Questions on SRG SSR

All Swiss private households and shared households, and every company subject to VAT with a worldwide turnover of 500,000 francs and based in Switzerland must pay a licence fee. Households including persons receiving supplementary AHV or IV benefits can apply for exemption from the licence fee. Foreign diplomatic personnel and persons who are deaf and blind are also exempt from the licence fee. 

Continue to question «How much is the radio and television licence fee?»

The licence fee for private households amounts to 335 francs per year. Shared households (care homes, shared accommodation, penal institutions, boarding schools and centres for asylum seekers) pay 670 francs.

Continue to question «How much is the media licence fee for companies?»

Companies not subject to VAT and companies with an annual turnover of less than 500,000 francs – meaning around 80 percent of all companies in Switzerland – don't pay any licence fee. All other companies based in Switzerland are divided into one of the 18 tariff levels depending on their turnover. Companies at the lowest tariff level with a turnover of 500,000 to 749,999 francs pay a licence fee of 160 francs. Companies at the highest tariff level with a turnover of more than a billion francs pay a licence fee of 49,925 francs. The SRG SSR pays a licence fee as well.

Continue to question «What proportion of the SRG SSR budget is accounted for by the corporate licence fee?»

1.27 billion francs come from the licence fee (year 2023, after VAT). It is not possible to say what proportion of the SRG SSR budget is accounted for by the corporate licence fee, as we are allocated a total amount consisting of the corporate and household licence fee.

According to OFCOM, the annual revenue amounts to 1.37 billion francs, 172 million of this come from the corporate licence fee (figures 2023, activity report - FTA). We receive around 90% of the licence fee revenue. In addition, a part (around 6 percent) goes to 34 private broadcasters: 13 regional television stations, 12 commercial local radio stations and 9 non-commercial complementary radio stations. The rest goes towards the funding of a range of activities such as promoting new technologies, media research and fee collection by Serafe.

Since June 2015, every household in Switzerland has had to pay a radio and television licence fee. This serves to financially support a large part of our programmes, but also local TV and radio stations under certain conditions. This household licence fee has been levied by the independent company Serafe AG on behalf of the Confederation since early 2019. We have no influence over the work of Serafe.

On the instructions of the federal government we provide the Swiss population with a wide range of radio, TV and online services in four languages. It's more expensive to produce an offering in four languages than just in one. Good to know: We distribute the funds from the licence fee across all four language regions (revenue sharing). A part of the income from German-speaking Switzerland is redistributed to the smaller language regions so that they can finance themselves. For example, thanks to the redistribution scheme, Italian-speaking Switzerland receives an extra 225 million francs. That's how we reinforce the national cohesion.

82% of SRG SSR's funding comes from the radio and television licence fee – and this contribution is used to produce radio, TV and online offerings in all of Switzerland's language regions. Most of the organisation's total expenditure is used for in-house productions.

The Swiss electorate came out in support of public service broadcasting during the 'No Billag' popular initiative in 2018, with a solid 71.6% voting against the abolition of the licence fee. This means that every household is required to pay the radio and television licence fee. As it is possible nowadays to access radio, TV and online offerings on a smartphone, tablet or computer, the radio and television licence is device-independent. This means that it also has to be paid by people who do not have a television set or radio. This form of financing allows us to be financially and politically independent, and also brings us economic stability. Because thanks to this financing model, we are largely insulated from economic fluctuations.

The Swiss electorate came out in support of public service broadcasting during the 'No Billag' popular initiative in 2018, with a solid 71.6% voting against the abolition of the licence fee. On this basis Serafe collects a fee on behalf of the Confederation from each household and company based in Switzerland (RTVA, art. 68). In specific cases, households can be exempted from the obligation to pay: Fee exemption. The licence fee allows us to be financially and politically independent, and brings economic stability. Because thanks to this financing model, we are largely insulated from economic fluctuations.

Continue to question «What has SRG SSR got to do with Serafe?»

If our budget was cut that significantly, our current, decentralised structure would no longer be financially viable. This would result in a largely centralised structure, probably at just one production location – to the detriment of regional reporting, linguistic minorities and peripheral regions in particular. Such a huge reduction in our organisation would be a heavy blow to Switzerland as a media location and particularly for Swiss film, music, culture and sport. The associated centralisation of production would also have a significant impact on our workforce.