Local radios with 94 percent market share in second half of 2017

Radio underpinned its status as a reach medium in the second half of 2017 and can even compete with the internet. According to the NET-Metrix-Base study, 90% of the population aged 14 and over currently use the internet at least occasionally and 80% do so on a daily basis. In German-speaking Switzerland, 85% of people aged 15 and over come into contact with the radio every day. In Suisse romande, the corresponding penetration rate of 82% is below that of the largest language region, while in Svizzera italiana it is slightly higher at 87%. In a trend comparison with the second half of 2016, the current figures show a decline in radio reach of around one percentage point in all three language regions.

The contacts made via the radio are anything but fleeting. This is confirmed by the Mediapulse Radiopanel figures on daily usage time. People who turn to the radio spend an average of 114 minutes, or just under 2 hours, listening to the various radio stations in German-speaking Switzerland and Svizzera italiana. Listeners in French-speaking Switzerland have reduced their traditionally lower radio consumption by a further 3 minutes compared to the second half of 2016 and now spend 96 minutes a day listening to the radio. In contrast, the volume of usage in German-speaking Switzerland remained stable compared to the same period last year.

A look at the market shares of the individual station groups also reveals stable conditions. SRG SSR stations lead the corresponding ranking in all three parts of the country: in Svizzera italiana with 74%, in the other two parts of the country with 64% market share each. Beyond the SRG SSR stations, domestic private radio stations dominate over their foreign competitors. In German-speaking Switzerland, Swiss private radio stations account for almost one in three minutes of usage, with a market share of 31%. In Suisse romande, it is just over one in four minutes (26%) and in Svizzera italiana almost one in five minutes (18%). Foreign radio stations have a difficult time in comparison. Their market share ranges from 5 percent in German-speaking Switzerland to 10 percent in French-speaking Switzerland.

Twice a year, Mediapulse publishes the official usage figures for Swiss live radio consumption via cable, FM, DAB+ and the internet among the Swiss population aged 15 and over. The data from the Mediapulse Radiopanel is regarded as the official Swiss radio currency and is used by radio stations to optimize their programming and by the advertising industry to sell advertising spots to specific target groups. In 2018, modernized Swiss radio research will replace the existing measurement system.

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Radiopanel 2/2017 - what the local radio stations write:

Radio Pilatus writes that it remains the fourth-largest private radio station in Switzerland behind Energy Zurich, Radio FM1 and Radio 24. It is also the station with the highest daily reach among radio stations in Central Switzerland for the fourth time in a row, confirming the positive trend of recent years.

The highest market share in Central Switzerland, according to NMZ Neue Medien Zentralschweiz Radio Central on. Although Radio Pilatus still has more listeners on average than Radio Central, Central has been able to secure more market share thanks to the significant drop in usage of Pilatus (from 55 min. to 46 min.) and the increase in Central's listenership. The company is also pleased that Radio Eviva has the longest usage per listener per day of all private radio stations at 73 minutes. And that Sunshine Radio was able to increase its listenership by over 14 percent.

FM1 is delighted to be in second place among Swiss private radio stations for the first time. This was made possible by an increase of over 2 percent on the previous semester to 229,000 daily listeners aged 15 and over. In a press release, FM Managing Director André Moesch attributes the radio station's continued success to the consistent implementation of its programming philosophy, which it has pursued since its foundation ten years ago. In addition, the station's own online portal FM1Today, which complements the radio program, has also contributed to its success.

The two AZ media channels Radio 24 and Radio Argovia report that they remain number 1 in their respective license areas. Florian Wanner, Managing Director Radio at AZ Medien | TV & Radio: "It's good that this is the last data from the old measurement system. I am looking forward to the new measurement system, which has a larger sample size and therefore a better representation of the population. As this will improve data stability, it will help all radio broadcasters."

In the Bern region Radio Bern1 The station writes that it is the most popular private radio station ahead of Radio Energy Bern. In the licensed broadcasting area, which covers the city and agglomeration of Bern as well as the neighboring regions up to Thun, Biel, Fribourg and Solothurn, it reaches 56,800 listeners daily with a high average listening time of 69.6 minutes.

The Energy Group is delighted with the strong listener figures in the second half of 2017: Energy Zurich remains the number 1 private radio station in Switzerland, Energy Bern maintains its position as Bern's strongest private radio station with new record figures and Energy Basel remains Basel's favorite station in the advertising-relevant target group. And thanks to a newly established digital editorial team with a focus on social content, Energy has now also developed into one of the leading Swiss media brands on the social web over the past year, the Energy Group writes in a press release.

Also confirmed in the second half of 2017 Radio Southeast Switzerland has maintained its leading position among local radio stations in the region of south-eastern Switzerland. According to Mediapulse figures, the net reach in German-speaking Switzerland increased to over 95,000 listeners per day. The national growth among younger listeners is particularly striking, writes Radio Südostschweiz in a press release. Thanks to various adjustments, the market share among 15 to 34-year-olds has increased by over 16 percent. Jürgen Törkott, Head of Radio, is delighted with the figures. The strategy is being consistently pursued and this is an additional motivation when the result is reflected in the usage figures. (pd/hae)