word of mouth, printing, postal systems, broadcasting, electronic communication, or through the testimony of observers and witnesses to events. N ...

and

weather Weather is the state of the atmosphere, describing for example the degree to which it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloud cover, cloudy. On Earth, most weather phenomena occur in the lowest layer of the planet's atmos ...

Global

Animation

*''

Adventure Time ''Adventure Time'' is an American fantasy animated television series created by Pendleton Ward for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television. The series follows the adventures of a boy named Finn (Jeremy Shada) and ...

'' *'' Danger Mouse'' *''

Dora the Explorer ''Dora the Explorer'' is an American children's animated television series and multimedia franchise created by Chris Gifford, Valerie Walsh Valdes and Eric Weiner that premiered on Nickelodeon on August 14, 2000, went on hiatus on June 5, 20 ...

'' *''

Maya the Bee ''Maya the Bee'' () is the main character in ''The Adventures of Maya the Bee'', a German book written by Waldemar Bonsels and published in 1912. The book has been published in many other languages and adapted into different media. The first Ame ...

'' *''

Mia and Me ''Mia and Me'' is a German children's series created by Gerhard Hahn. In the United States, it aired on Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. channel from May 3, 2014, to December 25, 2016. The show mixes live action with computer animation. ''Mia and Me'' is e ...

'' *''

The New Adventures of Lucky Luke ''Les Nouvelles Aventures de Lucky Luke'' (English: ''The New Adventures of Lucky Luke'') is a 2001-2003 animated television series based on the Franco-Belgian comic book series of the same name created by Belgian cartoonist Morris. 52 episodes ...

'' *''

The Smurfs ''The Smurfs'' (french: Les Schtroumpfs; nl, De Smurfen) is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. ''The Smurfs'' was first created and int ...

'' *''

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is an American media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael, four anthropomorphic turtle brothers (named after It ...

'' *''

Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! ''Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!'' is an American children's educational Flash animated television series created by Bob Boyle. The series was produced by Bolder Media (a joint venture of Frederator Studios and the Mixed Media Group) and Starz Media ...

'' *''

Zigby Zigby the zebra is an anthropomorphic children's fictional character created by Scottish-born English author Brian Paterson. Zigby appears in a series of picture books and board books as well as in a 3D-animated television adaptation. It aired ...

Anthology

*''

True Detective ''True Detective'' is an American anthology crime drama television series created and written by Nic Pizzolatto. The series, broadcast by the premium cable network HBO in the United States, premiered on January 12, 2014. Each season of the ...

Clip Shows

*'' Top 20 Funniest''

Comedy

Drama

First Dates ''First Dates'' is a British reality television programme that has aired on Channel 4 since 20 June 2013. The programme has been narrated by Brian Protheroe since 2015. Production The programme was filmed at the Paternoster Chop House restaur ...

'' *''

The Great British Bake Off ''The Great British Bake Off'' (often abbreviated to ''Bake Off'' or ''GBBO'') is a British television baking competition, produced by Love Productions, in which a group of amateur bakers compete against each other in a series of rounds, atte ...

'' *'' Love in the Wild'' *'' The X Factor: Celebrity'' *''

The X Factor UK ''The X Factor'' is a British reality television music competition, created by Simon Cowell. Premiering on 4 September 2004, it was produced by Fremantle's Thames and Cowell's production company Syco Entertainment for ITV, as well as simulc ...

Science Fiction

*''

Westworld ''Westworld'' is an American science fiction-thriller media franchise that began with the 1973 film ''Westworld'', written and directed by Michael Crichton. The film depicts a technologically advanced Wild-West-themed amusement park populate ...

Sitcoms

*''

Fresh Off the Boat The phrase fresh off the boat ''(FOB)'', off the boat ''(OTB)'', are sometimes-derogatory terms used to describe immigrants who have arrived from a foreign nation and have yet to assimilate into the host nation's culture, language, and behavior, ...

'' *'' Friends'' *'' The Goldbergs'' *''

Modern Family ''Modern Family'' is an American family sitcom television series created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan for the American Broadcasting Company. It ran for 11 seasons, from September 23, 2009, to April 8, 2020. It follows the lives of th ...

'' *'' Mom'' *''

New Girl ''New Girl'' is an American television sitcom created by Elizabeth Meriwether and produced by 20th Television for Fox that originally aired from September 20, 2011, to May 15, 2018. The series revolves around a kooky teacher, Jessica Day ( Zoo ...

Soap Operas

*''

The Bold and the Beautiful ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' (often referred to as ''B&B'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. It premiered on March 23, 1987, as a sister show to the Bells' other soap opera ''The Yo ...

'' *'' Neighbours''

Talk Shows

*'' Last Week Tonight with John Oliver'' *''

Real Time with Bill Maher ''Real Time with Bill Maher'' is an American television talk show that airs weekly on HBO, hosted by comedian and political satirist Bill Maher. Much like his previous series ''Politically Incorrect'' on Comedy Central and later on ABC, ''Real ...

Past Programming

Icelandic

Children's Shows

* '' LazyTown''

Comedy

* ''

Spaugstofan Spaugstofan is an Icelandic comedy group, formed in 1985, best known for their namesake weekly Saturday night sketch comedy show that has been broadcast, with breaks, and under various names, on the public television channel Sjónvarpið, and l ...

Drama

* ''

Réttur ''Réttur'' (, ''Right'') is an Icelandic television series created and produced by Sigurjón Kjartansson of RVK Studios, retitled ''Case'' and ''The Court'' in English-language markets. It was picked up by NBC and producer Howard Gordon Howa ...

'', a legal drama series

Game shows

* '' Viltu vinna milljon?'', the Icelandic version of ''

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' (often informally called ''Millionaire'') is an international television game show franchise of British origin, created by David Briggs, Mike Whitehill and Steven Knight. In its format, currently owned and l ...

''.

News

* ''Kompás'', A weekly newsmagazine * ''Silfur Egils'', Sunday talkshow with interviews of those who made the news in the past week

Reality

* ''

Idol stjörnuleit Idol or Idols may refer to: Religion and philosophy * Cult image, a neutral term for a man-made object that is worshipped or venerated for the deity, spirit or demon that it embodies or represents * Murti, a point of focus for devotion or medi ...

'', the Icelandic version of ''

Pop Idol ''Pop Idol'' is a British music competition television series created by Simon Fuller which ran on ITV from 2001 to 2003. The aim of the show was to decide the best new young pop singer (or "pop idol") in the UK based on viewer voting and par ...

'' and related shows * ''

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...

'', the Icelandic version

Sitcoms

* ''

Dagvaktin ''Dagvaktin'' ( en, The Day Shift) is a sequel to the Icelandic television series ''Næturvaktin''. It is the second of the three series in the trilogy. The three main characters from ''Næturvaktin'', Georg Bjarnfreðarson (Jón Gnarr), Ólafur R ...

'' * ''

Fangavaktin ''Fangavaktin'' ( en, The Prison Shift) is the sequel to the Icelandic television series ''Dagvaktin'' and the final series in the trilogy. The three main characters from ''Næturvaktin'', Georg Bjarnfreðarson (Jón Gnarr), Ólafur Ragnar (Pétu ...

'', a comedy series continuation of ''

Næturvaktin ''Næturvaktin'' () is an Icelandic television show. It is the first in a trilogy, its sequels being '' Dagvaktin'' () and '' Fangavaktin'' (). The series was first shown in 2007 on Stöð 2, on Sundays from 16 September – 9 December. In ...

'' and ''

'' * ''

Sketch Shows

* '' Fóstbræður''

Talk Shows

* '' Sjálfstætt fólk'', an interview and talk show hosted by Jón Ársæll Þórðarson

Global

Animation

Anthology

* ''

American Horror Story ''American Horror Story'' is an American anthology horror television series created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk for the cable network FX. The first installment in the '' American Story'' media franchise, each season is conceived as a ...

Children's Shows

Clip Shows

* ''

America's Funniest Home Videos ''America's Funniest Home Videos'', also called ''America's Funniest Videos'' (abbreviated as ''AFV''), is an American video clip television series on ABC, based on the Japanese variety show ''Fun TV with Kato-chan and Ken-chan''. The show featur ...

Comedy

Documentary

* ''

You Are What You Eat ''You Are What You Eat'' is a British dieting programme presented by Trisha Goddard and Amir Khan that broadcasts on Channel 5. The show was originally broadcast on Channel 4, before moving to Channel 5 in 2022 for its revived series. Both t ...

Drama

Game Shows

* '' Fear Factor'' * ''

Total Wipeout ''Total Wipeout'' is a British game show, hosted by Richard Hammond and Amanda Byram, which first aired on the BBC on 3 January 2009. In each episode, contestants competed in a series of challenges in an attempt to win £10,000. These challen ...

'' * '' Wipeout''

Lifestyle

* '' The F Word''

Mini-series

* '' Mildred Pierce''

News

* '' Entertainment Tonight''

Reality

Science Fiction

Sitcoms

Sketch Shows

* '' Little Britain'' * ''

The Muppet Show ''The Muppet Show'' is a sketch comedy television series created by Jim Henson and featuring the Muppets. The series originated as two pilot episodes produced by Henson for ABC in 1974 and 1975. While neither episode was moved forward as a s ...

Soap Operas

* ''

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

'' * '' Doctors'' * '' Falcon Crest'' * ''

Hollyoaks ''Hollyoaks'' is a British soap opera which began airing on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was created by Phil Redmond, who had previously conceived the soap opera '' Brookside''. Since 2005, episodes have been aired on sister channel E4 a ...

'' * '' Melrose Place''

Talk Shows

* ''

The Daily Show ''The Daily Show'' is an American late-night talk and satirical news television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central with release shortly after on Paramount+. ''The Daily Show'' draws its comedy and satire form from ...

'' * '' The Doctors'' * ''

The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', often referred to as ''The Oprah Show'' or simply ''Oprah'', is an American daytime syndicated talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in Chicago, Illinois. Produced ...

'' * ''

Vibe ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down producti ...

Western

* '' Breaking Bad''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stod 2 Television channels in Iceland Television channels and stations established in 1986 Companies based in Reykjavík

History

New media laws of 1986

Start of Stöð 2

Unification of the brand

Current Programming

Icelandic

News

Global

Animation

Anthology

Clip Shows

Comedy

Drama

Lifestyle

News

Reality

Science Fiction

Sitcoms

Soap Operas

Talk Shows

Past Programming

Icelandic

Children's Shows

Comedy

Drama

Game shows

News

Reality

Sitcoms

Sketch Shows

Talk Shows

Global

Animation

Anthology

Children's Shows

Clip Shows

Comedy

Documentary

Drama

Game Shows

Lifestyle

Mini-series

News

Reality

Science Fiction

Sitcoms

Sketch Shows

Soap Operas

Talk Shows

Western

See also

References

External links