Swiss publishers move closer together because of foreign competition
To hold their own against foreign competition in the advertising market, the four major Swiss media companies are open to forming an alliance. This was stated by the heads of Ringier, NZZ, Tamedia, and SRG during a discussion at the Swiss Media Forum in Lucerne.
The topic of the one-hour event on the MS Diamant, which was billed as an "elephant round table", was 2018, a year of great turbulence for the media, and visions for the future. Ringier CEO Marc Walder warned that publishers must not allow themselves to be divided. Walder reminded the audience that 80 percent of digital advertising revenue went to the major foreign platforms. He outlined an alliance between publishers and SRG, for example in data management, to strengthen the Swiss advertising market.
NZZ CEO Felix Graf agreed with Walder. The publishers are in a fight for survival, he said. However, he also pointed out that the formation of such a alliance should not take years. Tamedia CEO Pietro Supino said that the foundations should be in place by the end of the year. SRG Director General Gilles Marchand showed understanding for the idea of such cooperation.
In the previous votes, the four media bosses had analyzed the 2018 media year, which was marked by mergers, staff strikes and the Billag vote. The four men explained that the year showed the pressure the media were under. However, Supino does not believe that the current year is a fateful year for the industry. However, 2015 to 2020 could be a turning point. The fact that so much has happened in one year is probably a coincidence. The momentum has been increasing for 20 years.
Digital journalism is enormously expensive and more expensive than printed newspapers, said Walder. For him, it requires good technology and data expertise, but also good journalism, especially in moving images. You can earn money with digital journalism, but there will be fewer publications in the future than today. It will remain "bloody", said Walder. Walder understands the sometimes negative reactions of journalists to the changes. Publishers must once again uphold the value they add to journalists, he said. They are not just a cost factor.
Supino was also self-critical when it came to resistance from the workforce. "We didn't communicate enough," he said. The path of transformation into the future needed to be better communicated. However, he also said that he wanted to get rid of the people who only criticized and wanted to hold on to their sinecures. (SDA)
