The average disposable income of an Austrian household in 2018 was about EUR 36,322; the lowest 10 per cent had less than EUR 15,120, and the highest 10 per cent had EUR 78,580, which shows a heterogeneous income level (Statistik Austria, 2018). The latest consumer statistics about cultural aspects from 2014 and 2015 show that an average household spent about EUR 2,990 per month in total. The average amount for culture-related expenditures was EUR 104.7, radio and television licence fees were about EUR 15.7 per month, those for newspapers and news magazines were EUR 14.9 per month, and another EUR 37.8 were spent on communication devices (Statistik Austria, 2015). All expenditures in total have decreased by a quarter since 2009–2010, when EUR 140 per month were spent (Statistik Austria, 2015). This means that the average cost of mass media (print, radio, television, telecommunication) in Austria ranges between 0.7 and 2.6 per cent of total household expenditures.
The average copy price for a newspaper lies between EUR 1.20 and EUR 2.90 (single-copy sale) and has been increasing slightly compared to the past ten years (ÖAK, 2019: 14–35). Concerning broadcasting, every Austrian household with a reception device is subject to a compulsory licence fee established by the law. Only part of the total amount of the licence fee is given to the public service broadcaster ORF,as some additional regional and national fees are deducted; therefore, its amount varies regionally. The monthly fee has been slightly increasing since 2010 and ranges from EUR 20.93 (Vorarlberg, Upper Austria) to EUR 26.73 (Styria); the average annual fee is about EUR 295.03 (compared to EUR 261.12 in 2010) (GIS, 2017). The broadcasting fee is lower if a household is only equipped with radio receivers. In addition, disabled people or low-income households can apply for reduction or remission of the licence fee.
Broadband availability has been increasing in Austria over the past 10 years, even in rural areas, where connecting households does not promise any profit for the company. Prices, however, remained stable or were even slightly decreasing: overall, Austrian households spent between EUR 26.60 (Internet only, up to 30 Mbits per second) and EUR 53.20 (Internet and television, over 100 Mbits per second) per month on Internet connections in 2018 (RTR, 2019a: 35).
[supsystic-tables id=12]
