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Traditional media continue their decline in Switzerland

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TV and other traditional media are losing influence to online media. Keystone / Str

Television and radio viewing times in Switzerland continued to fall in 2022, confirming a long-standing trend, the Federal Statistical Office reported on Friday.

Television viewing time fell by an average nine minutes a day nationwide in 2022, and radio by six minutes, compared with the previous year. Daily television consumption in Switzerland has been falling for ten years, with the exception of 2020, which saw an increase, it saidExternal link.

However, there are major differences between the language regions. In Italian-speaking Switzerland, viewers spent an average of 146 minutes a day in front of the TV, while it fell to 123 in French-speaking Switzerland and 104 in German-speaking Switzerland. The national average last year was 111 minutes a day.

Viewing times also differ considerably depending on age and gender, the statistics office reported. People aged over 59 spend by far the most time in front of the television. In all language regions, women have been watching television longer than men for the past 20 years, and will continue to do so in 2022, it said.

Television viewing is heavily influenced by channels from neighbouring countries, with a market share of 58% in German-speaking Switzerland, 66% in Italian-speaking Switzerland and 69% in French-speaking Switzerland.

Radio use has also been on the decline since 2010, with listening times comparable in German-speaking and Italian-speaking Switzerland (85 minutes a day). French-speaking Switzerland, on the other hand, listens to the radio for 64 minutes a day. Once again, the figures increase with age: the 60+ age group listened to the radio 5.2 times longer than the 15-29 age group.

As for the print media, free newspaper 20 Minutes remained at the top of the rankings in French and German speaking Switzerland. The rankings also included online editions.

As in other developed countries, traditional media have been losing influence to online media, as studies have shown.

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