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STT

Suomen Tietotoimisto, the Finnish News Agency, which dates its history to 1887 and runs a sports desk; it states that Sanoma Media Finland owns about three quarters of it.
✓ Last reviewed: September 2026
NameSuomen Tietotoimisto (STT), in Swedish Finska Notisbyrån, per the agency's own pages
Founding as statedHistory counted from 1887, when Suomen Sähkösanomatoimisto was founded; present name from 1915
Majority owner as stated“Suomen Tietotoimiston enemmistöomistaja on Sanoma Media Finland, joka omistaa STT:stä noin kolme neljäsosaa”
Staff as stated“runsaat 120” on the Finnish page; “cirka 130” on the Swedish page
Sports deskUrheilu, sport(at)stt.fi, staffed daily from about 08.00 to 23.00, per the agency's editorial contacts page
Picture agencyLehtikuva, founded 1951 and acquired by STT in 2010, per STT

What is STT?

STT, Suomen Tietotoimisto, is the Finnish national news agency. Its Swedish pages use the name Finska Notisbyrån.[1][3] Its English page states: “The Finnish News Agency STT was founded in 1887, which makes it one of the oldest news agencies in the world.”[2] That is the agency's own claim about itself.

On ownership, STT states: “Suomen Tietotoimiston enemmistöomistaja on Sanoma Media Finland, joka omistaa STT:stä noin kolme neljäsosaa.” It names the organisations from which its board is drawn: Sanoma Media Finland, Keskisuomalainen, MTV Uutiset, Ilta-Sanomat, Helsingin Sanomat and Yleisradio.[4] The page as retrieved carries no date for the ownership statement, so it is anchored here to the retrieval date, 24 September 2026. The Finnish home page calls STT “yksi maailman vanhimmista uutistoimistoista”, one of the oldest news agencies in the world, and says its staff work round the clock from its Helsinki headquarters.[1] The Swedish page places the main newsroom at Gräsviken near the centre of Helsinki and states that the agency has its own journalists in Brussels.[3] The English page gives the address as Porkkalankatu 20 A, 00180 Helsinki.[2] The Swedish page states: “STT ägs av de ledande mediekoncernerna i landet.”[3]

Sanoma Media Finland, the majority owner, describes itself as “Suomen suurin kaupallinen mediatalo”.[6] That is the owner's description of itself.

What does STT cover?

STT runs a sports desk. Its editorial contacts page lists an Urheilu desk, reachable at sport(at)stt.fi and staffed daily from about 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. It sits beside a news-photo desk and a general desk staffed around the clock.[5]

The English page describes journalists working around the clock, an alarm service for breaking news and a planning service for coming events.[2] The Swedish page states that the agency's journalists report round the clock and that it has its own journalists in Brussels and contributors elsewhere in Finland and abroad.[3]

The agency's own services page puts its task this way: “Luomme, seulomme, jalostamme ja välitämme tietoa ympäri vuorokauden”. It says it does this “vuoden jokaisena päivänä”, in news stories, news photographs and news graphics. The same page presents STT as a “neutraali osapuoli”, a neutral party. These are the agency's descriptions of itself.[9]

Pictures come through Lehtikuva. STT states: “In 2010, the Finnish News Agency acquired Finland's oldest picture agency, Lehtikuva, which was founded in 1951.”[2] The agency also runs communications services, which the English page dates to 2004. These distribute press releases for companies and organisations and are separate from the news service.[2]

How large is STT's audience?

A news agency sells to other media, and no audited audience currency measures agency copy as such. STT's English page states: “All Finns are customers of the Finnish News Agency.” That is the agency's own claim, not a measured figure.[2]

What can be stated is the reach of the agency's owners' titles, measured separately. KMT 2026 gives Ilta-Sanomat a weekly reach of 2,922,800 and Helsingin Sanomat 2,060,900.[7] Both are titles from which STT draws its board.[4] These are the titles' own readerships, not STT's, and how much of their sport copy comes from STT is not published.

On staff, the agency's two language versions differ. The Finnish page gives “runsaat 120” staff and the Swedish page “cirka 130” employees.[1][3] Both figures are given and neither is adopted. Neither page gives a separate head count for the sports desk.

Since when has STT existed?

STT's Finnish page states: “Suomen Tietotoimiston historian katsotaan alkavan vuodesta 1887, jolloin perustettiin yritys nimeltä Suomen Sähkösanomatoimisto.” It says the agency took its present name, Suomen Tietotoimisto, in 1915.[1]

The Swedish page states: “Nyhetsbyrån grundades 1887, bildbyrån 1951.”[3] The Finnish wording is that the agency's history “is considered” to begin in 1887, with a company of a different name. The Swedish and English pages state flatly that the agency was founded in 1887.[1][2] All three are the agency's own accounts. No independent source for the date was retrieved.

Why does STT matter in Finland's sport?

STT runs a standing sports desk, staffed daily.[5] Its board is drawn from Yleisradio, MTV Uutiset, Keskisuomalainen, Sanoma Media Finland and the two Sanoma newspaper titles.[4] The English page adds that STT's materials “are used by all the most important Finnish media”, which is the agency's own claim.[2] Its site offers Finnish, Swedish and English versions.[3] Its picture agency, Lehtikuva, supplies news photography to media and other customers.[2]

Its ownership is concentrated. The majority owner, Sanoma Media Finland, also publishes Helsingin Sanomat and Ilta-Sanomat.[4][6] Reporters Without Borders describes Finnish outlets as “subject to greater media concentration, without any specific regulation”.[8]

References

  1. STT — stt.fi home page (Finnish; history from 1887, name from 1915, staff, Lehtikuva). Accessed 2026-09-24.
  2. STT — About STT (English; founding claim, services, Lehtikuva acquisition 2010, customers claim). Accessed 2026-09-24.
  3. STT — Finska Notisbyrån, framsida (Swedish; 1887 and 1951; about 130 staff; ownership; languages). Accessed 2026-09-24.
  4. STT — Johto ja omistajat (Sanoma Media Finland majority owner, about three quarters; board drawn from Sanoma Media Finland, Keskisuomalainen, MTV Uutiset, Ilta-Sanomat, Helsingin Sanomat and Yleisradio). Accessed 2026-09-24.
  5. STT — Yhteystiedot: toimitus (editorial desks, including the Urheilu sports desk). Accessed 2026-09-24.
  6. Sanoma Media Finland — sanoma.fi home page (company description, weekly reach, revenue 2025, staff). Accessed 2026-09-24.
  7. Media Metrics Finland — KMT 2026: Sanoma- ja aikakauslehtien lukijamäärät (published 23 September 2026; weekly reach and average-issue readership). Accessed 2026-09-24.
  8. Reporters Without Borders — 2026 World Press Freedom Index, Finland (rank 6 of 180; score 86.22; media landscape and economic context). Accessed 2026-09-24.
  9. STT — Miksi STT? (services page: round-the-clock news, photos and graphics; neutral-party claim). Accessed 2026-09-24.