Switzerland

Switzerland is a small state located in the heart of Europe. It is surrounded by Germany, France, and Italy, countries which have much larger media markets. With a population of 8.4 million in 2018, and four different languages spoken by its citizens, Switzerland faces unique challenges in the media sector. Particularly due to digitization, the Swiss media landscape is in turmoil, causing concentration and commercialization effects that, in turn, have had dysfunctional consequences on media diversity. According to Daniel Hallin and Paolo Mancini, Switzerland represents the democratic-corporatist model: The press plays an essential role, there is a strong public broadcaster, and many different journalistic forms are present, even if there are signs of increasing political parallelism and polarization. In addition, there are also tendencies toward the liberal model, as the market orientation of (news) media products is on the rise. This entry provides an overview of the media in Switzerland, including print and broadcast media, new media, cinema, and the music industry