People ask what TV costs and get an answer that covers only the subscription. In Switzerland the monthly cost has three parts: the radio and television fee, the TV service and the extras. This post does not quote providers' prices, which change with every promotion; it shows what the bill is made of, what drives each part and how to add it up from the providers' and the authorities' own pages (state: October 2026).
01
TV costs in Switzerland: the three parts of the bill
Whatever you watch on, the bill is built from the same three parts:
| Part | What it is | Who sets it |
|---|---|---|
| The household fee | A flat fee for every household, whether or not you own a TV | The Federal Council; billed by SERAFE |
| The TV service | Free streams, a streaming service or an operator plan | The provider |
| The extras | Sport, a second TV, recordings, replay without ads, language packages | The provider |
02
The radio and television fee
The fee is a flat household fee, invoiced annually or quarterly, and SERAFE's page shows the current amount. It does not depend on whether you own a TV, a radio or a smartphone, and by order of the Federal Council it is lower from 1 January 2027. It is the only fixed part of the bill. The radio and TV fee in Switzerland explains who pays and who is exempt.
03
The TV service: four ways to buy it
What drives the cost differs by route:
| Route | How it is sold | What drives the cost |
|---|---|---|
| SRG players | Free live streams and on-demand, funded by the fee | Nothing beyond your internet |
| Zattoo Free | A permanent free tier with limits, see Zattoo Free, Premium or Ultimate | Nothing beyond your internet |
| Zattoo Premium or Ultimate | A monthly subscription after a free month, cancellable monthly | The plan, and any add-on packages |
| Operator plan | TV inside a Swisscom, Sunrise or Salt bundle with internet | The bundle, the promotion and the minimum term |
04
The extras that change the bill
The typical additions, which every provider prices differently:
- A second TV: Swisscom's Multiroom Max, an extra Sunrise TV Box or Salt's Multiroom option
- Live sport: Swisscom's blue Sport, mySports, Sky Sport or DAZN, see live sport on TV in Switzerland
- Replay without ads or more recording space: Swisscom's Replay Comfort, Sunrise's Skip Ads option or Salt's Recordings Max
- A language package: Albanian, Portuguese, Spanish, Serbian, Turkish and others, see foreign-language TV in Switzerland
- A streaming bundle such as Swisscom's blue Binge with Netflix and Disney+
06
How to add up your own bill
Take these steps, with the providers' pages open:
- Start with the fee: the annual amount on SERAFE's page divided by 12
- Add the TV service you are considering, as the provider's page shows it for your address
- Add the extras you really need: a second TV, sport, recordings, a language package
- Add the internet part if the TV comes only with an operator bundle, and subtract what you would pay for internet anyway
- Multiply by the minimum term, and write down the date you can cancel
07
Why a very low price is a warning sign
Against what a licensed bill is made of, an offer of thousands of channels including premium sport for a few francs a month or a year cannot be financing broadcasting rights. IPTV scams and red flags explains how to check an offer, and the guide IPTV illegal or legal in Switzerland explains the legal side.
08
Where to go next
See also Swisscom vs Sunrise vs Salt vs Zattoo and TV for newcomers. For the whole picture, start from IPTV Switzerland: licensed providers compared.
Also useful: Replay and recording compared, A second TV and Billag vs SERAFE.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How much does TV cost per month in Switzerland?
It depends on the service: the SRG players and Zattoo Free cost nothing beyond your internet, operator plans are priced by the operator inside internet bundles, and every household also pays the radio and television fee billed by SERAFE.
Is the TV fee included in my subscription?
No. The household fee is billed separately by SERAFE and is owed whatever TV service you use.
Is Zattoo free?
Zattoo Free is a permanent free tier with limits. Premium and Ultimate start with 30 free days and cancel monthly; Zattoo's offers page shows the current price.
Does the fee change in 2027?
Yes: by order of the Federal Council the household fee is lower from 1 January 2027, according to SERAFE, whose page shows the amount.
Sources
Read next
More from the blog
- Costs2 min readBillag vs SERAFEBillag vs SERAFE: how the device-based reception fee became the device-independent household fee in 2019, what it means for streaming and what stayed.
- Costs3 min readRadio and TV feeThe radio and television fee in Switzerland: who pays, how much, why streaming or IPTV changes nothing, who is exempt and the cut planned for 2027.
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