Storm subsided temporarily
According to Mach Basic 2008-2, cinema reach is once again falling sharply.
"The storm has calmed down" - this was the title of a report in Werbewoche six months ago on Mach Basic Kino 2008-1. At the time, it did indeed look as if the movie theater had been able to somewhat stem the decline in reach and even reverse the trend. But now the industry has been hit hard once again. In the Mach Basic 2008-2 survey period (April 07 to March 08), the Wemf study found that cinema attendance across Switzerland fell again, by a significant 44,000 people per week. Extrapolated over twelve months, 17.5 million people still went to the cinema, almost 2.3 million or 11.5 percent fewer than during the survey period for Mach 2008-1.
Particularly bad: this is - in absolute and percentage terms - the sharpest decline within six months since the record number of moviegoers in 2003 (then a total of 25.3 million).
According to Mach Basic 2008-2, only two cinema regions were stable: Italian-speaking Switzerland and the Lucerne region, which, as in the previous study, was the only one to see a slight increase. All other regions show downward trends that are still within the confidence range compared to the previous period. But there should be no illusions: In a year-on-year comparison (Mach Basic 2007-2), the decline in German-speaking Switzerland and in the center pools is also significant. Compared to 2004, all regions except the canton of Vaud and the cities of Basel and Lugano show significant losses, often between 30 and 40 percent. (2004 must serve as a reference figure because in the record year of 2003, two cinema marketers were still active and the regions were still organized differently). However, the figures in north-western Switzerland are also disappointing: Basel's first multiplex cinema, which opened in the fall, was able to slow down the downward trend, but not stop it.
Advertising Week has to retract the all-clear it gave six months ago regarding teenagers and young adults. Mach Basic 2008-1 looked like a slight upward trend, but the interim high was deceptive: with the exception of Ticino, young audiences are going to the cinema even less often than according to the 2007-2 study - a historic low for the supposed medium of young people.
Markus KnöpfliCinema magazines also in declineAs with cinema attendance, the reach of free cinema magazines is also continuing to decline. Compared to Mach Basic 2008-1, all titles remain in the confidence range, but in a comparison over twelve months, the loss of readership for Avant Première is significant (-8.6 percent to 160,000 readers). However, this does not reflect the reality: a year ago, the cinema magazine Live was discontinued in French-speaking Switzerland, whereupon Avant Première took its place and increased its circulation by 20 percent. The impact of this expansion is not yet fully reflected in Mach Basic 2008-2.
In German-speaking Switzerland, Close-up is losing somewhat less rapidly (minus 50,000 readers compared to the previous year) than Film Demnächst (-14,000 readers), which is why the two are now in a neck-and-neck race, so to speak, with 190,000 readers (Film demnächst) and 186,000 readers (Close-up). (mk)
Particularly bad: this is - in absolute and percentage terms - the sharpest decline within six months since the record number of moviegoers in 2003 (then a total of 25.3 million).
According to Mach Basic 2008-2, only two cinema regions were stable: Italian-speaking Switzerland and the Lucerne region, which, as in the previous study, was the only one to see a slight increase. All other regions show downward trends that are still within the confidence range compared to the previous period. But there should be no illusions: In a year-on-year comparison (Mach Basic 2007-2), the decline in German-speaking Switzerland and in the center pools is also significant. Compared to 2004, all regions except the canton of Vaud and the cities of Basel and Lugano show significant losses, often between 30 and 40 percent. (2004 must serve as a reference figure because in the record year of 2003, two cinema marketers were still active and the regions were still organized differently). However, the figures in north-western Switzerland are also disappointing: Basel's first multiplex cinema, which opened in the fall, was able to slow down the downward trend, but not stop it.
Advertising Week has to retract the all-clear it gave six months ago regarding teenagers and young adults. Mach Basic 2008-1 looked like a slight upward trend, but the interim high was deceptive: with the exception of Ticino, young audiences are going to the cinema even less often than according to the 2007-2 study - a historic low for the supposed medium of young people.
Markus KnöpfliCinema magazines also in declineAs with cinema attendance, the reach of free cinema magazines is also continuing to decline. Compared to Mach Basic 2008-1, all titles remain in the confidence range, but in a comparison over twelve months, the loss of readership for Avant Première is significant (-8.6 percent to 160,000 readers). However, this does not reflect the reality: a year ago, the cinema magazine Live was discontinued in French-speaking Switzerland, whereupon Avant Première took its place and increased its circulation by 20 percent. The impact of this expansion is not yet fully reflected in Mach Basic 2008-2.
In German-speaking Switzerland, Close-up is losing somewhat less rapidly (minus 50,000 readers compared to the previous year) than Film Demnächst (-14,000 readers), which is why the two are now in a neck-and-neck race, so to speak, with 190,000 readers (Film demnächst) and 186,000 readers (Close-up). (mk)
