Kjartan Aas disputes NRK access restrictions in Switzerland

Norwegian real estate billionaire Kjartan Aas has expressed frustration over being denied full access to NRK's television catalog while residing in Switzerland. Aas, who moved to Andermatt in 2021 to avoid Norway's wealth tax, argues that his exclusion is unfair because he continues to pay significant taxes to his home municipality, Tvedestrand.

In correspondence with the Norwegian Ministry of Culture and Equality, Aas questioned why he cannot access news, debates, and sports programs. The Ministry responded that NRK lacks the necessary broadcasting rights to make certain programs available outside of Norway and the EU.

NRK's policies state that access to its full service while traveling within the EU/EEA is contingent upon residency in Norway. The broadcaster maintains that citizenship or tax contributions are not sufficient criteria for accessing the full catalog from abroad.