Confusion in local TV land
Viewership: Young people in German-speaking Switzerland watched local television less often in 2006. It is not clear why. Perhaps Cablecom also played a role.
Viewing figures Young German-speaking Swiss people watched less local television in 2006. It is not clear why. Perhaps cablecom also played a role. In 2005, the local TV world was still in order: the seven stations that had joined together to form TeleNewsCombi (TNC) achieved a record net reach of 1.3 million viewers per day. And now this: although Tele Südostschweiz (TSO) joined the TNC as the eighth member in 2006, the advertising combination lost 1.2 percent of its audience last year. It is unclear how many viewers actually left TNC because no one knows how many additional viewers TSO brought in. This is because Telecontrol is unable to provide representative figures for the channel due to insufficient case numbers. In addition, Tele Bärn and Tele Top were the only TNC members to report almost 3000 more viewers last year. It is therefore clear that the TNC lost more than the 1.2 percent or 15,000 viewers that can be ascertained.
However, the erosion is even more evident in the main target group of 15 to 49-year-olds. Not only because TNC lost (at least) 5.3 percent or 33,000 viewers there, but also because not a single Swiss-German station can report an increase in reach among this target group. All of them suffered losses. The biggest losses were on the Bern-Aarau-Basel axis: Tele Bärn lost 9.5 percent in this target group, Tele Basel 8.1 percent and Tele M1 7.9 percent. In 2006, the trio had still recorded gains. Tele Züri is not doing too well either: the station lost for the second time and its reach has fallen by 6 percent since 2004.
It would be too simplistic to simply attribute the general loss of range to a drop in quality. This is because a different picture emerges in terms of usage. In 2006, Tele Basel was able to captivate the remaining young viewers by an average of one and a half minutes longer than in the previous year; the overall audience even remained loyal to the station for two minutes longer. Tele Tell also showed similar improvements: In the 3+ target group, it increased by more than a minute, and in the 15-49 age group by almost two minutes. Tele Bärn increased slightly in both target groups and has done so steadily since 2004, Tele M1 at least remained stable, as did most of the other TNC members. With one exception: Tele Züri is watched for around one and a half minutes less.
Due to the fact that some viewers are turning their backs on local stations, while others tend to watch them for longer, the market share trends for the individual stations are very different: Tele Züri is the main loser, with its market share among the main target group falling from 5.7 percent (2005) to 4.8 percent. Tele Ostschweiz (-0.2 percentage points) and Tele Top (-0.1) suffered slight losses, while TeleBärn and Tele M1 kept their market share stable at 1.3 and 1.5 percent respectively. Only TeleBasel (+0.3 percentage points) and Tele Tell (+0.2) recorded gains in market share. TNC thus also remained fairly stable: its market share among the overall audience is 2.9% (-0.1 percentage points), while among the main target group it is 2.7% (-0.1).
We can only speculate about the reasons for the contradictory figures. TeleBasel Managing Director Willy Surbeck, for example, said that falling net reach does not necessarily mean fewer viewers, but simply fewer (search) advertisements. His station had designed its program more clearly in 2006, which is why viewers probably used TeleBasel in a more targeted way and also stayed tuned in for longer. Urs Gerber, Product Manager TV at TNC marketer Radiotele, takes a similar view: "The net reach is not the decisive factor for station usage. We don't want to know who taps in by chance, but who actually uses a channel.". This is why market share is important - and based on this, Gerber prefers to speak of a "stable saturation of regional TV programs".
However, as this does not explain all the questions, Gerber makes further assumptions. For example, the Olympic Games and the Football World Cup could well have a "slight impact" on the annual average of local TVs. "However, Cablecom's behavior is likely to have a more dramatic effect," he adds. "More and more people are reviving the age of the satellite dish because they want to be independent of cablecom. Unfortunately, regional TV stations cannot be received via the satellite dish, which is also likely to have led to a very slight decline."
Rolf Müller, Managing Director of PublicaData, does not deny this last point. At least not for the future. However, he doubts whether the trend towards more satellite antennas has already eroded the reach of local TV in the past.
Satellite dishes or not, the picture is very different in French-speaking Switzerland and Ticino. The figures there are rising at a clearly lower level. This applies in particular to the Léman Bleu channel, whose reach increased by 77% in 2005 and by a further 22% last year. Usage also increased by around half a minute. However, its market share is still only 0.4 percent. The Lausanne station TVRL is similarly weak, with hardly any movement. The other French-speaking Swiss stations cannot be identified by Telecontrol, but they appear to have increased slightly; in any case, RomandieNewsCombi, which was terminated at the end of 2006 (see WW 5/07), was able to increase its market share slightly from 0.2 to 0.3 percent. Tele Ticino, the only station in Ticino, is also growing slowly but steadily. In 2006, it was even used by its main target group for over a minute longer than in the previous year. And it was able to increase its market share by 0.2 percentage points to 1.3%.
Satellite antennas are growing stronglySince Cablecom has reduced its range of channels
According to the free newspaper Cashdaily, the number of customers of satellite dish sellers is increasing rapidly. The market saw double-digit growth in 2006, and various satellite technicians are expecting growth rates of 20 to 100 percent in 2007. However, as Cablecom is the first to drop foreign channels from its offering, it is primarily foreigners who are switching to satellite. Whether they were previously also local TV viewers and are therefore being lost to these broadcasters would first have to be investigated. However, Swiss
The reason why more and more people are switching to satellite is that the dishes are relatively cheap and there are no monthly fees. However, Swisscable, the association of cable network operators, did not notice any decrease in cable subscriptions last year. According to spokesman Matthias Lüscher, the number of cable connections used in German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland rose by a good one percent to around 2.9 million last year.
Markus Knöpfli
However, the erosion is even more evident in the main target group of 15 to 49-year-olds. Not only because TNC lost (at least) 5.3 percent or 33,000 viewers there, but also because not a single Swiss-German station can report an increase in reach among this target group. All of them suffered losses. The biggest losses were on the Bern-Aarau-Basel axis: Tele Bärn lost 9.5 percent in this target group, Tele Basel 8.1 percent and Tele M1 7.9 percent. In 2006, the trio had still recorded gains. Tele Züri is not doing too well either: the station lost for the second time and its reach has fallen by 6 percent since 2004.
It would be too simplistic to simply attribute the general loss of range to a drop in quality. This is because a different picture emerges in terms of usage. In 2006, Tele Basel was able to captivate the remaining young viewers by an average of one and a half minutes longer than in the previous year; the overall audience even remained loyal to the station for two minutes longer. Tele Tell also showed similar improvements: In the 3+ target group, it increased by more than a minute, and in the 15-49 age group by almost two minutes. Tele Bärn increased slightly in both target groups and has done so steadily since 2004, Tele M1 at least remained stable, as did most of the other TNC members. With one exception: Tele Züri is watched for around one and a half minutes less.
Due to the fact that some viewers are turning their backs on local stations, while others tend to watch them for longer, the market share trends for the individual stations are very different: Tele Züri is the main loser, with its market share among the main target group falling from 5.7 percent (2005) to 4.8 percent. Tele Ostschweiz (-0.2 percentage points) and Tele Top (-0.1) suffered slight losses, while TeleBärn and Tele M1 kept their market share stable at 1.3 and 1.5 percent respectively. Only TeleBasel (+0.3 percentage points) and Tele Tell (+0.2) recorded gains in market share. TNC thus also remained fairly stable: its market share among the overall audience is 2.9% (-0.1 percentage points), while among the main target group it is 2.7% (-0.1).
We can only speculate about the reasons for the contradictory figures. TeleBasel Managing Director Willy Surbeck, for example, said that falling net reach does not necessarily mean fewer viewers, but simply fewer (search) advertisements. His station had designed its program more clearly in 2006, which is why viewers probably used TeleBasel in a more targeted way and also stayed tuned in for longer. Urs Gerber, Product Manager TV at TNC marketer Radiotele, takes a similar view: "The net reach is not the decisive factor for station usage. We don't want to know who taps in by chance, but who actually uses a channel.". This is why market share is important - and based on this, Gerber prefers to speak of a "stable saturation of regional TV programs".
However, as this does not explain all the questions, Gerber makes further assumptions. For example, the Olympic Games and the Football World Cup could well have a "slight impact" on the annual average of local TVs. "However, Cablecom's behavior is likely to have a more dramatic effect," he adds. "More and more people are reviving the age of the satellite dish because they want to be independent of cablecom. Unfortunately, regional TV stations cannot be received via the satellite dish, which is also likely to have led to a very slight decline."
Rolf Müller, Managing Director of PublicaData, does not deny this last point. At least not for the future. However, he doubts whether the trend towards more satellite antennas has already eroded the reach of local TV in the past.
Satellite dishes or not, the picture is very different in French-speaking Switzerland and Ticino. The figures there are rising at a clearly lower level. This applies in particular to the Léman Bleu channel, whose reach increased by 77% in 2005 and by a further 22% last year. Usage also increased by around half a minute. However, its market share is still only 0.4 percent. The Lausanne station TVRL is similarly weak, with hardly any movement. The other French-speaking Swiss stations cannot be identified by Telecontrol, but they appear to have increased slightly; in any case, RomandieNewsCombi, which was terminated at the end of 2006 (see WW 5/07), was able to increase its market share slightly from 0.2 to 0.3 percent. Tele Ticino, the only station in Ticino, is also growing slowly but steadily. In 2006, it was even used by its main target group for over a minute longer than in the previous year. And it was able to increase its market share by 0.2 percentage points to 1.3%.
Satellite antennas are growing stronglySince Cablecom has reduced its range of channels
According to the free newspaper Cashdaily, the number of customers of satellite dish sellers is increasing rapidly. The market saw double-digit growth in 2006, and various satellite technicians are expecting growth rates of 20 to 100 percent in 2007. However, as Cablecom is the first to drop foreign channels from its offering, it is primarily foreigners who are switching to satellite. Whether they were previously also local TV viewers and are therefore being lost to these broadcasters would first have to be investigated. However, Swiss
The reason why more and more people are switching to satellite is that the dishes are relatively cheap and there are no monthly fees. However, Swisscable, the association of cable network operators, did not notice any decrease in cable subscriptions last year. According to spokesman Matthias Lüscher, the number of cable connections used in German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland rose by a good one percent to around 2.9 million last year.
Markus Knöpfli
