Public screening

Public viewing during the ESC or the European Women’s Football Championships

Two major events are taking place in Switzerland this year: the Eurovision Song Contest and the European Women’s Football Championship. Many event organisers will therefore be setting up public viewing spaces to mark these two major events. Whether in a company, in an open-air bar or as part of a party held by your association or sports club, for example: You require a licence from SUISA for such events.

1. I would like to show the broadcast of the ESC final and some matches of the Women’s EURO 2025 in my bar.  Do I need a licence from SUISA and how much does this cost?

Yes. As soon as you organise a public viewing of an event beyond your private use, you require a licence, in other words the permission, from SUISA. “Private use” is defined in the Swiss Copyright Act as “personal use of a work or use within a circle of persons closely connected to each other, such as relatives or friends”.

If you are already a SUISA customer and pay for a licence to show TV broadcasts on your premises under the Common Tariff 3a (CT 3a), available in German, French and Italian, you don’t need to do anything.

If you want to show TV broadcasts only during the ESC or the European Women’s Football Championships, you can acquire a licence per calendar month. If the premises of the event area do not exceed 1,000 sqm, the SUISA licence is CHF 20.80 per month, that is CHF 41.60 for the ESC in May and the EURO 2025 in July altogether. If you do not just transmit the events but also want to play music in the background during that time, irrespective whether the music is played from the radio or a CD or a streaming platform, you need to pay an additional CHF 19.20 per month.

Details on the CT 3a, an overview of costs and the form to apply for the licence can be found at www.suisa.ch/3a

The CT 3a is only valid for screens or projection surfaces with a screen size of up to 3 metres. The Common Tariff 3c (CT 3c), available only in German French oder Italian, applies to screen sizes of 3 metres or more. You can find more information about this in the answer to question 4.

2. Our association is organising a public viewing event for the ESC finals. We do not charge any admission fee and the drinks are free. Do we still have to pay SUISA fees?

Yes, because it is usually not just people who are closely connected to each other, such as relatives or friends that take part in events held by clubs or associations. Such events are therefore deemed to be held outside the private circle according to the Copyright Act. Even if the event itself, food and drinks may be free of charge for the guests, you require a licence from SUISA.

3. Do you also need a licence if a company is showing the EURO matches or the ESC shows?

Yes, in this case the use is outside the private use definition, even if it just includes staff from your own company who follow the match on the screen. The following rule applies here, too: If you are already a SUISA customer and pay a licence fee for the CT 3a for the transmission of audiovisual content, i.e. TV broadcasts or videos, you do not need any additional licences for the transmission of the ESC or the EURO 2025 matches. Otherwise, you can acquire a licence per calendar month as described under item 1 above.

4. We are organising a public viewing in a public square on a large screen. Do we also need a licence according to CT 3a for this?

The CT 3a is valid for screens or projection surfaces with a screen size of up to 3 metres. For larger projection screens, you need a licence under the Common Tariff 3c (CT 3c). Several factors influence the amount you have to pay:

• Size of the screen or projection surface
• Whether there is an admission fee or not, beverage surcharge or similar payments
• Number of days on which the matches/shows are shown

If you show a public viewing on a large screen with an image diagonal of 6 metres and if you do not charge an admission fee or a beverage surcharge, you pay

• for the ESC final show and for one single football match: CHF 104
• for the two semi-finals and the ESC final: CHF 312
• for the entire EURO Championships in July: CHF 520

If you therefore organise a public viewing on a large screen during six or more days, the monthly blanket fee is worth your while.

If you do charge an entrance fee for the event, or ask for a beverage surcharge, the costs are double.

Details on the CT 3c can be found in this SUISA information sheet (available only in German, French and Italian).

5. We will be holding a party with a DJ after the public viewing. Do I need a separate licence for that?

Yes. If you combine a public viewing event with an event that involves a DJ or a band, you need an additional licence from SUISA for this type of supporting programme.

For the hospitality and catering industry, the Common Tariff H (CT H) applies
outside of hospitality and catering industry, the Common Tariff Hb (GT Hb) is applicable. The latter also includes pop up bars that are open for no more than three months.
These Tariffs are at the moment only available in German, French or Italian. 

6. What other details do I need to consider regarding public viewing for the ESC?

As the SRG SSR has announced on 12 February 2025, ESC viewings with more than 300 expected guests must be reported up front.  You can report the event on this platform: https://eurovision-basel.ch/publicviewings/

You need to consider the following:

• Free admission
  All public viewings must be free of charge for the guests – no entrance fees or other costs must be charged. 
• Trademark protection
  The Eurovision Song Contest is a protected trademark. The official ESC logo or other ESC commercial means must not be used for advertising purposes or promotion of the event. The official guidelines of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) must be taken into consideration.
  https://eurovision.tv/mediacentre/logos-and-artwork
• Sponsorship
  It is not permitted to use your own sponsors. Only official ESC sponsors may be named or presented in connection with the event. Events using the broadcasting signal of the SRG SSR must not be combined with other sponsoring partnerships.

Example for a correct communication:

Permitted:
“Event organiser Citylife invites you to take part in the public viewing of the Eurovision Song Contest.” 

Not permitted: 
“This event is sponsored by the Holdeburg brewery and the Grünau shopping centre.” 

Furthermore, event organisers are responsible for adhering to all legal regulations and provisions, including volume levels, outdoor sound systems and any catering licences.