Internet TV remains the leading TV reception method in Switzerland with 71 per cent of households receive television via broadband. According to the latest Zattoo TV Streaming Report 2026, IPTV continues to hold its position as the most important TV reception method, while streaming services have become firmly embedded in the everyday TV habits of people in Switzerland.

At the same time, viewing habits continue to evolve: streaming is being used more flexibly, and navigating an increasingly fragmented landscape of apps and content offerings is becoming a growing challenge. TV streaming becomes the most widely used TV reception method in Germany for the first time.

Internet TV remains the most important reception mode in Switzerland

Internet TV maintains its favoured status in Switzerland among reception modes: IPTV leads clearly with 39 per cent, followed by TV streaming at 32 per cent (both stable year-on-year). Traditional reception methods, by contrast, continue to decline slightly: cable 32 to 30 per cent; satellite 10 to 9 per cent.

The shift is even more pronounced when examining the primary reception method: IPTV expands its lead to 37 per cent (up from 34 per cent in 2025), followed by TV streaming at 29 per cent (2025: 30 per cent), cable at 25 per cent (2025: 25 per cent), and satellite at just 4 per cent (2025: 3 per cent).

Streaming becomes mainstream, with easy access and orientation becoming decisive

Traditional barriers to adopting TV streaming are also losing importance in Switzerland. The proportion of non-users who perceive TV streaming as “too expensive” fell from 27 to 22 per cent. Concerns about internet connection stability declined significantly from 10 to 4 per cent.

Those arguing that traditional television is sufficient also fell significantly from 41 to 31 per cent. This means key reservations about streaming are increasingly disappearing. For the first time, however, 12 per cent of non-users cite the large number of apps and subscriptions as a barrier.

Online video consumption stabilises while live TV holds steady

YouTube remains the most widely used online video platform at 63 per cent (2025: 65 per cent), while use of live TV via the internet remains stable at 41 per cemt.

VpD services have declined slightly from 24 per cent to 22 per cent, and media libraries from 22 per cent to 21 per cent. Consumption patterns are settling at a consistently high level.

Looking ahead, confidence in live TV remains strong: 82 per cent of respondents expect still to be using live TV in five years’ time (2025: 81 per cent).

TV streaming becomes established on the television screen

Smart TVs are strengthening their role as the favourite device for TV streaming: 58 per cent of respondents now use it for this purpose (up from 53 per cent in 2025). This continues the upward trend seen in previous years.

Other devices lag significantly behind: 43 per cent stream via smartphone (45 per cent in 2025), 38 per cent via laptop or PC (39 per cent in 2025), and 24 per cent via tablet (28 per cent in 2025).

Streaming is being used more flexibly

Short-term subscription models continue to gain importance: 27 per cent of Swiss consumers deliberately take out streaming subscriptions only for limited periods, e.g., to watch individual series, films, or sporting events (26 per cent in 2025).

Price pressure remains noticeable: 19 per cent cancelled a streaming subscription in the past year for cost reasons (21 per cent in 2025). More than half (53 per cent) switched to a cheaper service after cancelling (52 per cent in 2025), while 23 per cent opted for a free alternative (26 per cent in 2025). Willingness to switch TV provider also remains high: 29 per cent can imagine changing TV provider within the next twelve months (31 per cent in 2025). Swiss households therefore remain open to changes in their personal TV set-up.

The trend shows that streaming services are increasingly being used more flexibly and situationally, while traditional long-term subscription models are losing importance for many users.

Conclusions

Internet TV remains the prevalent mode of reception through IPTV services and/or TV streaming platforms such as Zattoo. While streaming usage overall remains high and stable, the way it is being used continues to change significantly: streaming is becoming more flexible and increasingly developing into a natural part of everyday television viewing. Live TV remains relevant and is already firmly established in a streaming context in Switzerland.

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Categories: Articles, Broadcast, Markets, OTT, Research, VOD

Tags: streaming, Switzerland, Zattoo