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Licence Fee: The changing picture across Europe

12 October 2017
Licence Fee: The changing picture across Europe

The updated Licence Fee 2017 report published by the EBU's Media Intelligence Service (MIS) illustrates the constant flux of this method of public service media (PSM) funding across Europe.

The report details the recent reforms in countries such as Italy, Germany, Switzerland and the UK, and highlights others, including Poland, Sweden and Norway, where the current system is under discussion. The multiple case studies provide valuable insights and reflect European diversity on the issue.

Furthermore, the report provides comprehensive benchmarking of licence fee amounts, collection systems, exemptions and evasion rates.

The licence fee continues to be the most important source of income for PSM across Europe, being collected in half of the countries where the EBU has Members (28/56), and accounting for almost two thirds of total PSM revenue.

Head of MIS, Roberto Suárez, said: "With this report, we aim to provide our Members with a solid source of knowledge and data on an issue that is relevant to many of them. We hope the international perspective of this research will help our Members to address issues at a national level in an innovative way. The licence fee is at the core of the public service media concept, and is crucial to ensure innovation and quality, achieve good performance results and reinforce the link with the citizens. It is indeed a key element for us to explain to the citizens what we do with their money and how we contribute to society"

Members can download the full Licence Fee 2017 report (Members-only). There is also a public version available with a login.

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Relevant links and documents

Contact


Florence Hartmann

Head of Media Intelligence Service

hartmann@ebu.ch