Media associations warn against halving initiative

On March 8, 2026, the electorate will decide on the future of Switzerland as a media center. The "halving initiative" calls for the household fee for radio and television to be reduced from the current CHF 335 to CHF 200 and wants to exempt all companies from the fee. This would reduce the SRG's budget from the current limit of CHF 1.2 billion to around CHF 630 million. This massive weakening of SRG would not only have a direct impact on its programme offerings, but would also destabilize the entire Swiss media system. Private media companies, production companies, creative artists, freelance media professionals and educational institutions would also be affected.

Thousands of jobs at risk

Silvia Dell'Aquila, Central Secretary of the media union SSM, warns: "The initiative jeopardizes thousands of jobs in the media sector, the audiovisual industry, culture and many service sectors, and therefore also a piece of Swiss identity. Such a clear-cutting also weakens Switzerland as a business location and destroys irretrievable know-how." A Yes to the SRG initiative would result in around 2,450 full-time jobs being cut directly at SRG. The same number of jobs would be lost at external companies and freelancers in the media industry would have to expect major losses.

No profiteers among the private media

Contrary to the claim that private media would benefit from a weakened SRG, it is clear that the crisis in the media industry is structural - due to changes in user behavior, falling advertising revenues and the growing dominance of global tech platforms. It cannot be remedied by making cuts to the public media service. In fact, if the initiative is accepted, everyone will lose - the SRG and the private media companies.

Michael Burkard, Co-Managing Director of the impressum journalists' association, explains: "The SRG and the private media are complementary; they depend on and complement each other. If the SRG is weakened, the entire media biotope loses vitality. The private media do not benefit from halving the SRG - on the contrary, it weakens them too."

Private households bear the burden alone

The proponents of the halving initiative are fooling voters into believing that a lower media levy will mean financial relief for them. However, it is precisely private households that would have to bear the financial burden alone if the initiative is accepted. This is because the approximately 20 percent of Swiss companies that still pay a levy today would be completely exempt from the levy.

Stephanie Vonarburg, Vice President of syndicom and Head of the Media Sector, says: "The beneficiaries of the initiative are the international streaming giants such as Netflix, Amazon and Co. who could sell more expensive subscriptions - and once again the wealthy companies. If SRG's comprehensive offering were to be cut in half, this would be a devastating blow to the public service in Switzerland."

Anyone who looks at the actual figures will realize this: If the current program offered by the SRG had to be covered by various paid channels, this would cost households more than the current fee for radio and television. A full program in all national languages, reporting on and from all regions, sport, culture and independent information would no longer be possible without the necessary financial resources.

Democratic stability and social cohesion

A diverse media center in Switzerland is a basic prerequisite for democratic stability, social cohesion and a strong business location. The "halving initiative" offers no answers to the real challenges facing the media industry. It jeopardizes media diversity, destroys jobs and the public media service - without solving the problems it claims to address. The media associations SSM, syndicom and impressum therefore recommend a clear "no" to the "halving initiative".