6.2 billion for news and entertainment
In 2008, Swiss households invested around CHF 3,330 in the purchase of media devices and content. The largest share goes on consumer electronics, but PCs and the Internet are rapidly gaining in importance. Expenditure on press articles is stable at 15 percent.
In Switzerland, CHF 11.6 billion was spent on media content (print subscriptions, individual sales, reception fees, Internet downloads, mobile content), corresponding devices and access (connections, cable network, antennas) last year, 3% more than in 2007, according to the 2008 Media Budget Switzerland study by the Swiss Press Association. However, the figures mentioned are based on a mixed calculation. While the entire budget for content, hardware and access was surveyed from private households, only the expenditure for actual media content was included for commercial enterprises. The latter is estimated at a total of CHF 450,000 and accounts for 3.9% of the total media budget. Private households in Switzerland therefore spent around CHF 11.2 billion on media in 2008, of which CHF 6.2 billion (53.4%) was spent on content and access and CHF 5 billion on devices. The average media budget of a private household amounted to CHF 3,328, 2.7% more than in the previous year.
Mr. and Mrs. Swiss spent the most money, namely 15.7% of the total media budget, on IT and telecommunications (excluding devices). This expenditure item grew by a whole 28 % last year (see chart). Swiss households spent 15.2 percent on newspapers and magazines, 7.1 percent on TV (cable connection fees), 7 percent on books, 6.3 percent on recorded video and audio media and games, 3.9 percent on radio (fees, cable connection) and 1.9 percent on cinema. Four-sevenths of expenditure on the purchase of appliances was spent on consumer electronics (including radio and TV sets) and three-sevenths on IT/telecommunications (PCs, cell phones).
These figures are interesting from the perspective of partially or fully advertising-financed content media (excluding direct advertising and posters). Last year, they only received CHF 3.3 billion (-2.2%) from advertising, i.e. around half of what the Swiss are prepared to spend on media content. This ratio between the media's declining advertising income and the growing content budget of private households explains why publishers have recently been increasingly eyeing the wallets of the Swiss. One example: Tamedia and NZZ-Verlag are considering charging significantly higher subscription rates to the Bund and NZZ. Such steps are all the more tempting as the total media budget of Swiss households has increased by CHF 1.8 billion or 19.1 percent in the last five years (since the first study in 2004). The Media Budget Switzerland study is based on published industry data from Swiss business associations and interest groups, statistical evaluations from federal offices and special evaluations from media research. In addition, almost twenty companies, institutions and associations provide their figures. The results of the study are available at www.schweizerpresse.ch.
Markus Knöpfli
Mr. and Mrs. Swiss spent the most money, namely 15.7% of the total media budget, on IT and telecommunications (excluding devices). This expenditure item grew by a whole 28 % last year (see chart). Swiss households spent 15.2 percent on newspapers and magazines, 7.1 percent on TV (cable connection fees), 7 percent on books, 6.3 percent on recorded video and audio media and games, 3.9 percent on radio (fees, cable connection) and 1.9 percent on cinema. Four-sevenths of expenditure on the purchase of appliances was spent on consumer electronics (including radio and TV sets) and three-sevenths on IT/telecommunications (PCs, cell phones).
These figures are interesting from the perspective of partially or fully advertising-financed content media (excluding direct advertising and posters). Last year, they only received CHF 3.3 billion (-2.2%) from advertising, i.e. around half of what the Swiss are prepared to spend on media content. This ratio between the media's declining advertising income and the growing content budget of private households explains why publishers have recently been increasingly eyeing the wallets of the Swiss. One example: Tamedia and NZZ-Verlag are considering charging significantly higher subscription rates to the Bund and NZZ. Such steps are all the more tempting as the total media budget of Swiss households has increased by CHF 1.8 billion or 19.1 percent in the last five years (since the first study in 2004). The Media Budget Switzerland study is based on published industry data from Swiss business associations and interest groups, statistical evaluations from federal offices and special evaluations from media research. In addition, almost twenty companies, institutions and associations provide their figures. The results of the study are available at www.schweizerpresse.ch.
Markus Knöpfli
