Hardy Lussi (Born in 1968) 2006–2012: Managing Director of Seven One Media (Switzerland), Küsnacht, ZH; Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of ProSieben (Switzerland); member of the Board of Directors of Sat.1 (Switzerland); and member of the Board of Directors of Goldbach Media.
Mike Gut (Born in 1968) 2006–2012: Managing Director of Sat.1 (Switzerland) and ProSieben (Switzerland), Küsnacht, ZH; Director of Programming and Deputy Managing Director of Seven One Media (Switzerland), Küsnacht, ZH.
Both were in charge of programming blocks at ProSieben Switzerland and Sat.1 Switzerland. They won the Swiss Television Award for the show «Home Run.».
WW: What kind of channel is S1?
Mike Gut: S1 – The new Swiss television channel offers a full schedule of programming, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The programming features feature films from German-speaking countries, Swiss feature films, international documentaries, and Swiss documentaries. We also have a children’s program in the morning featuring animated films. In addition, S1 offers crime dramas, series, and cooking shows.
… just a regular full-service program, then …
MG: Yes, and it's 100 percent ad-supported.
Who is S1's target audience?
Hardy Lussi: We define the target audience relevant for advertising in the same way as SRG: ages 15–59. Essentially, our programming is geared toward viewers aged 35 and older.
What is the prevalence?
MG: On October 16, we will launch on UPC Cablecom’s digital network. During the first quarter of 2014, the channel will also go live on Swisscom’s digital network. We are currently in negotiations with other cable network operators and distribution channels, such as Zattoo.
What market share is S1 aiming for?
HL: We have a very conservative business plan. By the end of the year, we expect to have a market share of 0.5 percent. By the end of 2014, we expect to reach 1.0 percent, followed by an annual increase of 0.5 percentage points in market share. Eventually, we will reach a market share of 2.5 percent.
Who owns S1?
MG: S1 is owned by the three founders: Hardy Lussi, Andreas Auerbach, and me. Hardy Lussi and I both have many years of experience in television. Our partner, Andreas Auerbach of Voice Publishing, brings a technological background to the company. However, he is not involved in day-to-day operations. Hardy Lussi and I are responsible for day-to-day operations—Hardy as managing director and I as program director.
Are there any other investors?
MG: Yes, but we’ve agreed with everyone to keep this confidential. All of our investors have a certain affinity for television, but they’re completely unknown to the public. None of them holds a majority stake. To address the question before it’s asked: there are no political ties either.
What about the rumored loan of two million francs from Pub-ligroupe?
MG: We have entered into a marketing agreement with Publicitas.
HL: We view the marketing partnership between S1 and Publicitas as a major opportunity for the new TV channel. Publicitas’ focus on a diversified media portfolio, its nationwide sales network, and its motivated team are a valuable asset to S1. The Publiplan booking and processing system and the Media Wizard forecasting, planning, and reporting tool will be available starting with the 2014 booking period on November 25, 2013. Spontaneous bookings for 2013 are possible immediately.
What does Voice Publishing bring to the partnership?
MG: Voice Publishing excels in streaming technology. This is a very important issue. We will be the first TV station capable of delivering TV commercials tailored to specific target audiences—that is, showing viewer A and viewer B each a personalized commercial at a specific time.
How does that work?
MG: As a first step, we’ll be able to distinguish between the various distribution channels. There’s digital cable, and there’s IP TV, such as Swisscom TV or Zattoo. On top of that, there’s the channel’s own stream on the web, smartphones, or tablets. Thanks to this technology, we’ll know who is watching S1 and through which channel. Of course, this is still a long way off in terms of implementation, but we know it will be possible to show different commercials to different audience groups. We have high hopes for this technical innovation from Voice Publishing.
At some point, even on an individual viewer basis?
MG: Exactly, once it’s fully implemented, yes. But we’re not there yet—we haven’t even held discussions with the individual providers yet. At some point, though, it could become interesting for the providers and represent a new business model for them. If you think this through to its logical conclusion, there will be geo-targeting on TV, and it will be possible to book TV ads based on individual viewer profiles! That will be a completely new kind of TV advertising!
HL: By the way, it works flawlessly in the test environment. S1 is now the test interface for this new technology. We could imagine that in the near future, a distinction will be made between an S1 Broadcast booking and an S1 Stream booking. The whole thing is incredibly interesting, and we’re excited to be part of this development.
Is there any more information about the program?
HL: We are a Swiss production. We are a German-speaking Swiss broadcaster. Swiss productions—especially Swiss films and documentaries—are a top priority for us. But we’re also open to great and innovative concepts from countless Swiss TV producers. Above all, we want to help revitalize the film, culture, and comedy scenes and provide a platform for them. The SRG is doing a sensational job in this regard, but they don’t have airtime slots for many of these projects. That’s where we’d like to step in. The channel’s design and overall look and feel will also be very Swiss. We’re currently in the process of developing the trailers. Our target audience for programming is German-speaking Switzerland. We’re consciously striving to create “lean-back” television—pure entertainment: come home, turn it on, and relax. That’s exactly what we’ll be communicating. This requires a strict programming schedule so viewers know exactly what kind of show is airing on which day at a specific time. We’re trying to incorporate this consistency into our planning.
S1 does offer a 24-hour lineup …
HL: Yes, but it's difficult to put together a 24-hour lineup consisting solely of Swiss content. That's why we purchase certain formats from German-speaking countries, mainly from ZDF Enterprises.
MG: ZDF Enterprises licenses ZDF's in-house productions, but it is also the largest content distributor in the German-speaking world.
How is the station promoted?
HL: We have a comprehensive advertising strategy that includes TV, print, radio, and online. We are focusing on the S1 brand, with its various program genres, and on Swiss productions.
Interview: Pierre C. Meier
Program Details S1:
Children's Program
Time frame: 6:00–9:00 a.m.
High-quality children's programming, such as *Little Nik*, *Peter Pan*, and *The Jungle Book*
Cooking
Schedule: 4:00–5:00 p.m.
Exciting and entertaining cooking shows from Germany and Switzerland to get you in the mood for the evening.
Series
Schedule: 5:00–6:00 p.m.
S1's early evening lineup kicks off with high-quality, well-produced series.
Swissview
Schedule: 6:00–7:00 p.m.
Swissview showcases Switzerland at its most beautiful.
Docutainment
Time: 7:00–8:00 p.m.
The most beautiful and exciting documentaries from the worlds of science and nature.
Docutainment Night
The 7:00–8:00 p.m. time slot will be extended into the evening and enriched with Swiss docutainment productions (e.g., Filippos Politarena).
Feature Film Night
Swiss feature films and Swiss documentaries are regularly featured on S1.
Mystery Night
Wednesday evenings on S1 are reserved for crime drama fans. Starting at 8 p.m., there’s a wide variety of thrilling crime series from German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, such as *Unschuldig verurteilt* and *Flemming*.
Cooking Night
On Friday evening, the stovetops are sizzling, and Johann Lafer, Horst Lichter, and the cooking teams from Kerner and Lanz are inspiring Swiss home cooks.
Comedy Night
It's okay to laugh. The Swiss and German comedy scenes have firmly established themselves in the Swiss TV landscape. Sunday evenings on S1 are the perfect way to end the week on a funny and cheerful note.
Folk Music Evening
In addition to comedy, Swiss folk music will also have its place on S1.
The spectrum of Swiss folk music—ranging from pop hits to traditional yodeling—is diverse and appeals to a wide audience.