Licence Fee has never been better value

Licence fees across Europe have never been better value. On average, the annual licence fee is 35-euro cents per day – far cheaper than most European pay-TV subscriptions.

This just one of the key findings in the annual Licence Fee report produced by the EBU’s Media Intelligence Service.

Research shows that, on average, the annual licence fee in EBU countries was EUR 126.08 in 2017, or 35-euro cents per day. This is far cheaper than most European pay-TV subscriptions.

What’s more, following reforms in several European countries, the fee has even declined in recent years in the EBU area: between 2013 and 2017 it is down -8.6% in real terms, when taking the impact of inflation into account.

The fourth edition of the Licence Fee report details how the licence fee remains the main source of PSM funding in the EBU area.  In 2018, the licence fee was still collected in almost half of EBU countries.

At both EU and EBU levels the licence fee remains, by far, the main source of funding for PSM, providing around two-thirds of the PSM funding mix for EBU Members.

The report also shows the vital importance the licence fee continues to have for PSM by taking a closer look at:

• Recent developments and reforms in licence fee amounts, collection systems, exemptions and evasion rates
• In-depth looks at what’s happening in Italy, Germany, Switzerland
• Comprehensive benchmarking of licence fees across Europe
• The ways the licence fee and PSM values complement each other.
• How countries are adapting the fee to be future-proof with the growing use of new devices.

The full report is available for download to EBU Members with a public version available after log-in.

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