How the rollout of People Meter 7 is modernising TV measurement in Switzerland

Switzerland is embracing the future of audience measurement with the nationwide deployment of Kantar Media’s People Meter 7. The roll-out is a result of a close partnership between Kantar Media and Mediapulse – the TV joint industry committee in Switzerland – to perform a full upgrade of the metering technology across the 2,100 households that form the Mediapulse Swiss TV panel.

The upgrade centres on the replacement of the 3G-connected People Meter 5000 ahead of the upcoming retirement of the Swiss 3G network. Kantar Media’s People Meter 7 uses 4G connectivity for uninterrupted data collection and captures even the briefest viewing moments to deliver sharper content recognition – making every second of viewing count.

Mirko Marr, Head of Research at Mediapulse, presented an overview of the project at this month’s ASI conference in Copenhagen. He explained that the 16-month project was completed on-time and on-budget in September 2025 – adding that careful planning and close collaboration across the industry ensured that the upgrade was deployed without interruption to the collection of TV usage data.

Early results and future impact

The successful rollout of People Meter 7 marks a major milestone in modernising Switzerland’s audience measurement system. The country’s market is complex with many TV channels broadcast from neighbouring nations that must be included in the Switzerland’s audience measurement service. This creates a unique challenge.

Now, thanks to the People Meter 7, Switzerland gains sharper insights into viewer behaviour across channels, platforms and languages – solving one of the toughest issues in audience measurement. Broadcasters now see a fuller picture of their audiences, while advertisers can make data-driven decisions with greater confidence.

Panel engagement is also expected to rise, thanks to intuitive tablet interfaces that make it easier for households to log viewing and capture co-viewing accurately.

With People Meter 7, broadcasters, advertisers and media planners gain access to more granular insights into content consumption. This helps content providers optimise programming and better understand how audiences move between platforms.

In Switzerland – as in many markets embracing technological transformation – understanding evolving viewing behaviours is key to staying ahead. With this upgrade, Mediapulse and Kantar Media are equipping the Swiss TV market with the tools it needs to thrive in an increasingly dynamic media landscape.

About Mediapulse

As an independent industry organisation, Mediapulse is charged with collecting data on the consumption of radio and TV programmes in Switzerland. This data is considered official currency and is used by broadcasters and programme makers, the advertising industry, government agencies and for research.

As a company with a strong practical focus, Mediapulse seeks to support the Swiss electronic media and advertising market with research services and data products. Modern systems and constant innovations ensure that changes in the consumption of audiovisual media can also be mapped.

Mediapulse stands for a neutral, independent, transparent and scientific approach to media research and is under the supervision of DETEC (OFCOM). A large part of the market is represented on the Board of Directors of Mediapulse AG and the Board of Trustees of the Mediapulse Foundation.

Find out more at: www.mediapulse.ch
Mediapulse Press Contact: Isabelle Waser