Switzerland media guide

  • Published
Swiss newspapers on the election of President Macon in 2017Image source, Getty Images

Broadcasting is dominated by the public Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR), which operates in French, German, Italian and Romansh.

Most of its funding comes from TV licence fee revenues, with a smaller amount from advertising.

In a 2018 referendum, more than 70% of voters rejected a proposal to abolish the licence fee.

Private radio and TV stations operate at a regional level. Stations from France, Germany and Italy are widely available, often via cable and satellite.

Some German commercial broadcasters provide tailored versions of their TV channels for the Swiss market.

Switzerland's press has full editorial freedom and mainly operates along regional lines which reflect linguistic divisions. Consolidation of newspaper ownership has forced some smaller papers to close, says Freedom House.

There were 8.4 million internet users by July 2022, comprising 96% of the population (Internetworldstats.com).

Press

Television

  • SRF - public, in German
  • RSI - public, in Italian
  • RTS - public, in French

Radio

  • SRF - public, in German
  • RTS - public, in French
  • RSI - public, in Italian
  • RTR - public, in Romansh

Internet

  • swissinfo - news site run by public broadcaster, content in 10 languages