Germany's public broadcasting fee may rise to €18.64 by 2027
Berlin. The Ver.di services union has called on Germany's state premiers to enshrine in law—via a new interstate broadcasting treaty—the proposed public broadcasting license fee of €18.64 starting in 2027, as recommended by an independent commission.
"We must return to the rule of law when it comes to the broadcasting fee," said Christoph Schmitz-Dethlefsen, the Ver.di federal board member responsible for media policy, in a statement on Friday. Just as public broadcasters and the Commission on Licence Fee Determination (KEF) have adhered to the fee-setting process, he argued, broadcasting policymakers now have a duty to uphold that process and implement the rulings of the Federal Constitutional Court.
Addressing the adjusted level of the recommended fee, Schmitz-Dethlefsen stated: "The independent KEF's recommendation must be respected. The key finding in its new report is that it recognizes the increased financial needs of public-service broadcasters." Those needs, he stressed, must be funded. Yet in recent years, fearing that fee increases would be blocked, broadcasters have cut costs across the board and postponed essential investments. The KEF now treats these deferred expenditures as reducing the calculated requirement for the new fee level.
Meanwhile, the IT industry association Bitkom is pushing for a reduction in the fee. While public-service broadcasting is more vital than ever in an era of social division and rising disinformation, Bitkom CEO Bernhard Rohleder argued that it can only reach audiences and have an impact if it is widely perceived as a trusted, high-quality medium. "A monthly fee for a service that many people use only occasionally—and which far exceeds the cost of private broadcasters and streaming services—is counterproductive," he said.
"Given the financial strain on many households, the license fee should not rise further but should instead trend downward," Rohleder added. Lowering the burden on fee payers, he concluded, would send the right signal.
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