07.10.2021
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MACH Basic 2021-2: 20 Minuten confident despite downward trend in print media

At the beginning of October, WEMF AG für Werbemedienforschung presented the latest figures from the MACH Basic 2021-2 readership study. According to the study, most print media have fewer readers. Nevertheless, 20 Minuten is and remains Switzerland's most widely read daily newspaper, with around 1.5 million readers and a circulation of just under half a million copies.

Although the current study publication shows a downward trend for print titles, the decline in readership is to be considered proportionate in view of the extraordinary pandemic situation, the prescribed measures and the associated decline in commuter flows. Thus, the figures before Corona even show an increase in readership, both nationwide and in German- and French-speaking Switzerland.

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Commuters on the road again

According to the Mobility Monitoring COVID-19 of July 2021, which was commissioned by the Statistical Office of the Canton of Zurich, the COVID Task Force and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology's (ETH) Business Cycle Research Unit, commuter flows have been back on the path to normalization since the beginning of 2021. According to the study, the daily distances covered and the use of transport declined with the measures adopted by the Federal Council, but have been slowly rising again since the beginning of 2021 in all age groups and language regions.

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For example, commuters move only 10% less to their place of work or education than before the lockdowns.

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20 Minuten is correspondingly confident about the development of readership figures. Marc Challandes, Chief Revenue Officer at 20 Minuten and interim Managing Director of 20 Minuten Advertising, confirms: "We are pleased that commuters are on the move again and are accompanied as usual by 20 Minuten on their way to work, to training or to the shops. Print is and remains important for 20 Minuten and the developments make us confident."

20 Minuten continues to rely on print

In addition to the recently communicated "social media first" strategy 2022, 20 Minuten continues to focus on online and print. For example, distribution was further expanded with additional newspaper boxes in and around retail outlets. The newspaper is thus focusing on greater proximity to its readers.

In addition, 20 Minuten is rolling out an additional page for the "Region" section in October, thus meeting a growing need among readers and the advertising industry.20 Minuten is compensating for the lower readership figures with additional performance compensation in the form of freespace for advertisers. In addition, new performance-based pricing is planned for the beginning of 2022, which will meet the requirements of the advertising market.

Would you also like to reach commuters in their daily lives?

Would you like to learn more about the advertising opportunities in the media world of 20 Minuten? The 20 Minuten Sales Team will be happy to assist you. We look forward to hearing from you by e-mail at [email protected]

About the study

MACH Basic is the established Swiss readership study and provides the official currency for media planning and publisher marketing. The study is published twice a year and provides up-to-date, independent and valid data on the users of newspapers and magazines in Switzerland and Liechtenstein (number of readers and composition of readership). The advertising industry uses this data to determine the characteristic values of the individual titles for planning their press campaigns.

Dealing with the extraordinary epidemiological situation 2020 ("Corona") in the evaluation:
In close consultation with representatives of the media and advertising market, WEMF excludes MACH data collected during the first lockdown (April to June 2020) from the 2021-1 publication. During the months of April to June 2020, Switzerland was in an "extraordinary situation" declared by the Federal Council due to the Corona pandemic. During this period, some press titles showed exceptional publication patterns or interrupted their publication. The exclusion of this period ensures that all press titles are treated equally in the survey and evaluation and that no extraordinary effects are included in the results.