How much mandatory licence fees could bring Austria’s public broadcaster
After a court decision last year made TV and radio fees mandatory for everyone, Austria’s ORF public broadcaster is projecting about an extra €35 million in its budget every year.
An additional 625,000 households who aren’t paying Austria’s TV and radio licence fee are expected to start footing the bill next year.
Paying for public broadcasting – even if someone has no TV or radio in their Austrian residence – becomes mandatory in January 2024.
The change comes after a court ruled that people who had no radio or TV in Austria could still access Austrian public broadcasting through the Internet – and that not paying for this was unconstitutional.
Up until now, only people with a radio or TV had to pay the fee – with those people who only have one of the two media digging proportionately less into their pockets.
Payers will have to fork out anywhere between €183.60 to €245 depending on the federal state they live in. €183.60 is due federally, but some states have additional fees to fund their own regional broadcasters. These include Vienna, Salzburg, Burgenland, Styria, and Carinthia.
The new money is expected to raise ORF revenues from about €676 million this year to about €710 million next year, not counting the additional €100 million the public broadcaster may end up receiving in top-ups from government.
525,000 private households who didn’t have to pay the fee before are projected to need to start paying in January. 100,000 new institutional or corporate payers – which can include places like bars who stream shows for their audiences – will have to start footing the bill next year as well.
READ ALSO: Austria set to make TV and radio fees mandatory for everybody
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An additional 625,000 households who aren’t paying Austria’s TV and radio licence fee are expected to start footing the bill next year.
Paying for public broadcasting – even if someone has no TV or radio in their Austrian residence – becomes mandatory in January 2024.
The change comes after a court ruled that people who had no radio or TV in Austria could still access Austrian public broadcasting through the Internet – and that not paying for this was unconstitutional.
Up until now, only people with a radio or TV had to pay the fee – with those people who only have one of the two media digging proportionately less into their pockets.
Payers will have to fork out anywhere between €183.60 to €245 depending on the federal state they live in. €183.60 is due federally, but some states have additional fees to fund their own regional broadcasters. These include Vienna, Salzburg, Burgenland, Styria, and Carinthia.
The new money is expected to raise ORF revenues from about €676 million this year to about €710 million next year, not counting the additional €100 million the public broadcaster may end up receiving in top-ups from government.
525,000 private households who didn’t have to pay the fee before are projected to need to start paying in January. 100,000 new institutional or corporate payers – which can include places like bars who stream shows for their audiences – will have to start footing the bill next year as well.
READ ALSO: Austria set to make TV and radio fees mandatory for everybody
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