In the long-debated discussion over the broadcasting fee, there has been an unexpected development, according to media reports. The Commission for Determining the Financial Requirements of Broadcasters (KEF) has reduced its contribution recommendation, as the industry services Medieninsider and DWDL reported on Friday. According to the reports, the KEF now recommends an increase of 28 cents to €18.64 as of January 1, 2027 — instead of the previously proposed €18.94.
The current broadcasting fee stands at €18.36 per month. It was supposed to rise this year. However, at the end of 2024, not all federal states approved the proposed increase. As a result, ARD and ZDF filed a constitutional complaint with the Federal Constitutional Court, which has not yet issued a decision. The last fee increase was enforced by the Karlsruhe court in 2021.
Since its establishment in 1975, the KEF has developed recommendations that form the basis for decisions by state governments and state parliaments on the exact level of the broadcasting fee. To do so, the commission regularly reviews the financial needs of the broadcasters and issues a recommendation to the Conference of Minister Presidents. The final approval must come from the state parliaments. At the end of 2024, the states agreed that beginning in 2027, a veto procedure would replace the requirement for unanimous approval from all states.
However, that change was not the focus this time. According to the media reports, the draft of the new KEF report shows that the commission has decided to reduce its recommendation. The report is expected to be published in February, the reports said. Hearings are scheduled for December. Changes are not ruled out but considered unlikely.
According to the article, the reduced recommendation appears to be mainly due to higher-than-expected revenues. The reason is that more households are paying the broadcasting fee. In addition, the broadcasters reportedly generated more financial income than expected and spent significantly less, partly due to the uncertain situation surrounding the broadcasting fee.
A fundamental reform of public broadcasting already came into force on December 1. The number of radio stations is set to be reduced from 70 to 53. In addition, the special-interest TV channels are to be merged. However, the draft KEF report states, according to the article, that these reforms will not take effect until at least 2029.
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