Rediffusion
| Rediffusion AG | |
|---|---|
| legal form | Corporation |
| founding | 1931 |
| Seat | Switzerland |
| Number of employees | approx. 3,000 (1996) |
| Branch | Retail trade |
The Rediffusion AG was one of the largest Swiss specialty store chains for consumer electronics , computer and pay TV .
Founded in 1931, the company began broadcasting radio broadcasts using wire broadcasts. In 1953 the first television test broadcasts were made from the Uetliberg near Zurich. Thereupon, in 1961, the first transmissions from television stations via wire ( cable television ) took place, which made Rediffusion the first and most important cable television provider in Switzerland. Soon thereafter, radio and television sales began. A nationwide network of specialist retail outlets made the company known throughout the country. The company later operated Teleclub, the first Swiss pay-TV broadcaster.
The brand logo, the colorful parrot, was a nationally popular distinguishing feature of the company.
During the golden days of the radio and TV business in the 1970s and 80s, the number of branches for radio and TV sets in Switzerland grew steadily. Associated by the beginning of the fall in prices of consumer electronics, mismanagement and the market entry of Metro Group Media Markt chain in the nineties, the company became increasingly in financial hardships. In 1996 the ailing Rediffusion AG was taken over by the largest Swiss cable television provider Cablecom , and in 2002 it was resold to Dipl. Ing. Fust and Orange .