An old recipe for young readers
Program press Tele wants to attract more young readers with pure TV and cinema. German newspapers have shown the way - and are already much further ahead.
Program press Tele wants to attract more young readers with pure TV and cinema. German papers have shown the way - and are already much further ahead.Tele wanted to become a real media magazine with its last relaunch in the fall of 2002. In order to remain attractive to the young target group, editor-in-chief Klaus Kriesel put the spotlight on the Internet, electronics, music and DVDs. two years later, publisher Ringier is turning back the clock. After Kriesel left the magazine in the spring, Tele is positioning itself as "The Swiss TV and cinema magazine" from October 15. Everything is to revolve around film and television - with a clear Swiss focus. As a result, 8.1 editorial positions will become redundant and the scope will be slightly adjusted. According to Alexander Theobald, Ringier's magazine director, readers should not notice much of this, however: content that is not expected in a program guide will be omitted.
For Theobald, the relaunch does not mean that the previous concept has failed. He speaks of a further development that builds on existing strengths. Nevertheless, one thing is clear: as a "media magazine", Tele has not been able to stop the decline in circulation. For 2002, Wemf reported a decline of 4.3 percent. In 2003, circulation fell by a further 6.4 percent to 5,500 copies.
"Internationally, all TV magazines are losing circulation," says Theobald. The exception is arch-rival TR7 from the house of Jean Frey. It grew by 0.6 percent in 2002 and 2.1 percent in 2003. Theobald believes that TR7 owes this growth against the trend mainly to its sales cooperations with various newspapers.
Germany shows the way
Whether you see the relaunch as a U-turn or an evolution, the future direction is also clearly aimed at the young audience. A look at the market for TV program guides in Germany shows this. TV Spielfilm and TV Movie already carry Ringier's new concept in their titles. According to the German trade magazine Horizont, these two publications have the youngest readership in the dense forest of so-called "program guides". Average age: around 39 years.
Theobald denies that Tele's readership is ageing. Tele has a fairly young audience. In fact, Mach Basic shows that 66.5 percent of the 711,000 Tele readers are between 14 and 49 years old. However, 88.5 percent of TV Spielfilm's Swiss audience is in this target group. Three quarters are even under 39 years old.
And TV Spielfilm is read by 313,000 people in Switzerland. In addition to the magazine from the Milchstrasse publishing group, Bauer's TV Movie is also available here, along with a dozen other German titles whose Swiss readership is not surveyed. The challenge that Tele is facing with its new concept is to ward off this insult and win back the domestic audience.
Ringier has studied the German programmatic market and gained a number of insights, Theobald confirms. As examples, he mentions price sensitivity, publication intervals and the quality of listings, which is exemplary for German titles. However, the magazine director does not reveal what lessons the publisher has learned for Tele.
The learning process is proceeding with Swiss slowness. After all, TV Spielfilm was launched back in 1990. In the meantime, other developments are taking place on the German market. TV Sünde (erotica) and TV Spass (series) are programs aimed at special viewer segments. With TV Piccolino and TV 4×7, the pocket format is making inroads into this segment. However, digital television becomes the most important new battleground. It multiplies the number of receivable channels and thus also the need for a program overview. Six million German households currently have digital connections. This figure is set to rise to 35 million by 2010. After the subscription broadcaster Premiere discontinued its own TV magazine in June, the publishing giants Springer and Bauer are fighting over the homeless readership with the new launches TV Digital and TV World. Other publishers are offering supplements to their programs.
Digital program explosion
The digital TV train is also picking up speed in Switzerland. In addition to Teleclub and Cablecom, Swisscom is planning to get on board. Ringier is apparently taking a wait-and-see approach. For Alexander Theobald, launching his own magazine for digital programs would be "a big box". It is always questionable whether such projects could work economically given Switzerland's low readership potential. Theobald describes the proposal to include the digital program of Teleclub - in which Ringier has a stake - in Tele as a "charming idea".
TR7 has taken a first step towards digital TV. It presents the offerings of Cablecom's pay-per-view film channels in a concise form. However, TR7 editor-in-chief René Hildbrand also emphasizes the difference between Switzerland and Germany: TV magazines have a higher status in the German advertising market, "German advertising customers have understood how well these titles work. I sometimes look across the border with envy."
TV vier strengthens Ringier's market shareSimultaneously with the relaunch of Tele, Ringier has announced the purchase of TV vier. The content of TV vier is limited to program lists and puzzles. The monthly title is produced by external suppliers without its own editorial team. TV vier was launched at the beginning of 2001 by Vierwaldstätter Verlags GmbH. Initially with an allegedly wide distribution of 300,000 copies, the circulation was reduced to 80,000 after a year. According to Ringier, 60000 copies are currently being printed. TV vier contains almost no advertising pages. Nevertheless, according to Ringier magazine director Alexander Theobald, it is profitable.
"TV vier has had a clear impact on the circulation of the established TV magazines," says Theobald, explaining the takeover. With the magazine, Ringier is further expanding its share of the reader market in the program segment. Tele and the Tamedia joint venture TV täglich already covered 50 percent. "We will know the exact impact of the takeover of TV vier when the figures from Mach and circulation certification are available," explains Theobald. TV vier should participate in both as soon as possible. However, it was no longer possible to register this year. (sm)
The Tele becomes new: German newspapers were the inspiration for the concept.
Stefano Monachesi
For Theobald, the relaunch does not mean that the previous concept has failed. He speaks of a further development that builds on existing strengths. Nevertheless, one thing is clear: as a "media magazine", Tele has not been able to stop the decline in circulation. For 2002, Wemf reported a decline of 4.3 percent. In 2003, circulation fell by a further 6.4 percent to 5,500 copies.
"Internationally, all TV magazines are losing circulation," says Theobald. The exception is arch-rival TR7 from the house of Jean Frey. It grew by 0.6 percent in 2002 and 2.1 percent in 2003. Theobald believes that TR7 owes this growth against the trend mainly to its sales cooperations with various newspapers.
Germany shows the way
Whether you see the relaunch as a U-turn or an evolution, the future direction is also clearly aimed at the young audience. A look at the market for TV program guides in Germany shows this. TV Spielfilm and TV Movie already carry Ringier's new concept in their titles. According to the German trade magazine Horizont, these two publications have the youngest readership in the dense forest of so-called "program guides". Average age: around 39 years.
Theobald denies that Tele's readership is ageing. Tele has a fairly young audience. In fact, Mach Basic shows that 66.5 percent of the 711,000 Tele readers are between 14 and 49 years old. However, 88.5 percent of TV Spielfilm's Swiss audience is in this target group. Three quarters are even under 39 years old.
And TV Spielfilm is read by 313,000 people in Switzerland. In addition to the magazine from the Milchstrasse publishing group, Bauer's TV Movie is also available here, along with a dozen other German titles whose Swiss readership is not surveyed. The challenge that Tele is facing with its new concept is to ward off this insult and win back the domestic audience.
Ringier has studied the German programmatic market and gained a number of insights, Theobald confirms. As examples, he mentions price sensitivity, publication intervals and the quality of listings, which is exemplary for German titles. However, the magazine director does not reveal what lessons the publisher has learned for Tele.
The learning process is proceeding with Swiss slowness. After all, TV Spielfilm was launched back in 1990. In the meantime, other developments are taking place on the German market. TV Sünde (erotica) and TV Spass (series) are programs aimed at special viewer segments. With TV Piccolino and TV 4×7, the pocket format is making inroads into this segment. However, digital television becomes the most important new battleground. It multiplies the number of receivable channels and thus also the need for a program overview. Six million German households currently have digital connections. This figure is set to rise to 35 million by 2010. After the subscription broadcaster Premiere discontinued its own TV magazine in June, the publishing giants Springer and Bauer are fighting over the homeless readership with the new launches TV Digital and TV World. Other publishers are offering supplements to their programs.
Digital program explosion
The digital TV train is also picking up speed in Switzerland. In addition to Teleclub and Cablecom, Swisscom is planning to get on board. Ringier is apparently taking a wait-and-see approach. For Alexander Theobald, launching his own magazine for digital programs would be "a big box". It is always questionable whether such projects could work economically given Switzerland's low readership potential. Theobald describes the proposal to include the digital program of Teleclub - in which Ringier has a stake - in Tele as a "charming idea".
TR7 has taken a first step towards digital TV. It presents the offerings of Cablecom's pay-per-view film channels in a concise form. However, TR7 editor-in-chief René Hildbrand also emphasizes the difference between Switzerland and Germany: TV magazines have a higher status in the German advertising market, "German advertising customers have understood how well these titles work. I sometimes look across the border with envy."
TV vier strengthens Ringier's market shareSimultaneously with the relaunch of Tele, Ringier has announced the purchase of TV vier. The content of TV vier is limited to program lists and puzzles. The monthly title is produced by external suppliers without its own editorial team. TV vier was launched at the beginning of 2001 by Vierwaldstätter Verlags GmbH. Initially with an allegedly wide distribution of 300,000 copies, the circulation was reduced to 80,000 after a year. According to Ringier, 60000 copies are currently being printed. TV vier contains almost no advertising pages. Nevertheless, according to Ringier magazine director Alexander Theobald, it is profitable.
"TV vier has had a clear impact on the circulation of the established TV magazines," says Theobald, explaining the takeover. With the magazine, Ringier is further expanding its share of the reader market in the program segment. Tele and the Tamedia joint venture TV täglich already covered 50 percent. "We will know the exact impact of the takeover of TV vier when the figures from Mach and circulation certification are available," explains Theobald. TV vier should participate in both as soon as possible. However, it was no longer possible to register this year. (sm)
The Tele becomes new: German newspapers were the inspiration for the concept.
Stefano Monachesi
