SRF Info

SRF info is a German-language Swiss television channel operated by Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF), the German-language public-service broadcasting division of Switzerland's SRG SSR group. The channel is positioned primarily as an information and news service, while also serving as a platform for repeated and supplementary transmission of programmes produced for SRF's broader television operation. SRF info began trial broadcasts in May 1999 and entered regular service in January 2001. At launch, its distribution was limited to cable and satellite television. The channel later gained terrestrial availability in the German-speaking regions of Switzerland beginning in January 2009. That terrestrial distribution ended on 3 June 2019, when Switzerland discontinued all digital terrestrial television signals. SRF info continued to be available through other television distribution systems and SRF's digital services. Its programming draws substantially on content already shown on SRF 1 and SRF zwei. The schedule includes recurring news and current-affairs programmes such as SRF Tagesschau, 10vor10 and Schweiz aktuell, which are rebroadcast during the evening. This gives the channel a complementary role within the SRF portfolio: rather than operating as a fully independent general-entertainment network, it concentrates public-service information output and makes important programming available through a dedicated information-oriented channel. SRF info also carries selected special events and extended coverage. One example is the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, an event of particular relevance to Switzerland and international political and economic reporting. In 2019, a scheduling issue led SRF info to broadcast the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest instead of its sister channel SRF zwei. This illustrates the channel's practical role as an alternative outlet within the SRF television system when programme schedules require a change of service. The channel's principal audience is German-speaking Switzerland. Its brand identity is closely linked to SRF's public-service mission, news competence and national coverage rather than to commercial specialization or a standalone corporate structure. Public information on the channel is limited in the supplied reference material; detailed figures for audience share, budget, staffing and current distribution are therefore not stated here.

SRF info developed as a dedicated German-language information channel within Switzerland's public-service broadcasting system. It conducted trial broadcasts in May 1999 and began regular broadcasting in January 2001. Its initial distribution used cable and satellite television, making it an additional channel for audiences able to receive those services rather than a universally available terrestrial network. The channel's programming model was closely integrated with Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen. Instead of building a completely separate schedule across every genre, SRF info concentrated on news, current affairs, repeat transmissions and selected live or extended events. Its schedule included rebroadcasts of SRF's daily news and current-affairs programmes, including SRF Tagesschau, 10vor10 and Schweiz aktuell. This arrangement allowed viewers to access important SRF information output through a dedicated channel and gave the broadcaster another outlet for programmes whose public value extended beyond their initial transmission slot. From January 2009, SRF info was also transmitted terrestrially in the German-speaking regions of Switzerland. This expanded its reach beyond cable and satellite households. The terrestrial phase ended on 3 June 2019, when Switzerland discontinued all digital terrestrial television signals nationwide. The end of terrestrial transmission was therefore a national distribution change affecting the delivery platform, not evidence that SRF info itself had ceased operations. The channel has also been used for special-event coverage. Its programming has included coverage of the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos. In 2019, a scheduling problem resulted in SRF info carrying the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest rather than SRF zwei. These examples show how the channel functions within SRF's wider television network: it is an information-focused service, but it can also provide an alternative outlet when major events or scheduling requirements demand additional capacity. SRF info remains associated with SRF's German-language public-service television offering. The supplied reference material does not provide detailed information about staffing, audience measurements, budgets, headquarters or later programming changes, so those areas are not expanded beyond documented facts.

• 2019

  Swiss digital terrestrial television ends

  [1]SRF infoen.wikipedia.org

  Terrestrial transmission of SRF info ends on 3 June as Switzerland ceases all digital terrestrial television signals.

• 2009

  Terrestrial transmission expands

  [1]SRF infoen.wikipedia.org

  SRF info becomes available terrestrially in the German-speaking regions of Switzerland.

• 2001

  Regular broadcasting starts

  [1]SRF infoen.wikipedia.org

  The channel enters regular service in January after its trial period.

• 1999

  Trial broadcasts begin

  [1]SRF infoen.wikipedia.org

  SRF info begins trial television broadcasts in May.

A German-language public-service information channel within the SRF television portfolio, focused on news, current affairs, repeated SRF programming and selected special events.

• Television channel · 2001

  SRF info television service

  The core SRF info offering is a German-language television service focused on news, current affairs, repeated SRF programming and selected special events. It is operated within the SRF public-service television portfolio and has historically been distributed through cable, satellite and, for a period, terrestrial digital transmission.

• Digital television service

  SRF info live stream

  SRF provides an online live-viewing entry for SRF info through its digital platform. The supplied official link identifies the live television service, while detailed information about its technical availability and geographic restrictions is not specified in the reference material.

• 2019

  End of terrestrial digital transmissionStrategy

  Background

  SRF info had been available terrestrially in German-speaking Switzerland since January 2009. Switzerland subsequently ended all digital terrestrial television transmission nationwide.

  Action taken

  Terrestrial transmission of SRF info ceased on 3 June 2019, leaving cable, satellite and other available distribution routes as the relevant delivery platforms.

  Aftermath

  The change ended one distribution method for the channel; the supplied reference does not state that SRF info stopped operating.

  Source

1. 1SRF infoen.wikipedia.org
2. 2SRF Info live televisionsrf.ch