Media Study - Medija centar Beograd

The media study has focused on the organizational and economic needs and best European practices with a focus
on the media outlets and the regulation of media. This chapter will however look at public support to media and
media institutions to discuss what principles are followed in Serbia compared to best EU practices, what is needed
to sustain the desired media structure and what should be changed. However, the media study does not look into
the economic structures surrounding the audio visual industry in Serbia and EU as producers of content.
The public media support in Serbia has different modalities:
Politically agreed level of license fees to RTS and to RTV
Municipal budget allocations to municipal media (e.g. TV Nic, Studio B in the City of Belgrade, etc.)
Support to media broadcasting in minority languages
Grants allocations and funding through the Ministry of Culture
State ownership and direct funding of the news agency TANJUG, as well as partial funding of some print media.
2.6.3.1 PUBLIC RECEIVING LICENSE FEES TO RTS AND TO RTV
(SUBSCRIPTION, AS PER THE SERBIAN BROADCASTING LAW)
Public service television and radio broadcasting is financed by public receiving license fees according to the
provisions in Article 81 of the Broadcasting Act. The amount to be paid by every household owning radio and TV is
monthly 500 Dinars. This sum is adjusted to the retail price growth index (explicitly stated in the law). The
obligation to pay is defined as 1 household having 1 electricity meter and at least 1 TV or radio receiving set. 56
The collection of fees from households is carried out by 5 acting branches of the electricity distribution companies
corresponding to the statistical regional structure of Serbia. To cover the cost for the collection those companies
keep a part of the collected amount.
The collection of fees from enterprises obliged to pay license fees according to the law is done by RTS whose
database holds information for this purpose.
The income generated from the collection of license fees is explicitly indicated in the annual reports of RTS and
RTV.
56 The introduced fee of 1.000 Dinar for car radio or TV set in a car (following the registration of the car) has not been fully implemented yet.
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