Media usage study: Internet most important medium in Switzerland

The media behavior of the Swiss is increasingly shaped by digital media. The internet is becoming by far the most important medium. More than half of respondents rate it as "very important" from a personal perspective. In terms of personal importance, the internet is well ahead of the second-placed daily newspapers by almost 20 percent. TV and radio follow in second place.
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Top media brands: Facebook and SF1
What are the most important media brands for the Swiss personally? For those under 29, it is the social media platform Facebook with a share of 48.5%. People over 50, on the other hand, prefer SF1 (with 50.4%). Among the young, 20 Minuten (42.2 percent approval) and Pro 7 (35.3 percent) follow, while among older people it is local radio (36.2 percent approval) and DRS 1 (32.3 percent). The analysis relates to German-speaking Switzerland.
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What is needed for what? TV for entertainment
When consumers are asked which channels they use for entertainment, current affairs, sport and product information, it is clear that the internet dominates three out of four areas: Current affairs, sports information and product information. The Internet is most dominant in the search for product information: almost 80 percent of respondents use the Internet as their most frequent source of information. Only when it comes to entertainment is television still in first place: 54.4% of consumers prefer to be entertained by TV. Looking only at the under 20s, the Internet is already on a par with TV as an entertainment medium.
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Credibility of sources: Advertising good for fashion, cosmetics and food
The sources from which consumers obtain information on products/services depend heavily on the product category. Advertising is most frequently used as a source of information for beauty and cosmetic products, fashion and food. In other words, products that tend to be classified as low-involvement and are impulse-driven.
Online comparison services are the first choice as a source of information for banks, insurance companies and health insurance providers. The customer advisor is the most important source of information for cars, furniture, over-the-counter medicines and sporting goods. In other words, where professional advice is important for consumers.
The importance of the Internet is also evident here: the provider's homepage is the most important information channel across many categories, such as consumer electronics, large household appliances, cell phones, travel, home or music and video. However, recommendations from family members, friends and acquaintances achieve the highest credibility of all sources.
Consumers consider television to be the most credible channel for entertainment, current affairs and sport. Daily newspapers are the credibility leaders for politics, regional news and culture. The Internet is the most credible for event and product information.
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New electronic media and free newspapers are used more frequently
If you ask consumers how their media behavior has changed compared to five years ago, a strong trend towards electronic media can be observed. Almost 80% of consumers state that they use the internet more or much more. The figure is 70 percent for podcasts and videocasts and 54 percent for cell phones/iPhones/PDAs. In contrast, the use of traditional media such as TV, radio, newspapers, magazines and periodicals has hardly changed.
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What is the most cross-media medium in Switzerland?
Some media brands are already used intensively in several channels, such as Der Spiegel in print, online, TV - and to a limited extent also on mobile. The media brands with the most cross-media use in Switzerland are Der Spiegel, NZZ, Blick and 20 Minuten.
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Women have a particular affinity for social media networks
The Swiss preference for Facebook is also reflected in the question about the most frequently used web address: Facebook follows Google and Bluewin. Just under 10 percent of respondents gave the address of the popular social community. Women have a particular affinity for it: Around 13 percent state Facebook as their most frequent web address, compared to just 6 percent of men.
Free newspapers are the junk food of the media
Although free titles such as 20 Minuten and Le Matin Bleu are personally important media brands for young consumers in particular, consumers would apparently be most likely to do without the free newspaper category. When asked: "What is the medium you would be most likely to do without?", more than 25 percent of respondents said free newspapers. Electronic media such as mobile phones/iPhones/PDAs and the Internet, which less than 5 percent of consumers could do without, and daily newspapers (9.8 percent) are more indispensable. Free newspapers are therefore the junk food of the media: ubiquitous, but quickly consumed, of little substance - and dispensable.
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Media consumers are mature and increasingly determine the content themselves
Media content is actively selected: The vast majority of respondents (80 percent) search specifically for information that interests them. People accept and demand the ability to actively select media: More than half of respondents (56.1 percent) would like to increasingly decide for themselves which program to watch at what time in the future. "On demand" therefore reflects an actual consumer need.
> Graphic information search behavior

The future of media is colorful and cheap
Finally, a look into the future, to the media landscape in 2020. The majority of consumers assume that there will be a broader and larger media offering in the future, which will also be cheaper than today and available everywhere, regardless of time and place.