SSF: Live programming and new formats
SSF has announced the first details of what viewers can expect in the future: In addition to a live schedule running through the end of the year—featuring the Handball and Volleyball Champions Leagues as well as select ice hockey games from the European Trophy—the network plans to launch three new in-house productions starting in 2013.
In August, SSF announced plans to gradually expand the program in cooperation with the newly founded company SSF Media (Werbewoche.ch reported). The Swiss sports broadcaster has now announced that until the end of 2012 it will focus on its planned live programming: Handball Champions League with Kadetten Schaffhausen, the match of the national handball team against Spain as well as the Swiss Handball Cup, the Volleyball Champions League with Volero Zürich, the Ice Hockey European Trophy with SC Bern and HC Fribourg and other one-offs, the broadcaster announces in a statement.
In a second step, three new in-house productions are to follow in January 2013: In addition to a weekly talk show with journalists and celebrities, in which the sports headlines of the week are discussed, a new soccer show is also planned, which is intended to shed light on Swiss soccer events in an alternative way. In addition, a format is in the pilot phase with the show "Seitenwechsel," in which top athletes try out foreign sports. "Footballers in Speedos with the high-divers, high-divers in the boxing ring and boxers on figure skates: Seitenwechsel will be a colorful sporting relay race from sport to sport," explains Gabriel Oldham, host of the show.
With the launch of the new in-house productions, the name SSF will also stand for "Sport Szene Fernsehen" and the entire station design will have a new look. In addition, the online presence will be revamped: "In the future, we want to present our content better on the web and offer viewers real added value with new interactive functions," explains Philip Michel, head of programming at SSF.
