Swiss prove to be big spenders on the media

Internet was the medium with the largest growth in media spending Keystone

Swiss households are spending at least SFr3,000 ($2,304) a year on the media, according to a survey.

The study, the first of its kind in Switzerland, found that the most money was spent on computers and the internet – almost a quarter of the total spending.

Swiss Press, the Swiss newspaper publishers association, said on Wednesday that its “medienbudget.ch” survey had revealed that spending on the press, radio, television and electronic media was rising in Switzerland.

Last year people paying out around SFr9.4 billion on the media, a figure which includes the costs of supporting material such as computers and DVDs. This was 3.5 per cent more than in 2003.

The study found that SFr1.9 billion was spent on newspapers and magazines in 2004, a small rise of 0.6 per cent on the previous year.

This showed that the Swiss were still very attached to their newspapers, said the association’s head, Hanspeter Lebrument.

On Tuesday, a separate international survey rated the Swiss daily, the Neuer Zürcher Zeitung, the fifth best newspaper in the world.

Electronic media

However, the medienbudget.survey found that the internet and computers were gaining the most ground in the media landscape, with a just over 12 per cent rise in spending by households in 2004.

A comparison of centimes per Swiss franc spent on the media also showed computers and internet out in front at 24.7 centimes. This was followed by television (22.5 centimes) and print media (20.2 centimes).

But the association pointed out that there was no clear loser in the survey.

“Just like the political parties there is no clear majority in the media, but all types of media are strong minorities,” said Lebrument.

The association said that the survey, which was aimed at providing a picture of how households spent their money on the media over the past three years, would now be carried out annually. It was completed using around 20 databases of existing information.

swissinfo with agencies

Key facts

Swiss households spend on average SFr3,000 on the media a year.
The Swiss spend 20% more on TV/radio and internet/computers than on the printed press.
Print subscriptions have risen slightly but the buying of newspapers and magazines from kiosks has fallen.
Swiss households spent 3.5% more on the media in 2004 than in 2003.