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Swiss Voters Reject Deep Cut to Public Broadcasting Fee in 62% ‘No’ Vote

The Federal Council has slated a smaller 300‑franc levy from 2029.

Une affiche contre l’initiative proposant de réduire la redevance de l’audiovisuel public suisse, dans les rues de Lausanne (Suisse), le 5 mars.
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Overview

  • The initiative, led by the UDC and figurehead Thomas Matter, sought to reduce the annual charge from 335 to 200 Swiss francs and narrow SRG SSR’s remit.
  • The result spares SRG SSR the deep retrenchment opponents warned of, including roughly 3,000 job losses and cuts to cultural and sports programming.
  • The government backed the rejection and confirmed a planned, more modest reduction of the household fee to 300 francs starting in 2029.
  • A broad alliance from the left to the centre-right, joined by cultural and sporting bodies, opposed the plan, while the UDC campaigned on claims of ideological bias at the broadcaster.
  • All cantons voted against the measure, reinforcing support for multilingual public media seen as key to national cohesion and echoing a 2018 vote that also rejected sweeping fee changes.