Radio maintains its status as a reach medium
On an average day, the medium of radio reaches just under 9 out of 10 people in the Swiss resident population aged 15 and over. The daily usage time per listener reached ranges from 97 minutes in Suisse Romande to 114 minutes in German-speaking Switzerland. This is confirmed by the figures from the Mediapulse Radiopanel for the first half of 2017.
Radio was able to confirm its traditionally high penetration figures in the first half of 2017, thus maintaining its status as a reach medium. 86 percent of adults in German-speaking Switzerland come into contact with one or more radio stations on an average day. In Suisse Romande, this figure is 83 percent and in Svizzera Italiana 88 percent. A trend comparison with the first half of 2016 shows a decline in daily reach in all three language regions, although this is statistically significant only in German-speaking Switzerland.
If we look at the time a listener spends per day using radio stations, the top spot goes to German-speaking Switzerland with 114 minutes, closely followed by Svizzera Italiana with 112 minutes and Suisse Romande, where usage time is just under the 100-minute mark at 97 minutes. In parallel with the reach figures, the volume of radio usage is also down on the same period last year. The loss amounts to a good 4 minutes in all three language regions.
A comparison of the market shares of the individual station groups shows that SRG SSR stations can claim three-quarters of radio consumption in Svizzera Italiana and just under two-thirds in the other two parts of the country. Compared to the previous year, the SRG offerings in all three language regions have to accept losses in market share. The main beneficiaries were the domestic private radio stations. Their cumulative market share is currently 32 percent in German-speaking Switzerland, 25 percent in French-speaking Switzerland and 17 percent in Italian-speaking Switzerland.
Swiss radio currency to be modernized for 2018
From 2018, the modernized Swiss radio currency will replace the existing one. A new generation of dial gauges (Mediawatch 4) will be used, which will record the wearer's radio consumption with the help of a built-in microphone, encrypt it, store it, and transmit it for evaluation via a docking station. In addition to the Mediawatch 4, which has been modernized in terms of design and technology, a new app is also being tested as a measuring instrument, but its data will not yet be included in the new measurement for the time being. The new research technology and methodology, which will lead to improved data stability and faster data availability, have been introduced and analyzed since July 1, 2017 as part of a parallel operation to the existing measurement.
The definitive changeover to the new Swiss radio currency will take place on January 1, 2018.
Twice a year, Mediapulse publishes the official usage figures for Swiss live radio consumption via cable, FM, DAB+ and web radio among the population aged 15 and over residing in Switzerland. The daily data from the Mediapulse Radiopanel is considered the official Swiss radio currency and is used by radio stations for program optimization and by the advertising industry for selling advertising spots to specific target groups. Since 2013, the measurement has also recorded the distribution of radio programs via the Internet (web streams). In addition, since the second half of 2014, the synchronous broadcasting of identical audio signals via several radio stations has been additionally plausibility-checked and correctly assigned to the individual programs.
You can find the complete data of the 1st semester 2017 here.
