Germany’s national broadcasting licence fee (Rundfunkbeitrag) will not increase in 2025, according to a recent decision by leaders of the 16 German federal states.

German TV licence fee should remain the same in 2025

At a meeting in Berlin, leaders of Germany’s 16 federal states have voted to keep the national broadcasting licence fee at 18,36 euros a month until 2027.

Back in February 2024, the German Commission to Determine the Financial Requirements of Broadcasters (KEF), the body responsible for deciding quadrennial Rundfunkbeitrag increases, announced the fee would rise to 18,94 euros per month between 2025 and 2028.

Every household in Germany must pay the monthly fee, regardless of whether they watch TV, listen to the radio or read public broadcast news online. The Rundfunkbreitrag funds 17 television channels, including Tagesschau, Das Erste, rbb and arte, 64 radio stations nationwide and their respective websites and social media channels.

At the Berlin meeting, leaders also voted to change rules about how the licence fee amount is decided. In future, representatives of all 16 federal states will no longer have to approve fee increases.

States’ decision could still be challenged in Karlsruhe

However, the decision to keep the monthly fee at 18,36 euros until 2027 is threatened by another, ongoing case and is part of a wider discussion in Germany.

In November, public broadcasters ARD and ZDF filed a complaint to the German Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, that the Rundfunkbeitrag must be raised to the 18,94 euros determined by the KEF. Until the court rules on this complaint, ministers’ decision to delay an increase cannot be finalised.

Germany currently has one of the highest public broadcasting budgets in the world, but calls to cut funding are increasing across the political spectrum. Alternative for Germany (AfD) has promised to scrap the Rundfunkbeitrag and cut public broadcasting channels to a tenth of their size. 

In federal states where the far-right party’s popularity is increasing, such as Saxony-Anhalt and Brandenburg, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Social Democratic Party (SPD) have joined calls to block licence fee increases.

September saw journalists at ZDF, ARD and Deutsche Welle strike over pay agreements, with their representative trade union ver.di arguing that “if conditions are further weakened, it will undermine the capacity of broadcasters to fulfil their public service mission."

“Public service broadcasting stands for independence, which needs credible journalistic reporting. This is indispensable, especially in times of hatred, hatred on the internet and the purposeful spreading of false information and ‘alternative facts’,”  ver.di spokesperson Frank Werneke said.

Thumb image credit: Camilo Concha / Shutterstock.com