Ticino residents like Berlusconi's bikini TV

Audience research It was not only the SRG stations that had a favorable first half of 2003; various regional programs were also eagerly consumed.

Audience research It was not only the SRG channels that enjoyed a favorable first half of 2003, various regional programs were also eagerly consumed - something never seen before in the history of TV market research: All three SRG channels were in good shape in all national languages - with the Italian and French-language channels in particular becoming even more popular. With one exception in Ticino, where the Berlusconi-owned channels have gained in popularity. One thing at a time: the Swiss remained loyal to their TV channels in the first half of 2003. This is not a matter of course in view of the already large surplus of good weather days in May and June, when the screen usually remains black.
In French-speaking Switzerland, the audience researchers calculated that TSR 2's market share (MA) only fell by a wafer-thin 0.2 points. Conversely, TSR 1 increased by 0.8%, which more than compensated for the loss.
The SRG stations in Ticino made considerable audience gains. There, TSI 1 really climbed with an increase of 2.5 points. And the second channel TSI 2 was also on the upswing with a gain of 1.1 MA percent.
Even in the German-speaking part of Switzerland, where growth was lowest for the public broadcasters, there was still a minimal increase: SF 1 gained 0.2 points, while SF 2 was at least able to maintain the previous year's level.
RTL continues to gain ground
However, the German channels registered significantly more movement. The RTL Group recorded the strongest upward momentum in the first half of this year. Its first channel was able to increase its market share by 0.4 market share points, while RTL 2 recorded an increase of 0.3. By contrast, developments at the other German station family, ProSiebenSat 1, were ambivalent: While the feature film channel Pro 7 was able to increase its MA by 0.2 points, Sat 1 suffered a two percent drop in viewers. The second notable loss concerned Kabel 1, whose market share fell by 0.5 percent.
Apart from the aforementioned rise of TSR 1, there are no other success stories to report from French-speaking Switzerland. On the contrary: all French channels stagnated or fell into the defensive. TF 1 - the station most popular with the French-speaking population - fared best.
the second most-watched channel, remained at the previous year's level. The biggest loss was suffered by M6, which was down 1.2 MA percent. Despite this, the private TV provider, which is also the only French channel with a Swiss advertising window, remains number three in audience favorability - with a large gap to the next-placed F 2.
There was a small surprise in Ticino. Not only were the SRG channels on the rise there, but Berlusconi's Mediaset channels were also in top form. Canale 5 gained a respectable 1.5 market share points, and Italia 1 also made up quite a bit of ground with an additional 1.3 percent. However, the audience growth of the aforementioned channels was consistently
at the expense of the Italian state channels. RAI 1 was hit the hardest, falling by a full 3.6 percentage points. But RAI 2 and RAI 3 were also clearly in the red, with declines of 0.6 and 0.4 percentage points respectively. There is no question that the people of Ticino also like the Italian prime minister's bikini TV.
The success story of local TV continuesThe audience growth of local TV stations has not yet reached the end of the line. Audience figures continued to rise in the first half of 2003. However, the good news is limited to the German-speaking Swiss channels, although not all of them benefited equally. Two of the younger stations registered almost leaps and bounds in the audience market: Tele Top increased its net reach by 29.3 percent or 24,000 to 106,000 viewers. The gains made by TeleTell are also outstanding, with an increase of 23.5 percent or 27,000 to 14,000 viewers. The result of TeleBasel is also remarkable; it gained four percent more viewers and now has 105,000 people tuning in to this program every day.
TeleZüri retains momentum
TeleZüri also continued its market expansion. Switzerland's most successful local channel once again recorded growth of 4.1 percent or 19,000 viewers. This gives the Tamedia station a net reach of 478,000 - almost twice as many as second-placed TeleBärn. After a loss of 9.6 percent or 26,000 viewers, Espace Media TV has a new reach of 246,000 people.
In contrast to the positive trend in German-speaking Switzerland
However, the local stations in French-speaking Switzerland and Ticino suffered. Filippo Lombardi's TeleTicino suffered the smallest losses, down 3.5% or 2,000 viewers. LemanBleu, on the other hand, experienced a steep drop, with its reach plummeting by 25.9% to a new figure of 23,000 viewers. Its neighbor TV Région Lausanne also felt the negative trend. With a loss of 9 percent to 23,000 viewers, the two stations are now on a par. (dse)
All market shares of the most important TV channels at a glance. There is still a lot of untapped viewer potential for private broadcasters.
Daniel Schifferle

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