Online replaces TV as the most opinionated media genre
According to a study, online media have replaced TV as the most influential media genre in Switzerland for the first time in 2021. Print slipped in importance. Large brands such as 20 Minuten and SRF radio and television lost influence in favor of smaller titles.
In terms of importance for opinion-forming, print titles slipped to the bottom of the genre ranking, even behind radio and social media, according to the Media Monitor Switzerland 2021 published on Tuesday. The study by Publicom, commissioned by the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM), is intended to measure the state of media diversity and the possibility of free opinion-forming in Switzerland.
The latest edition concludes that online has benefited significantly in terms of opinion power compared to the previous year. In addition to an expansion of the calculation basis, however, the study authors identified increases at the expense of traditional distribution channels. On the one hand, this occurred within one and the same media brand, in that it was used more online than in print. This can be observed above all in regional media brands.
On the other hand, pure online brands were among the biggest profiteers, the 204-page report said. In particular Watson.ch, but also the news offerings of the SRG examined, while their TV and radio brands mostly declined.
Lose big
As a result of these developments, the majority of the biggest national or regional brands in terms of reach suffered a loss of audience power in 2021. These included 20 minutes (national -4 percent), SRF 1 (-9 percent), Radio SRF 1 (-7 percent), Blick (-21 percent), RTS 1 (-8 percent) or La 1ère (-8 percent).
The study commissioned by the federal government rated this as "fundamentally encouraging" for diversity of opinion. The largest offerings would lose importance in favor of smaller ones. On balance, the study concluded that the prerequisites for a balanced formation of opinion in the population were given.
In addition to the online boom, the survey also showed continued above-average media usage overall. Admittedly, a small part of the increase in reach and opinion power from the Corona year 2020 was lost again last year. Compared to the years before the pandemic, however, both values still increased.
More and more old people in the SRG audience
Medienmonitor observed a further increase in the age of the audience of many established media brands. Television and SRG were particularly hard hit. Social media, and especially Instagram, again increasingly enjoyed the favor of young audiences in Latin Switzerland. Online made gains especially in the middle and older segments of German-speaking Switzerland.
For the fifth time, the Media Monitor examined the performance of the media in shaping public opinion in Switzerland. According to the Swiss government, a balanced formation of opinion among the population is essential for the functioning of democracies. The media play an essential role as a platform for content and opinions.
The study documented the balance of power and corporate interdependencies in the media market and took into account 172 Swiss media brands and 10 corporate groups, among others. It also included an online survey of 4,700 people and industry studies. (SDA)
