Swiss public broadcaster to tighten belt amid falling revenues
The Covid-19 pandemic lockdown has accelerated a trend of reduced advertising revenue.
Keystone / Obs/srg Deutschschweiz/danielle
The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) says further job cuts are inevitable as advertising and license fee revenues continue to fall. The public broadcaster has also fleshed out future strategy details to meet evolving media consumption demands.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch/mga
العربية
ar
هيئة الإذاعة والتلفزيون السويسرية تشدّ الحزام وسط تراجع العائدات
SBC, which is swissinfo.ch’s parent company, must save CHF50 million ($54 million) by 2024, said Director-General Gilles Marchand on Tuesday. This comes on top of an efficiency programme launched in 2018 that saved CHF100 million.
In the last three years, advertising revenues have decreased by CHF95 million, a deficit which is forecast to increase to CHF140 million in the coming years. This is partly due to the coronavirus pandemic. “The lockdown has accelerated the negative trend significantly,” said Marchand.
As a result, some 250 full-time posts out of a total 5,500 positions will have to be cut over the next four years. Some cuts may involve early retirements or employees moving on, but redundancies cannot be ruled out.
Marchand also outlined strategic changes to SBC’s output given that 20% of the Swiss population does not access media through traditional radio and television channels. Online content will be further developed.
In addition, SBC plans to launch its “Play Suisse” streaming platform featuring Swiss films, in-house series and documentaries. The German-speaking unit SRF is being transformed by a “complex, courageous and important project” called “SRF 2024”, which aims to “put the needs of our users at the centre of the content we offer,” Marchand said.
Popular Stories
More
Swiss Abroad
How centuries of Swiss emigrants left their mark on the US
Bodycams: essential for good law enforcement, or a privacy risk?
Did you ever come across bodycams in your place of residence and if so, how do you think the use of bodycams alter the relationship between the public and (transport) police?
This content was published on
Swiss wheelchair racer Catherine Debrunner won the 5,000 metres to bring home Switzerland’s first gold medal at the Paralympics in Paris.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Public broadcaster to receive more government support
This content was published on
The government has decided to boost its financial contribution to the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation, private radio and television stations.
Public media striving to give taxpayers their money’s worth
This content was published on
In an era of Spotify and Netflix, where does public media fit in – and how can it stay relevant and true to society’s needs?
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.