French-speaking Switzerland facing an "earthquake"?

Advertising money in the double-digit millions is likely to flow to France as a result. This has long been expected, but now it is becoming a reality. From September, the French TV station TF1 is to broadcast its program in French-speaking Switzerland with its own advertising window. After the first channel of Télévision Suisse Romande, TF1 is the most-watched station in French-speaking Switzerland. There was no official confirmation in Paris that France's largest television station had crossed the commercial border. However, RTS director Gilles Marchand told the Fribourg newspaper La Liberté that the market entry of TF1 had been announced and that a project for an advertising window was on the table. At the request of MEDIENWOCHE, the Geneva cable network operator Naxoo also confirmed the planned move by the French. The broadcaster has already approached them on this matter, writes Naxoo. However, no further details, such as the status of negotiations on adjusting the feed-in fees for the signal, were provided in Geneva.

In its expansion into Switzerland, TF1 is benefiting from the pioneering work of its competitor M6. The RTL Group channel successfully defended its presence on the advertising market in French-speaking Switzerland up to the Federal Court. Two years later, TSR responded to the market entry of M6 Suisse in the fall of 2001 with a lawsuit for alleged copyright infringement (in connection with the first broadcast of series and films) and unfair competition due to the advertising window. After seven years and a counterclaim by the French, the epic legal dispute ended a year ago with the highest court's blessing for M6's commercial activities in Switzerland. This paved the way for TF1 to enter the French-speaking Swiss market. There are millions to be made here. M6 generates gross revenues of around CHF 50 million per year with its advertising window, and with fewer viewers than TF1. The flagship from France is therefore likely to extract at least the same amount of advertising francs from the Swiss market. A horror scenario for the domestic competition.

In this context, RTS Director Gilles Marchand already spoke three years ago of a "veritable earthquake" that would affect all media and not just radio and television. Marchand repeated and clarified this statement to Medienwoche: he expects a shift in the distribution of advertising expenditure in French-speaking Switzerland. "The press is wrong to think that only radio and television are affected." (Nick Lüthi)

You can read more about this in Medienwoche.