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License fee for Swiss public broadcaster saved by voters

Fahad Redha

March 10, 2026
3 min read

License fee for Swiss public broadcaster saved by voters

Voters in Switzerland have rejected a measure which would reduce the annual license fee for the country’s national broadcaster, the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). The fee, which has already been reduced in recent years, is currently 335 Swiss francs or around £320 per household per year.

The initiative, supported by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party, would see the fee reduced to 200 francs or £190 annually, with an exemption for businesses. But a referendum on Sunday 8^th March 2026 defeated it, receiving only 38% support. 62% of voters opted to keep the license fee at the current level.

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The Swiss People’s Party has long argued that the license fee was too high, especially with the current high cost of living. Switzerland has a higher fee than its neighbours including Austria and Germany.

All other parties, as well as the government, opposed the measure, arguing that it was needed to ensure that the broadcaster can continue to represent all four of the country’s languages, French, German, Italian, and Romansch. Concerns were also raised that a reduction in the license fee may affect coverage of foreign news and sports.

The government has already decided to cut the contribution to 300 francs by 2029, and more companies under the plan will be exempt from the fee.

Voters also chose, in a separate ballot, to have the availability of cash protected by the constitution. The two proposals were one called “Cash is Freedom,” brought in by a citizens’ movement, and a counter-proposal which called for cash to be enshrined into the Swiss constitution.

70% of voters supported the latter, ensuring that the country’s National Bank would always maintain a supply of cash. The former, which insisted on “coins and banknotes” as opposed to only cash, argued that the proposal from the government did not go far enough.

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