FOCUS
On March 8, the Swiss population voted on four social issues, including a reduction in the radio and television license fee. The question: should the fee, currently set at 335 Swiss francs per year per household, be reduced to 200 francs? Swiss sports expressed concern about this anti-SSR initiative, and their voices were heard.
“Sport Depends on its Visibility”
Citizens overwhelmingly rejected this proposal: 61.9% of votes were against it. This was good news for Swiss Olympic, national sports federations, and all those involved in the sports committee against the anti-SSR initiative. After the vote, the committee hailed it as “a clear signal in favor of the essential role of sports in public media service”. The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation broadcasts around 9,000 hours of live sports per year. A decrease in the license fee would have led to significant budget restrictions and fewer broadcasts.
“With a budget cut in half, (.) some sports would no longer be produced, and others would migrate to pay-TV. However, sport relies on its visibility: less visibility means fewer sponsors, fewer young talents, and ultimately, less sport,” warned the committee. Their arguments seemed to have resonated. The context probably played a role as well.
In a recent interview with Francs Jeux, Ruth Metzler-Arnold, president of Swiss Olympic, stated that the coverage of the Olympic Games came at “the right time” for the “no” vote to prevail, considering Switzerland’s record medal haul and audience success at the recent Olympics in Milan Cortina. “Great sports moments – like the recent Swiss successes at the Olympics – are part of our collective memory. Such moments should remain freely accessible to the entire population for all sports, now and in the future,” emphasized the leader.
The Threat of Budget Cuts Looms
With the support of the population’s vote, the sports committee against the anti-SSR initiative mentions four priorities: “ensuring that major international competitions and the performances of national teams and Swiss athletes remain freely accessible”; providing a platform for all sports, including those “less commercially successful”; strengthening women’s sports; and finally, “actively promoting inclusion in sports through continuous media coverage” of para sports.
However, there is a “but”: the fee will still be reduced to 300 francs by 2029, as decided by the Federal Council. “According to SSR’s calculations, this implies reducing costs by approximately 270 million francs. It is not possible to cut the budget by 270 million francs without reviewing some programs,” warned Albert Rösti, federal councilor, on RTS. In France, budget constraints in the public sector have already impacted sports broadcasts on France Télévisions: the group has already lost nine matches from the Six Nations Tournament to TF1 this year.
