Czech Government Approves Abolition of Licence Fees for ČT and Český rozhlas

The government of Andrej Babiš has approved a reform of the financing of Česká televize and Český rozhlas. The licence fees are to be abolished and replaced by state funding – accompanied by significantly lower funding for both public media institutions.

The government of Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has approved a draft law introducing a new financing model for public service media in the Czech Republic. In future, the licence fees for the public broadcaster Česká televize (ČT) and the public radio broadcaster Český rozhlas are to be abolished and replaced by funding from the state budget.

According to the government, the draft law provides for funding of CZK 5.74 billion for Česká televize and CZK 2.065 billion for Český rozhlas next year. It also includes an automatic adjustment mechanism that would increase the allocations if cumulative inflation exceeds ten per cent.

The planned funding levels are significantly lower than the current budgets of the two institutions. For Česká televize, this would amount to around CZK 1 billion less than at present, while Český rozhlas would receive more than CZK 400 million less.

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš defended the planned reform of the public service media. According to him, Česká televize and Český rozhlas could save CZK 250 million annually through the abolition of licence fees alone, as these funds are currently spent on administering and collecting the fees.

“We believe that neither institution has shown any interest in making savings. All across Europe, organisations are cutting costs, but these two media organisations are not, and nobody controls them,” Babiš said. He also pointed out that the abolition of licence fees had been part of the government’s programme.

The government also supported a parliamentary amendment to the law governing the Supreme Audit Office (NKÚ). This would enable the NKÚ to oversee the financial management of Česká televize and Český rozhlas in future. At present, both public service media organisations are supervised by their respective broadcasting councils. Annual reports on their activities and financial management are reviewed and approved by the Chamber of Deputies.

ČT and ČRo Heads Criticise Planned Media Funding Reform

The plans presented by the government to reform the financing of the public service media have been met with strong criticism from the heads of Česká televize (ČT) and Český rozhlas (ČRo). The Director General of Česká televize, Hynek Chudárek, described the conditions presented on Monday, 15 June, as “unacceptable” and announced opposition to the proposal.

“We must fight against this proposal,” Chudárek told the news channel ČT24. The Director General of Český rozhlas, René Zavoral, said he remained open in principle to further discussions, but expressed doubts about the chances of success. “I still believe there is room for discussion,” he said, while adding that he was rather pessimistic in this regard.

Zavoral also stressed that, in his view, implementing a new financing system by 1 January 2027 would be hardly feasible. He cited the expected length of the legislative process as a key reason.

He also pointed out that the opposition has already announced its intention to block any possible attempt to nationalise Česká televize (ČT) and Český rozhlas in the Chamber of Deputies through parliamentary obstruction tactics. Critical reactions to the plans can also be expected in the Senate.