Slight upward trend at the start of the year: leisure, gastronomy & tourism and vehicles fuel the start of the year

In January 2026, the traditional advertising market started with gross advertising pressure of CHF 263.9 million, a slight increase of 0.8% over the previous year. The growth is primarily driven by out-of-home (+14.8%). At 33.8%, out-of-home was only 0.2 percentage points behind TV (34.0%), which in January was down -3.4% on the previous year. Radio also performed positively (+4.4%). There were declines in print (-8.6%) and cinema (-11.3%).

In the digital market, the gross advertising pressure in January amounted to CHF 247.9 million.

The digital media mix remains clearly channel-driven: search dominated with 77.5%, followed by display (16.5%) and YouTube (6.0%).

The sharp year-on-year increase (+89.8%) is primarily driven by search (+138.6%) and not organic, as technical adjustments made by Google in 2025 led to restrictions in recording in the first quarter. As a result, comparability with the previous year is limited in some areas. However, the display delivery statistics also contributed to the increase in January 2026 (+20.7%). YouTube declined slightly (-8.4%).

It is striking that shifts around 20 Minuten intensify two key effects compared to the previous year: the marked decline in the print segment and the above-average growth in display.

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Advertising pressure in the market as a whole

Advertising pressure development up to January 2026 in CHF million gross.

Vehicles sector with largest percentage increase among the top industries

Ten of the 21 sectors started the new year on a positive note. The most significant percentage increase among the major sectors was recorded by vehicles (+41.3%) – driven by increased advertising activity for the Polestar 5 electric sedan, the Suzuki E-Vitara electric SUV and Nissan Micra leasing.

There were strong performances by public transport companies (+30.2%), building, industry, furnishings (+23.2%) and leisure, gastronomy, tourism (+18.3%); IKEA in particular contributed to the positive performance in building, industry, furnishings.

Leisure, gastronomy, tourism also took over the top position in the sector ranking in January, underpinned by increased communication for Swiss International Air Lines and Emirates, as well as a greater presence for McDonald’s Restaurants, among other things.

Retail trade (-14.8%) and the food sector (-6.5%) suffered losses, but remain on the podium.

Downward trend in eleven sectors

A total of eleven sectors showed a decrease in advertising pressure compared to the previous year. The most significant declines were in cleaning (-32.1%), digital & household (-31.2%) and energy (-29.7%). Telecommunications (-22.3%) and tobacco products (-19.7%) also experienced a weaker start in the traditional market.

Despite declines, retail trade (-14.8%) and food (-6.5%) remain among the sectors with the greatest advertising pressure, although they have lost momentum compared to the previous year.

Sector ranking

Sector ranking for January 2026.

Top advertisers and products

The top advertisers and most advertised products and services (excluding range, image and other advertising) in January 2026.

Media Mix

Media mix for January.

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Advertising pressure in the digital market

Development of advertising pressure up to January 2026 in CHF million gross.

*The traditional advertising market and the digital channels (search, YouTube, display) are shown separately to enable better comparability with the previous year. Fluctuations in online recording can be exacerbated by external influences – in particular, by technical updates undertaken by major platforms such as Google or YouTube. This applies in particular to search, which sees regular changes that may affect the ability to compare gross advertising pressure with the previous year.

Sector ranking YTD: traditional vs. digital channels in comparison

In January, leisure, gastronomy, tourism are at the top of the list in both markets. Below this, however, the ranking differs significantly. In the traditional advertising market, retail trade and food follow, while finance and services play a greater role in the digital market. The financial sector stands out in particular. At second place, it has a much greater presence in the digital market than in traditional, where it comes in fourth. This indicates a distinct performance focus, with strong use of search and other digital channels.

Telecommunications present a similar picture. In digital, it is ranked fifth, while in traditional it is down in 14th place. The opposite is true for food. In the traditional advertising market, it takes third place, while in digital it is 13th, suggesting lower prioritization of digital channels. There are also differences at the lower end. In the traditional advertising market, tobacco products are at the bottom of the list, while in digital cleaning comes last.

Overall, January confirmed the typical market logic. Digital is being driven more strongly by the leisure and service-oriented sectors, as well as by finance and telecommunications, while in the traditional market, retail trade and food achieve the highest advertising pressure.

Sector ranking

Sector ranking for January 2026.

Top digital products

The most advertised products and services (excluding range, image and other advertising) in January 2026.

January was clearly channel-driven in the digital market: search remains highly performance-oriented and travel-oriented, while display and YouTube are shaped by a broader mix of different offerings.

ACTIV FITNESS led the way in the display segment, followed by SPUSU.CH and TUI REISEN. After this comes a wide-ranging field of products: the YUH mobile app, Toyota sponsorship, the Skoda Fabia model, Swiss International Air Lines flights, ka-ex.com, Cornertrader and Swiss Casinos Pfäffikon-Zürichsee.

On YouTube, a gaming title, MarioKart World, leads the ranking, followed by the Nintendo Switch 2 console. Also at the forefront are E-HOI cruises along with Coca Cola Zero Sugar Zero Caffeine and Kinder Surprise. The top range is completed by a pharmaceutical presence (including Voltaren Dolo Patch and Bisolvon Bromhexin cough syrup) as well as other titles such as Hamnet, Primate and TEMU.COM. In January, therefore, YouTube is a mix of entertainment, retail and FMCG/pharmaceuticals.

Booking.com remains the clear leader in search, followed by yallo and Skyscanner. The top ranking is also dominated by comparison and travel providers such as Comparis, Opodo, eDreams, ab-in-den-urlaub.ch, trivago and TUI. One major insurance provider, AXA, also claims a prominent position. Overall, search remains clearly dominated by travel and comparison services in January, with individual strong showings from telecommunications and insurance.

Media Mix

Media mix for January 2026.

Contact: mediafocus@mediafocus.ch, Tel.: +41 43 322 27 50