20 minutes – A login to counter the GAFA competition

The measure first affects the media in almanic Switzerland. Since Tuesday, October 15, about twenty titles invite all who visit their sites and applications to create a personal account in a simple and not mandatory. The Swiss Digital Alliance, composed of the Ringier, Tamedia (20-minute publisher), NZZ Media Group and CH Media groups, coordinated to launch the proposal simultaneously. If it is conclusive, the initiative will be deployed early next year in Ticino and French-speaking Switzerland, and thus for 20 minutes.

One of the goals is economic. In Switzerland, it is estimated that all media companies together account for a quarter of total online advertising revenue. The rest goes largely Google and Facebook, the press groups underline in a common statement. The American gloves largely collect the data of the users, on the contrary, up to the Swiss media. If the readers of these titles register the future, the advertising that will be proposed to them may be more targeted, to the delight of advertisers.

Direct relationship between the company and its reader



The journalistic offerings of Swiss media companies have a future in the digital world only if they are financially sound and therefore competitive with US platforms. Logins are crucial for this competitiveness, says Felix Graf, CEO of NZZ Media Group.

For the Swiss Digital Alliance, registering will also have concrete benefits for users: a direct relationship between the company and its reader, allowing to offer personalized journalistic content. For paid media, for example, an article reserved for subscribers will be offered per week to users registered on Tamedia websites. For the free media, the participation of the competitions could be done through a recording.

(Ywe)