Published: Less than 20 min ago
The Sweden Democrats are to get rid of the prestige project “Riks”, according to information given to Aftonbladet.
The channel is doing poorly financially and, according to a source with transparency, is “extremely costly” for the party.
– It is a natural development that it becomes an independent organization, without ownership from the party, says responsible publisher Dick Erixon.
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The Sweden Democrats’ party board will shortly make a decision about the fate of its own YouTube channel “Riks”. The channel was launched in 2020 but, according to Aftonbladet’s information, is too costly for SD.
– Riks is in the middle of a process to become independent and is moving to new premises, says a source.
Responsible publisher Dick Erixon confirms that there are ongoing discussions in SD about getting rid of the channel, but adds that nothing has been formally decided yet. He does not want to say whether the party has received an offer or who is in question as a future owner.
“The media market is not profitable”
However, he sees advantages in the channel being sold.
– It is good to be your own dispatcher, there are always discussions about running someone else’s errands. Therefore, it is good to have clear organizations where you know what applies.
According to the latest annual report (2022), the Sweden Democrats contributed SEK 450,000 to Riks. Such an arrangement will not exist in the future, according to Erixon.
– The idea is to get away from it, he says.
Why is the company not doing well, you are not standing on your own two feet?
– That’s how it is. The media market is not particularly profitable. Building from our side, which does not belong to any traditional establishments that are sitting on money, it is a challenge.
Been in windy weather
Riks is owned by the Swedish Democrats’ company Samtid och Framtid AB. The content consists of debates, interviews and news features. SD tops are recurring guests and interviewed in features.
The channel has been in trouble several times, the most notable being when profiler Rebecka Fallenkvist was fired last fall after calling Anne Frank “horny herself”. Aftonbladet was later able to reveal that Fallenkvist instead got a job at the Sweden Democrats’ Riksdag office.
According to information to Aftonbladet, it has been turbulent at Riks for a long time and several who were connected to the channel have chosen to leave the project. Viewership has also dropped after Rebecka Fallenkvist had to quit, according to a source.
However, Dick Erixon denies that this would be the reason why things are not going well financially.
– We have continued to increase even after the election, so it is not a lack of editorial work that is behind it. It is purely business, he says.
According to Aftonbladet’s information, a decision on Riks will be made next week.