Switzerland’s television industry has achieved a significant milestone with a landmark agreement to introduce a unified advertising model for replay-TV. This marks the first time public broadcaster SRG has partnered with commercial broadcasters to tackle the persistent issue of declining revenues in traditional TV advertising. The innovative system is slated to commence in November 2025.
Under this agreed framework, advertisements will be strategically displayed when viewers initiate playback, pause, or fast-forward through time-shifted content. The primary objective is to mitigate the financial losses incurred from skipped advertisements while simultaneously adapting to evolving viewer preferences. It's noteworthy that approximately 30% to 40% of TV programming in Switzerland is now viewed in this time-shifted manner.
Commercial broadcast groups, including prominent players such as CH Media, Seven.One Entertainment Group (Sat.1, ProSieben), and RTL Deutschland, have already been utilizing similar models since October 2022. This new deal expands this approach across the entire sector, significantly benefiting from the inclusion of SRG’s participation. The technological implementation is being rolled out across various distribution platforms, including Swisscom, Sunrise, Quickline, Salt, Zattoo and Teleboy, facilitated by agreements brokered by industry associations Swissstream and Suissedigital.
Industry representatives commend this solution as a testament to the feasibility of achieving a viable and customer-friendly compromise without requiring regulatory intervention. The collaboration highlights a proactive approach to the challenges of the modern media landscape.