Finland’s public broadcaster YLE is to restrict some of its online services to licence fee payers after 26,000 households cancelled their payments. From early next year users of YLE’s Arena service will be required to enter a registration numbers only available if they have paid their licence fee. Arena includes a video on demand service that covers much of YLE’s radio and television output.
However, while the public broadcaster is suffering, the commercial sector is enjoying an increase in subscriptions. Licence fees are now paid by less that two million Finns, but one in five now subscribe to a pay-TV service.
The reduction in licence fee payments has left a €4 million dent in YLE’s annual budget of €400m.
