Head to head
Free Press: After six months, 20 minutes reaches slightly more readers than Le Matin Bleu does after eight months.
Free press After six months, 20 minutes reaches slightly more readers than Le Matin Bleu after eight months. September 24, 2006: Wemf completes an interim study for each of the French-speaking Swiss commuter newspapers Le Matin Bleu and 20 minutes. The results are now available: 20 minutes reaches 223,000 Romands, Le Matin Bleu 247,000. The Edipresse title was ahead at the end of September, but only minimally, as the difference of 24,000 readers is still within the confidence range. It should also be borne in mind that the Wemf survey of
20 minutes began at the same time as the launch on March 4, 2006 and covers six months, while the study of Le Matin Bleu extends over nine months (from January 3, 2006). And since the Edipresse title was already launched on October 31, 2005, its reach can also build on a two-month "lead time" that was not surveyed.
It looks different when you compare the half-yearly reach of the two titles. Le Matin Bleu reached 218,000 people from January to June 2006, 5,000 fewer than 20 minutes. At first glance, the two newspapers appear to be in a neck-and-neck race. Nevertheless, the comparison is tantamount to a nose dive for Edipresse, as Le Matin Bleu had already been on the market for eight months when its half-year study was completed: despite being on the domestic market for two months longer, the Edipresse title reaches 5000 fewer readers than Tamedia's title, which means that the Zurich-based group is breaking new ground in French-speaking Switzerland.
The two titles are also surprisingly close to each other in other respects: according to the respective half-year study, 20 minutes has a reach of 27.7 percent in the canton of Vaud (WG 12), while Le Matin Bleu has 25.7 percent. The difference is slightly greater in Geneva, where the Edipresse title has 26.1 percent, ahead of its competitor, which only has 20.1 percent. In the rest of French-speaking Switzerland (WGs 13 to 16), however, 20 minutes is twice as well placed as Le Matin Bleu with a reach of 5.6 percent.
While Le Matin Bleu has a slight surplus of female readers, the proportion of female readers at 20 minutes is 45 percent. In contrast, the age groups are practically identical for both titles. For example, 14 to 34-year-olds make up 44 percent of readers at 20 minutes and 45 percent at Le Matin Bleu. Conversely, 20 minutes has a 35% share of 35 to 54-year-olds, 3 percentage points more than its competitor.
Markus Knöpfli
A look backEven though 20 minutes
Although 20 Minuten performs slightly better in French-speaking Switzerland than Le Matin Bleu, Tamedia cannot be entirely satisfied with the first results of 20 Minuten in Zurich six years ago: Back then, in September 2000, after even just four months in WG 43, 20 Minuten immediately achieved 55 percent among 14- to 34-year-olds, 10 percentage points more than now in French-speaking Switzerland. The overall reach, on the other hand, was similarly good: in Zurich (alongside its competitors Metropol and Zürich Express) it amounted to 16.4 percent, in French-speaking Switzerland currently 16.9 percent. (mk)
20 minutes with many advertisementsThe volume of advertisements
20 minutes has the edge. In its first eight months (from March to October), the newspaper has a total of 1625 pages, plus 189 separate pages in the Geneva edition. That makes an average of 226 pages per month. It is not clear from these figures how many of these are due to the combination with 20 Minuten Deutschschweiz. In contrast
Le Matin Bleu published 1378 pages in the first ten months of this year, plus 212 in November and December 2005 - i.e. just 132 pages per month. How many of these are due to the combination with the paid newspaper Le Matin semaine remains unclear, but one thing is certain:
Le Matin semaine lost a total of 14.1 percent of its volume in the first ten months of 2006 compared to the same period in the previous year. To be more precise: Le Matin semaine lost its volume (450 pages) from March 2006, i.e. from the launch of 20 minutes. It is possible that some customers switched from Le Matin semaine to 20 minutes - whether it was just a trial or not remains to be seen. (mk)
20 minutes began at the same time as the launch on March 4, 2006 and covers six months, while the study of Le Matin Bleu extends over nine months (from January 3, 2006). And since the Edipresse title was already launched on October 31, 2005, its reach can also build on a two-month "lead time" that was not surveyed.
It looks different when you compare the half-yearly reach of the two titles. Le Matin Bleu reached 218,000 people from January to June 2006, 5,000 fewer than 20 minutes. At first glance, the two newspapers appear to be in a neck-and-neck race. Nevertheless, the comparison is tantamount to a nose dive for Edipresse, as Le Matin Bleu had already been on the market for eight months when its half-year study was completed: despite being on the domestic market for two months longer, the Edipresse title reaches 5000 fewer readers than Tamedia's title, which means that the Zurich-based group is breaking new ground in French-speaking Switzerland.
The two titles are also surprisingly close to each other in other respects: according to the respective half-year study, 20 minutes has a reach of 27.7 percent in the canton of Vaud (WG 12), while Le Matin Bleu has 25.7 percent. The difference is slightly greater in Geneva, where the Edipresse title has 26.1 percent, ahead of its competitor, which only has 20.1 percent. In the rest of French-speaking Switzerland (WGs 13 to 16), however, 20 minutes is twice as well placed as Le Matin Bleu with a reach of 5.6 percent.
While Le Matin Bleu has a slight surplus of female readers, the proportion of female readers at 20 minutes is 45 percent. In contrast, the age groups are practically identical for both titles. For example, 14 to 34-year-olds make up 44 percent of readers at 20 minutes and 45 percent at Le Matin Bleu. Conversely, 20 minutes has a 35% share of 35 to 54-year-olds, 3 percentage points more than its competitor.
Markus Knöpfli
A look backEven though 20 minutes
Although 20 Minuten performs slightly better in French-speaking Switzerland than Le Matin Bleu, Tamedia cannot be entirely satisfied with the first results of 20 Minuten in Zurich six years ago: Back then, in September 2000, after even just four months in WG 43, 20 Minuten immediately achieved 55 percent among 14- to 34-year-olds, 10 percentage points more than now in French-speaking Switzerland. The overall reach, on the other hand, was similarly good: in Zurich (alongside its competitors Metropol and Zürich Express) it amounted to 16.4 percent, in French-speaking Switzerland currently 16.9 percent. (mk)
20 minutes with many advertisementsThe volume of advertisements
20 minutes has the edge. In its first eight months (from March to October), the newspaper has a total of 1625 pages, plus 189 separate pages in the Geneva edition. That makes an average of 226 pages per month. It is not clear from these figures how many of these are due to the combination with 20 Minuten Deutschschweiz. In contrast
Le Matin Bleu published 1378 pages in the first ten months of this year, plus 212 in November and December 2005 - i.e. just 132 pages per month. How many of these are due to the combination with the paid newspaper Le Matin semaine remains unclear, but one thing is certain:
Le Matin semaine lost a total of 14.1 percent of its volume in the first ten months of 2006 compared to the same period in the previous year. To be more precise: Le Matin semaine lost its volume (450 pages) from March 2006, i.e. from the launch of 20 minutes. It is possible that some customers switched from Le Matin semaine to 20 minutes - whether it was just a trial or not remains to be seen. (mk)
