Television via the Internet is attractive - also for advertisers
Internet TV is booming. About 500,000 Internet users regularly watch TV on the Zattoo platform. On Wilmaa.com, more than 235,000 people use the service for free. Both platforms are funded by advertising.
Internet television is steadily gaining reach. Around 500,000 Internet surfers use Zattoo's services on a regular basis. In total, the platform has over 1.1 million registered users, Beat Knecht, Managing Director of Zattoo, told the SDA news agency. In addition to SRG channels, ARD and ZDF, special interest channels such as Arte, Eurosport and local channels such as Tele Züri are also available. Wilmaa.com, a service provider that has only been in existence since the end of last year, also has over 235,000 users who regularly watch television. However, the selection of 32 channels is smaller than with Zattoo. Internet television is free with both providers - completely free with Wilmaa, while with Zattoo you pay a few francs per month for good quality.
Financing via advertising
Both providers are financed by advertising that is displayed when the service is started and when switching between TV channels. This can be sold quite expensively, as user profiles make it possible to address specific target groups. When registering, users must disclose personal information such as age, gender and place of residence. The providers also register which programs a particular person watches most frequently.
With this strategy, Zattoo was able to double its turnover compared to 2008 and reduce its costs by three quarters at the same time. Wilmaa also believes that it will soon be possible to earn money with the platform, as Managing Director Marie-Françoise Ruesch said.
