Those who watch TV time-shifted have known it since 2022: Just before the desired program starts or when fast-forwarding, a short commercial appears. From April 2026, this model will be expanded. And since 30 March 2026, you will also encounter Replay advertising on SRF, RTS and RSI, around four months later than the originally planned start in November 2025.
What is Replay-TV and why is there advertising at all?
Replay-TV allows programs to be accessed up to 7 days after their original broadcast time. The ability to simply skip advertising has led to TV broadcasters increasingly losing advertising revenue.
30 to 40 percent of all TV content in Switzerland is consumed time-shifted, with a rising trend. The industry responded to this development in 2020 with the so-called Joint Tariff 12 (GT12), which laid the foundation for new advertising formats in Replay-TV.
Private broadcasters such as CH Media, RTL Deutschland, and ProSieben have been implementing this model since October 2022. Those who watch time-shifted on 3+, RTL, or ProSieben are therefore already familiar with the new advertising formats.
Overview of the three advertising formats
As part of the GT12 industry agreement, three advertising formats were introduced:
- Start Ad: Short, non-skippable spot at the start of a time-shifted program
- Fast Forward Ad: Spot that appears when fast-forwarding through a commercial break in Replay
- Pause Ad: Static advertising banner when pressing the pause button
The spots are significantly shorter than classic TV commercial blocks.
From April 2026: Two Start Ads instead of one
From April 2026, the model will be further developed. At the start of a time-shifted program, two Start Ads will be shown instead of the previous one. This change affects all broadcasters currently participating in the GT12 industry agreement.
Current GT12 broadcasters (as of March 2026):
- 3+, 4+, 5+, 6+, 7+ Family / Nick Schweiz
- S1, TV24, TV25
- Puls 8
- RTL, RTLZWEI, VOX, NITRO, Super RTL
- ProSieben, SAT.1, Kabel Eins, ProSieben MAXX, SAT.1 Gold, Sixx
- TeleZüri, TeleBärn, Tele M1, Tele 1, TVO
N-TV was part of the agreement until September 2025 and has not been included since then.
SRG channels now with Replay advertising
If you watch SRF, RTS or RSI time-shifted, you have been seeing advertising before the start of the programme and when fast-forwarding since 30 March 2026. The affected channels are:
- SRF 1 HD
- SRF zwei HD
- SRF Info HD
- RTS 1 HD
- RTS 2 HD
- RSI LA 1 HD
- RSI LA 2 HD
The introduction came later than originally announced: the industry had communicated November 2025 as the start date, the rollout on the SRG channels was delayed by around four months. The technical playout is carried out by all participating distributors: Swisscom, Sunrise, Quickline, Salt, Zattoo and Teleboy.
Those who access SRG content directly via Play SRF or Play Suisse are not affected. These platforms will remain ad-free.
What is behind this?
The industry justifies the step with the ongoing decline in the classic TV advertising market. Replay ads are intended to at least partially compensate for this loss and to secure the financing of Swiss TV productions in the long term.
In neighbouring countries, Replay-TV is often chargeable or not available at all. In Switzerland, it remains widely accessible through the GT12 agreement, but with these advertising insertions as compensation.
Can Replay advertising be avoided?
Yes. Most Swiss TV providers offer an optional Skip-Ad function that allows Replay advertising to be skipped. Standalone prices currently range between around CHF 7 and CHF 10 per month, depending on the provider and plan. In some premium plans the function is already included in the base price, while other providers do not offer this option at all, which means Replay advertising cannot be avoided there.
Because prices and models vary considerably, it is worth taking a close look at the Skip-Ad surcharge before signing up.
Compare TV subscriptions in Switzerland
With or without Replay advertising: The differences between Swiss TV providers are greater than you might think. On zufriedenmit.ch you will find a neutral overview of all relevant TV subscriptions, including information on Replay, Skip-Ad functions, and customer satisfaction.
Changes at a glance
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| From October 2022 | Replay ads on private GT12 broadcasters |
| From 30 September 2025 | N-TV leaves the GT12 industry agreement |
| From April 2026 | Two Start Ads instead of one on all GT12 private broadcasters |
| From 30 March 2026 | SRG channels (SRF, RTS, RSI) launch Replay advertising (around 4 months later than announced) |
Those who want to consistently avoid the additional advertising should pay particular attention to the Skip-Ad function when comparing subscriptions next time.
