Pro Sieben Sat.1 launches TV channel for German-speaking Switzerland

Andrea Haemmerli, Managing Director of Pro Sieben Sat.1 subsidiary Sevenone Media Switzerland, announced the launch of the new channel on Tuesday in a Interview with the Neue Zürcher Zeitung. The media group did not wish to comment on the launch date or the name of the channel when asked. They will be "informed shortly", they said. According to Haemmerli, the new channel will offer viewers a 24-hour program with films and series: "The focus is on a wide range of feature films. This includes Hollywood blockbusters, arthouse films and classics of film history." The program will be supplemented "with top international series". The new channel is not intended to compete with the existing Pro Sieben Sat.1 channels. "Pro Sieben has a younger positioning, Sat.1 is slightly older than the new Swiss channel." Overall, the Group could expand its market share with the new channel.

High demand for TV advertising space

Pro Sieben Sat.1 expects the new channel to start with market shares "in the lower single-digit range". In the longer term, it should "be one of the big players among the small channels". According to Haemmerli, Pro Sieben Sat.1 has successfully expanded its portfolio in recent years with channels such as Sixx and is also very successful in Austria with the channel Puls 4. It therefore makes sense to extend this growth strategy to the Swiss market. "And there is not yet a 24-hour movie and series channel in Switzerland." She sees growth opportunities in the advertising market: the demand for television advertising space in Switzerland remains high. The television advertising market has grown by an average of 4 percent annually since 2010. "We assume that this growth will continue in the coming years," said Haemmerli. (SDA)