Danish state broadcaster increasingly coming under financial pressure

The TV licence could soon be a thing of the past if Danske Folkeparti has its way

Recently, there have been a spate of stories regarding perceived profligacy with public money on the part of the Danish state broadcasting corporation, Danmarks Radio.

The latest of these was the revelation of the appointment of a ‘diversity consultant’ with a salary of 2.1 million kroner per year. And who could forget the 70,000 it shelled out to transport a horse belonging to an employee’s wife.

Scrap it altogether
In the wake of these, Danske Folkeparti (DF) has come up with a suggestion to scrap the licence altogether.

DF’s chairmain, Kristian Thulesen Dahl, would like to see the money levied through taxes instead.

“The licence is a sort of tax paid by every Dane, regardless of their income. It would therefore be much fairer to levy this through the communal taxation system and move this expense onto the budget,” Thulesen Dahl told Berlingske.

DR too dominant a player
Thulesen Dahl would also like to shave 25 percent off DR’s budget – a saving that would amount to around 900 million kroner.

READ ALSO: Bad news for DR and public service broadcasting?

The party feels the national broadcaster has become too dominant in the media market: “It’s important for us to have diversity in the media, with competition and a number of different players offering services to the public.”

Venstre is also open to the idea – as long as the individual does not end up paying more than they do today.

Konservative, however, would prefer a differentiated licence system in which, for example, students would pay a smaller amount. Their cultural affairs spokesperson, Naser Khader, is afraid that if the cost is moved over to the budget, public service broadcasting could suffer.

Keeping an open mind
Socialdemokratiet is also open to suggestions that could involve cutting the funding to DR.

“We’re open-minded when it comes to a discussion on the future financing of public service,” said the party’s media spokesperson, Mogens Jensen,

“We’re also ready to discuss the economic framework for DR and the other players receiving licence funding.”

The state spends 4.4 billion kroner every year on its public service. At present, DR receives by far the lion’s share, getting around 3.6 billion kroner annually, while commercial channel TV2 gets about 0.5 billion – principally to spend on its regional broadcasting.




  • The internationals who created an app to make friends in Denmark  

    The internationals who created an app to make friends in Denmark  

    A team of young internationals has created an app that is helping their peers connect and build friendships in Denmark, addressing the challenges of social integration.

  • New documentary stirs debate in Denmark and Greenland 

    New documentary stirs debate in Denmark and Greenland 

    The documentary Greenland’s White Gold, reveals the worth of cryolite mining in Greenland to be in the billions. Over the years its value has been undermined, despite it acting like a gold mine for the Danish state. 

  • Today is 10 years from Copenhagen terrorist attack

    Today is 10 years from Copenhagen terrorist attack

    On February 14 and 15, the last terrorist attack took place in Denmark. Another episode occurred in 2022, but in that case, there was no political motive behind it

  • Enter Christiania: how the Freetown works

    Enter Christiania: how the Freetown works

    We all know Christiania and have been there at least once. But how does the Freetown work? How are decisions made? Can a person move there? Is there rent or bills to pay? British journalist Dave Wood wrote a reportage on Christiania for The Copenhagen Post.

  • The struggles of Asian women in Denmark’s labour market

    The struggles of Asian women in Denmark’s labour market

    Isha Thapa unfolds her research “An Analysis on the Inclusivity and Integration of South Asian Women in High-Skilled Jobs within the Danish Labor Market”. Thapa describes the systemic and social challenges these women face, ranging from barriers in social capital to cultural integration.

  • Parents in Denmark reject social media monitoring 

    Parents in Denmark reject social media monitoring 

    Most parents in Denmark reject using social media parental controls despite knowing about them. A new study questions the effectiveness of these tools in ensuring children’s online safety.