Shadows Falling, Public Broadcasters Still Commanding

Michael Hedges January 21, 2016 Follow on Twitter

Some media trends can only be appreciated in the long view. Regular bumps in audience flow - up or down - can appear rather insignificant, easily explained by the weather, for example, or survey sampling. As the media sector trades on immediacy, ever quickening, a long view lifts a deep shadow.

Reporting the semi-annual Mediapulse radio audience estimates for Switzerland’s three linguistic regions, the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (January 19) noted that stations of public broadcaster SSR-SRG “still hold a commanding position.” Over five years, they added, main channels in each region have lost listeners but summing them all “public broadcasting stands as even more powerful.”

In the large Swiss-German speaking region public broadcaster SFR collected a 58.7% aggregate market share in the second half 2015, unchanged year on year. Five years ago it was 61.3% market share, 63.1% ten years ago. Main general interest channel SFR 1 held the top spot, as it has forever, with 30.9% market share, off a shade and pop music channel SRF 3 is second, as usual, with 16.9% market share, also down a shade. Digital-only schlager music channel SRF Musikwelle placed third, 6.7% market share, up from 6.1%. Culture channel SFR 2 came in 4th, 3.2% market share, down a bit. Other SRF channels - SRF 4 News and alternative music channel Virus - lag far down the charts.

Private sector stations in the Swiss-German region, all local unlike SRF regional channels, boosted their aggregate market share to 31.0% from 30.2% one year on. Radio Argovia, serving the north-central Canton Aargau, was the top rated local station in the region, 2.6% market share, up from 2.3%. Media watchers in Zürich were all excited by Energy Zürich pushing past Radio 24. (See Swiss-German region audience trend chart here)

Aggregate audience estimates for French-speaking regional public broadcaster RTS dropped to 56.3% market share from 56.8% year on year. Five years ago RTS channels claimed 58.6% market share. Main general interest channel La Premiere continues to have a whopping market share, 37.6%, off just a tad. Five years ago it was 39.4%, ten years ago 40.7%. Contemporary music channel Option Musique placed second, as usual, with 9.9%, up slightly. Youth-oriented channel Couleur 3 took a bit of a hit, 6.3% market share, down from 6.9% one year on.

Aggregate market share for private sector station in the French-speaking region rose slightly to 24.4%, from 24.2% year on year, highest ever. Pop-rock ensemble BNJ FM, a limited regional network, was top rated in the French-speaking region, 4.4% market share, off slightly. Lausanne station LFM, with Geneva coverage, jumped to 4.3% market share from 3.3% one year on. Foreign stations, largely French (Nostalgie, NRJ, et.al.), seem to be losing their attractiveness, aggregate market share dropping to 9.6% from 9.9% year on year, 10.7% five years ago. (See French region audience trend chart here)

Radio listeners in the Italian-speaking region, actually just one canton, the exceedingly beautiful Ticino, continue to flock to regional public broadcaster RSI, just not quite so much. Aggregate market share for RSI channels fell to 62.7% from 65.5% year on year and 70.5% five years ago. Main general interest channel Rete Uno fell to 41.0% market share from 43.0%. Pop music channel Rete Tre tumbled to 16.9% market share from 18.1%.

Private stations in the Italian-speaking region, 3i and Radio Ticino, rose on aggregate to 15.3% market share from 14.9% one year on and 8.9% five years ago. Italian stations, including Radio RTO, which has FM distribution in Ticino, have an aggregate 7.5% market share. (See Italian region audience trend chart here)

SSR-SRG has been a long term supporter of digital audio broadcasting (DAB) platforms. While the SRF Musikwelle success has been most noted, three nationally distributed digital channels have made significant market inroads. Contemporary music channel Radio Swiss Pop has 2.7% market share in the Swiss-German region, up from 2.5%. In the French-speaking region Radio Swiss Pop jumped to 3.1% market share from 2.5% one year on. Even more, the channel leapt to 3.9% market share in the Italian-speaking region from 2.6%. All public radio channels in Switzerland, and many privately-owned stations, are available on the DAB+ platform.

Earlier this month, the Swiss Federal Council accepted a referendum petition scrap the public broadcasting license fee. The required vote will probably take place in March. An earlier attempt to kill the license fee, also supported by right-wing political parties, failed miserably.

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