Explainer: Swiss to vote on initiative to cut media licence fee

Published on January 12, 2026

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Swissinfo
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On March 8, the Swiss will vote on an initiative that wants to almost halve the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC)’s television and radio licence fee for households and exempt companies from paying it. Critics say the cuts would be too drastic, arguing that national cohesion and democracy are at risk. The initiative is one of four proposals on which voters will have their say that day. The origins of the initiative The popular initiative, known as the “SBC initiative” is the second attempt to scale back funding for the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), Swissinfo’s parent company. The “No Billag” initiative, which sought to abolish the licence fee entirely, was rejected by 71% of voters in 2018. After the “No Billag” defeat, the same groups launched an initiative which called for reduced licence fees. This seems less radical than the previous attempt. The initiative was launched by a committee made up of members of the right-wing Swiss People’s Party, the Swiss Trade ... Full story here Are you the author?

About Swissinfo

SWI swissinfo.ch – the international service of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). Since 1999, swissinfo.ch has fulfilled the federal government’s mandate to distribute information about Switzerland internationally, supplementing the online offerings of the radio and television stations of the SBC. Today, the international service is directed above all at an international audience interested in Switzerland, as well as at Swiss citizens living abroad.

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