24 October 2026
Licence fees for Czech Television and Czech Radio are to be replaced by the state budget.
The bill passed its first reading at 4:36am on Saturday 24 October. The coalition unexpectedly forced it onto the agenda a day early. The Chamber’s media committee returns to it on 10 December.
Why is this wrong?
Safeguards
No safeguards for independence – a risk of conflict with EU law.
Moving the funding to the state budget could make public service media more dependent on political decisions and open the way to indirect censorship. The European Media Freedom Act (Article 5(3)) requires “adequate, sustainable and predictable financial resources”. Fourteen press freedom organisations have called on the European Commission to assess the bill. In May, the Public Defender of Rights (Ombudsman) wrote of the version then on the table that it was „není zcela zřejmé“ (translation: “not entirely clear”) whether it offered sufficient guarantees. The Act does not prescribe a particular funding model, and the Minister of Culture defends the change. The Commission’s decision is not yet known.
Underfunding
This is not stabilisation, it is underfunding.
Czech Television is to receive CZK 5.74 billion in 2027; this year it expects to collect CZK 6.73 billion from licence fees. Czech Radio is to get CZK 2.065 billion instead of CZK 2.48 billion. Together that is about CZK 1.4 billion less, roughly 15%. The money falls back to where it was before last year’s licence fee increase. ČT’s management expects to lay off 300 to 500 of its 2,900 staff, ČRo’s management 150 to 200 of 1,350.
- Lupa
- ČTK, October
- ČTK, job cuts
- Open letter, 9 March 2026
- The initiative’s press release, 23 March 2026
Speed
The change is far too fast.
On Friday 23 October the coalition unexpectedly forced through a priority debate and a fixed time for the vote, and cut speaking time. 65 MPs who had signed up to speak never got the floor. The vote took place on Saturday at 4:36am. The European Broadcasting Union and the European Federation of Journalists urged MPs not to act in haste and without public debate.
Broadcasting
Regional and emergency broadcasting at risk.
By law, Czech Television’s regional studios must have at least 20% of airtime. ČT’s director general has called the quota very burdensome, and cutting back the regions is among the savings under consideration; the director of Czech Radio talks of merging regional programmes. In a major emergency, the radio aims to broadcast the first verified information within 13 minutes and to begin continuous coverage within 40 minutes. The bill does not directly abolish emergency broadcasting; the risk is that less money and fewer people will be left for the regions and for emergencies.
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