Profit of CH Media declines significantly
The media company CH Media achieved a profit of CHF 20.7 million in 2022, significantly less than in the previous year. The reason for this was rising material costs as well as customer restraint in the advertising market of the TV and radio business, the company announced.
In 2021, the media company headquartered in Aarau had still been able to increase its profit to 34.8 million Swiss francs. Despite a difficult environment, it was able to "generate a good operating performance" in 2022, CH Media announced on Wednesday. Sales increased by 3.5 percent to 430.2 million francs, while earnings before interest and taxes (Ebit) amounted to 25.2 million francs.
The number of digital subscriptions to pay newspapers continued to grow, but not at the same pace as in the previous year. Since the end of October, the Thurgau Newspaper, the Appenzeller newspaper, the Zug Newspaper, the Nidwald newspaper, the Obwaldner Newspaper and the Uri Newspaper own web presences and mobile apps. The Switzerland at the weekend has been able to increase its readership and is now "the most widely read newspaper in German-speaking Switzerland, with almost one million readers.
Advertising revenues were slightly above the level of the previous year for printed newspapers and increased further for online editions. The Entertainment unit grew through a strategic partnership with Sunrise in the TV and streaming market. In addition, the radio stations Central, Sunshine and Eviva were acquired and Flashback FM and the news portals ZüriToday and BärnToday were newly launched. In the printing sector, cooperation between the Aarau, St. Gallen-Winkeln and Derendingen sites was intensified.
Difficult year expected in 2023
CH Media was created in the fall of 2018 as a joint venture of the NZZ Media Group and AZ Medien (Werbewoche.ch reported). In the outlook, the company expects "a difficult 2023 across the industry" due to above-average energy and paper prices as well as ongoing economic and political uncertainties. The implementation of the CH Media 2025" strategy continues to progress according to plan, it said. The company intends to press ahead with the digitization of its paid newspapers and the expansion of its entertainment business. (SDA)
