Black figures, colorful TV
Local TV At ZüriPlus, affiliated producers pay to have their programs played on the new regional station.
Local TV At ZüriPlus, affiliated producers pay to have their programs played on the new regional station.What goes around comes around - one is tempted to say in the case of ZüriPlus. Because the descendant of Switzerland's oldest local television station, Hasli-TV, which went on the air back in 1982, wants to be in the black right from the start. Statements by ZüriPlus Chairman Hans-Peter Meng leave no doubt about this. On the occasion of the presentation of the station's concept, he announced in front of an astonished audience: "We have a balanced budget right from the start." And: "Each of our broadcasts covers its costs. "Simple production philosophy
What comes across as the pipe dream of every private TV provider is set to become reality thanks to a completely new business model with which ZüriPlus plans to officially go on air on March 31. Behind the ambitious business plan lies an organizational and production philosophy that is as captivating as it is simple, and which is so far unique in the Swiss local TV landscape. ZüriPlus sees itself as a playback platform for production companies that do not receive money for the delivery of their content, as is usually the case. On the contrary, the producers pay for their programs to be broadcast on ZüriPlus. However, it was not possible to find out how high these amounts are.
Seven production companies will support the new station. Polyvision AG, owned by ZüriPlus managing director Peter Steinmann, will provide the lion's share. It will produce six programs ("InfoPlus," "SiebenPlus," "Schnäppchen," "FitPlus," "Sport Z" and "GlobeTV"). The TME Group in Schlieren contributes two shows ("CasinoZ," "LiveGame"). Four other companies are responsible for the production of one show each. These include Leguan Productions in Thun ("RaveTV"), Murmi Productions in Obfelden ("Murmi"), Cool TV Productions in Wetzikon ("Cool TV") and VCS in Dübendorf ("Der Hammer").
The basic recipe for the form of platform management chosen by ZüriPlus comes from Steinmann himself, who has already been practicing the model with his "GlobeTV" for four years - with success, as he says. In the meantime, the show is already running on eight regional TV stations. Steinmann also pays the stations money to include "GlobeTV" in their programming.
Marketing is built
The second source of income for the local station is sponsors, whose contributions, however, flow directly to the production companies - as a contribution to cover their expenses. Thirdly, ZüriPlus counts on income from the interactive shows "LiveGame" and "CasinoZ. In both of these formats, viewers can participate directly in the action via paid numbers.
Normal TV advertising is also to become a financial mainstay one day. However, the marketing department is still missing. This will be set up "in the foreseeable future," says Chairman Meng. Last but not least, ZüriPlus will also seek contributions from fee-splitting.
Budget figures, meanwhile, are not available from the new station. "We only spend as much money as we earn. That's why we're not in a position to set an annual budget from the outset," explains Steinmann. On the other hand, because the staff is concentrated at the production companies, the payroll of the new station also remains manageable. Initially, a staff of just ten permanent employees is planned, but this will be increased by the end of the year.
Content not reinvented
In terms of content, ZüriPlus positions itself with a 24-hour program of information, sports, entertainment and children's programming. The station relies on the hourly loop that has proven itself in the local TV scene. The core offering is a freshly produced daily main program, which is repeated from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. each day. During the remaining hours, entertainment programs are scheduled and renewed on a weekly basis.
"We can't and don't want to reinvent television," explains Chairman Meng. ZüriPlus is pursuing the philosophy of "plugging those holes in the existing programming that have not yet been plugged. They will certainly not try to compete with Tele Züri in areas where that station has its strengths. "Nevertheless, there will be some overlap," Meng says.
Tele Züri is relaxed about the new competition. Andreas Meili, head of electronic media at Tamedia, expects "no striking effects" on his station. "I wish ZüriPlus luck, but I'm very skeptical whether the rather unclear concept can work at all." The announced station is a potpourri of Tele Züri, entertainment, children's programs and aerobics, Meili says, adding, "A really promising new station would have to drive a niche and serve viewers with content that is not available in one form or another."
Claudia Steinmann, one of the presenters of ZüriPlus: officially on the airwaves and on cable from the end of March.
Four main shareholdersThe majority of shares in ZüriPlus are held by four main shareholders: Peter Steinmann (Managing Director of ZüriPlus), Hans-Peter Meng (Chairman of the Board of Directors of HTV-Fernsehen AG), René-Henri Isler (Delegate to the Board of Directors) and the public relations entrepreneur Karl F. Schneider (member of the Board of Directors). These four individuals each hold around 15 percent, giving them a combined stake of just over 60 percent. The remaining shares are held by a further 130 or so small shareholders. Editorial director Gian Meyerhofer, who earned his spurs at Tele Züri, TV 3 and Tele M1, does not hold any shares. (dse)
To the border
Due to its more than 20-year history, ZüriPlus is one of the few private stations with terrestrial distribution. This means it can cover the entire area from the Zurich Oberland to the German border. However, the road to the cable networks was rocky. Negotiations with Cablecom stretched on for almost a year. Only after intervention by the Federal Office of Communications and invoking the must-carry rule (Article 42 RTVG) was it finally possible to push through the connection. ZüriPlus has now been present in the cable network of the city of Zurich for a short time. The Zurich Oberland and Winterthur are to follow soon, and negotiations are still underway with their network operators (dse).
Daniel Schifferle
What comes across as the pipe dream of every private TV provider is set to become reality thanks to a completely new business model with which ZüriPlus plans to officially go on air on March 31. Behind the ambitious business plan lies an organizational and production philosophy that is as captivating as it is simple, and which is so far unique in the Swiss local TV landscape. ZüriPlus sees itself as a playback platform for production companies that do not receive money for the delivery of their content, as is usually the case. On the contrary, the producers pay for their programs to be broadcast on ZüriPlus. However, it was not possible to find out how high these amounts are.
Seven production companies will support the new station. Polyvision AG, owned by ZüriPlus managing director Peter Steinmann, will provide the lion's share. It will produce six programs ("InfoPlus," "SiebenPlus," "Schnäppchen," "FitPlus," "Sport Z" and "GlobeTV"). The TME Group in Schlieren contributes two shows ("CasinoZ," "LiveGame"). Four other companies are responsible for the production of one show each. These include Leguan Productions in Thun ("RaveTV"), Murmi Productions in Obfelden ("Murmi"), Cool TV Productions in Wetzikon ("Cool TV") and VCS in Dübendorf ("Der Hammer").
The basic recipe for the form of platform management chosen by ZüriPlus comes from Steinmann himself, who has already been practicing the model with his "GlobeTV" for four years - with success, as he says. In the meantime, the show is already running on eight regional TV stations. Steinmann also pays the stations money to include "GlobeTV" in their programming.
Marketing is built
The second source of income for the local station is sponsors, whose contributions, however, flow directly to the production companies - as a contribution to cover their expenses. Thirdly, ZüriPlus counts on income from the interactive shows "LiveGame" and "CasinoZ. In both of these formats, viewers can participate directly in the action via paid numbers.
Normal TV advertising is also to become a financial mainstay one day. However, the marketing department is still missing. This will be set up "in the foreseeable future," says Chairman Meng. Last but not least, ZüriPlus will also seek contributions from fee-splitting.
Budget figures, meanwhile, are not available from the new station. "We only spend as much money as we earn. That's why we're not in a position to set an annual budget from the outset," explains Steinmann. On the other hand, because the staff is concentrated at the production companies, the payroll of the new station also remains manageable. Initially, a staff of just ten permanent employees is planned, but this will be increased by the end of the year.
Content not reinvented
In terms of content, ZüriPlus positions itself with a 24-hour program of information, sports, entertainment and children's programming. The station relies on the hourly loop that has proven itself in the local TV scene. The core offering is a freshly produced daily main program, which is repeated from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. each day. During the remaining hours, entertainment programs are scheduled and renewed on a weekly basis.
"We can't and don't want to reinvent television," explains Chairman Meng. ZüriPlus is pursuing the philosophy of "plugging those holes in the existing programming that have not yet been plugged. They will certainly not try to compete with Tele Züri in areas where that station has its strengths. "Nevertheless, there will be some overlap," Meng says.
Tele Züri is relaxed about the new competition. Andreas Meili, head of electronic media at Tamedia, expects "no striking effects" on his station. "I wish ZüriPlus luck, but I'm very skeptical whether the rather unclear concept can work at all." The announced station is a potpourri of Tele Züri, entertainment, children's programs and aerobics, Meili says, adding, "A really promising new station would have to drive a niche and serve viewers with content that is not available in one form or another."
Claudia Steinmann, one of the presenters of ZüriPlus: officially on the airwaves and on cable from the end of March.
Four main shareholdersThe majority of shares in ZüriPlus are held by four main shareholders: Peter Steinmann (Managing Director of ZüriPlus), Hans-Peter Meng (Chairman of the Board of Directors of HTV-Fernsehen AG), René-Henri Isler (Delegate to the Board of Directors) and the public relations entrepreneur Karl F. Schneider (member of the Board of Directors). These four individuals each hold around 15 percent, giving them a combined stake of just over 60 percent. The remaining shares are held by a further 130 or so small shareholders. Editorial director Gian Meyerhofer, who earned his spurs at Tele Züri, TV 3 and Tele M1, does not hold any shares. (dse)
To the border
Due to its more than 20-year history, ZüriPlus is one of the few private stations with terrestrial distribution. This means it can cover the entire area from the Zurich Oberland to the German border. However, the road to the cable networks was rocky. Negotiations with Cablecom stretched on for almost a year. Only after intervention by the Federal Office of Communications and invoking the must-carry rule (Article 42 RTVG) was it finally possible to push through the connection. ZüriPlus has now been present in the cable network of the city of Zurich for a short time. The Zurich Oberland and Winterthur are to follow soon, and negotiations are still underway with their network operators (dse).
Daniel Schifferle
