SRF relaunches youth channel Virus
Radio SRF Virus will be relaunched at the end of May: The youth station is to score with "current music as well as topics that concern the young audience on a daily basis. Otherwise, SRF will be relying on many tried-and-true features in 2022: news, sports and entertainment, as well as Beni Thurnheer.
The youth station Virus, which was launched in 1999 and advertises itself with the claim "Radio, but different," among other things, will be realigned, Swiss radio and television SRF executives said Thursday at the presentation of 2022 programming highlights.
In terms of content, the station will "focus on topics from the lifeworld of 18- to 30-year-olds. Musically, the focus is "on new music and Swiss music. The target group can actively participate in shaping the program through interaction - primarily via TikTok.
TikTok is also a topic at SRF News. For three months, information has been offered in the language and from the perspective of young users. On Thursday, those responsible drew a positive first balance from the test operation so far. The videos have met with a high level of acceptance - some of them have had up to 750,000 views.
Elections, series and benissimo balls
In addition to the usual current affairs, SRF's 2022 information lineup will focus on elections and research. Among other things, the presidential elections in France will be a focal point of the program. In addition, the ten-strong "SRF Investigativ" team, which has been active since November 2021, will produce reports for all programs and channels.
The program also continues to include self-produced series. In the fall, SRF 1 will air the new crime series "Die Beschatter" set in Basel. The second season of the Valais police series "Tschugger" will follow in December. The second season of "Neumatt," which is currently being filmed in the Zurich area, is scheduled for spring 2023.
Another program highlight is the unique new edition of "Benissimo" on October 15; for the 30th anniversary of the show, Beni Thurnheer will lead through the Saturday evening. (Werbewoche.ch reported). There is no lottery ticket, viewers call directly to play. The jackpot will include 100,000 Swiss francs.
World Cup, Euro and Federal
The sports program in 2022 includes two soccer events in particular. In July, the European Women's Soccer Championship will be held in England. SRF will broadcast all 31 matches live on TV or as a stream for the first time.
All 64 matches played at the Men's World Cup in Qatar in November and December will also be shown live.
On TV, radio and online platforms, SRF will also be following the Swiss Federal Wrestling and Alpine Festival in Pratteln BL, which takes place from August 26 to 28. SRF 2 will be live for 17 hours, from the first round to the final decision.
SRF satisfied with 2022 launch
SRF Director Nathalie Wappler was satisfied with the performance in the first quarter of 2022. The most-watched program on SRF 1 so far was the Tagesschau on February 16, with 975,000 viewers. It was the day on which the Federal Council lifted a large part of the Corona measures.
There was also great interest in the live broadcasts from the Olympic Games in Beijing. Despite the large time difference, 762,000 people watched the giant slalom and Marco Odermatt's victory early on Sunday morning.
During the two weeks of the Olympics, SRF Sport's online offering recorded around 20 million visits, according to a statement. This is an increase of 50 percent compared to the Winter Games four years earlier. (SDA)
