SRG '200 Francs' Initiative Rejected: Result & Fee 2027

Was the "200 Francs Is Enough!" initiative accepted? No. On 8 March 2026 Swiss voters clearly rejected the federal popular initiative "200 Francs Is Enough! — Initiative for a fair public-service mandate" with 61.95% No to 38.05% Yes, at a turnout of 55.8%. All 23 cantons voted against it (23 to 0). The annual radio and television fee per household is therefore not capped at CHF 200.

Because the initiative failed, the Federal Council's reform of the media fee proceeds instead. The household fee falls from today's CHF 335 to CHF 312 from 1 January 2027 and to CHF 300 from 2029, and roughly 80% of companies are exempted from the company fee as of 2027. The initiative had been launched by the Swiss People's Party (SVP), Young SVP Switzerland (JSVP), the Action for a Reasonable Energy Policy (AVES) and the Swiss Trades Association (SGV). This neutral guide explains the result, the positions on both sides and what the lower fee means for households and SMEs.

Key Takeaways

SRG Initiative "200 Francs Is Enough!": What was it about?

The initiative wanted to roughly halve the radio and television fee for private households and fully exempt companies. The text proposed a constitutional amendment binding the household fee to a maximum of CHF 200 per year. Voters rejected it, so the fee remains set by the Federal Council in the Ordinance on the Radio and Television Fee (SR 784.401.1) on the basis of the RTVA. Collection stays with Serafe Ltd on behalf of the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM).

Who backed the initiative, and who opposed it?

The initiative was launched by a committee comprising the Swiss People's Party (SVP), the Young SVP Switzerland (JSVP), the Action for a Reasonable Energy Policy (AVES) and the Swiss Trades Association (SGV), with added support from the Swiss Homeowners' Association (HEV) and several centre-right cantonal sections.

Against it stood the Federal Council, a majority of the Federal Chambers, the SRG SSR, the cross-party association Pro Service Public, the media labour unions (Syndicom, SSM), and many voices from French-speaking Switzerland, Ticino and the Romansh-speaking area worried about disproportionate impacts on the smaller language regions. The opposing camp also spent more on the campaign than the supporters. On polling day the No side prevailed decisively across every canton.

How does the radio and TV fee work today?

Since 2019 the media fee has been a per-household charge, independent of receiving equipment; it replaced the old Billag device-based model. It is collected by Serafe Ltd (Swiss Collection Office for Radio and Television Fees) on behalf of the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM). Legal basis: articles 68 et seq. RTVA (SR 784.40) and Ordinance SR 784.401.1.

SRG funds itself, by its own figures, roughly 75 % through household and company fees; the remainder comes from advertising, sponsoring and programme sales.

The Federal Council's media-fee reform — now in force

On 19 June 2024 the Federal Council decided to lower the radio and television fee through a partial revision of the Radio and Television Ordinance (RTVO, SR 784.401.1). Because this is an ordinance measure rather than a constitutional change, it did not appear on the ballot and now proceeds independently of the failed initiative. Key points:

• Household fee cut in two steps: CHF 312 per year from 1 January 2027, then CHF 300 from 2029.
• The turnover threshold for the company fee rises from CHF 500'000 to CHF 1.2 million, exempting roughly 80% of VAT-liable companies from 2027.
• SRG must trim programme spend by around CHF 80 million per year without dropping any of the four full language-region offerings.
• No constitutional amendment required; the change stays within the existing RTVA framework (SR 784.40).

The reform entered the implementation track once the initiative was rejected, so the first lower Serafe bill at CHF 312 lands in 2027.

Arguments for and against

Supporters' arguments

Opponents' arguments

Impact for households and SMEs

Households: CHF 23 less in 2027, CHF 35 less from 2029

The fee is owed per household, not per person. People receiving supplementary benefits (EL) alongside AHV or IV pensions are exempt on explicit application to Serafe Ltd.

Companies: staggered fee by revenue

The reform raised the company-fee exemption threshold from CHF 500'000 to CHF 1.2 million in annual revenue, so roughly 80% of VAT-liable companies no longer pay the fee from 2027.

What the cut would have meant for SRG

This is now a hypothetical, since voters kept the fee in place. Had the initiative passed, SRG SSR estimated the budget would have shrunk by around CHF 400 million per year — roughly 33 to 40 % of current household and company fee revenue. The consequences SRG management and the Federal Council flagged during the campaign were:

How the vote unfolded — and what comes next

The bigger savings are elsewhere

Even after the reform, the media fee is only a small share of a Swiss household's fixed costs, and the CHF 23 cut in 2027 is modest. Other line items typically deliver far bigger savings:

Related reading

The SRG initiative was one of several proposals decided on 8 March 2026. See the full breakdown in our Swiss referendum March 2026 results overview and our guide to the 8 March 2026 Swiss vote. The other initiative on the ballot was the Climate Fund Initiative 2026, and the tax change that did pass is covered in individual taxation in Switzerland 2026. To trim the costs that matter most, compare health insurance premiums for 2026.

FAQ

Was the "200 Francs Is Enough!" initiative accepted?

No. On 8 March 2026 it was rejected with 61.95% No (38.05% Yes), at a turnout of 55.8%, and all 23 cantons voted against it. The household fee is therefore not capped at CHF 200.

How high is the radio and TV fee, and what changes?

The household fee is CHF 335 per year today. Under the Federal Council's reform it drops to CHF 312 from 1 January 2027 and to CHF 300 from 2029.

Who launched the initiative?

It was launched by the Swiss People's Party (SVP), the Young SVP Switzerland (JSVP), the Action for a Reasonable Energy Policy (AVES) and the Swiss Trades Association (SGV).

What happens to the fee now that the initiative failed?

The Federal Council's media-fee reform proceeds at ordinance level: the household fee falls to CHF 312 in 2027 and CHF 300 in 2029, and the company-fee exemption threshold rises from CHF 500'000 to CHF 1.2 million in revenue, exempting roughly 80% of companies.

Who is exempt from the fee?

People receiving supplementary benefits (EL) alongside AHV or IV pensions are exempt on application to Serafe Ltd. The exemption is not automatic and must be evidenced by the relevant EL decisions.

Are private radio and TV stations also affected?

Licensed regional TV and radio broadcasters with service mandates receive about 5 % of the media fee. They keep this funding because the deeper cut proposed by the initiative was rejected.

Does the fee apply to me if I don't own a TV?

Yes. The fee is device-independent: every Swiss household pays it regardless of whether it owns a receiving device. The reform does not change that.

Conclusion

Switzerland clearly kept its publicly funded broadcasting in place: the "200 Francs Is Enough!" initiative was rejected on 8 March 2026 with 61.95% No and not a single canton in favour. Instead of a constitutional cap at CHF 200, the Federal Council's reform now lowers the household fee to CHF 312 in 2027 and CHF 300 from 2029, and exempts around 80% of companies from 2027.

For your own budget, the more useful lever sits elsewhere: optimising health insurance premiums, the mobile plan or Pillar 3a typically saves far more than the CHF 23 fee reduction arriving in 2027. Only the official documents on bk.admin.ch and the tariff information from Serafe Ltd are legally binding.