Switzerland’s television industry has reached a landmark agreement to introduce a unified advertising model for replay-TV, marking the first occasion public broadcaster SRG has joined forces with commercial broadcasters to address declining revenues in traditional TV advertising.
The new system takes effect in November 2025.
Under the agreed framework, advertisements will be displayed when viewers start, pause, or fast-forward through time-shifted content. The goal: to offset losses from skipped adverts while adapting to contemporary viewing habits – with approximately 30% to 40% of TV programming in Switzerland now watched in this mode.
Commercial broadcast groups, including CH Media, Seven.One Entertainment Group (Sat.1, ProSieben), and RTL Deutschland, have already used similar models since October 2022. The new deal now extends this approach sector-wide, including SRG’s participation.
The technology is being implemented across multiple distribution platforms such as Swisscom, Sunrise, Quickline, Salt, Zattoo and Teleboy through agreements brokered by industry associations Swissstream and Suissedigital. Industry representatives highlight the solution as evidence that a viable, customer-friendly compromise can be found without regulatory intervention.
