Under the proposal, Czech Television would receive approximately 5.74 billion crowns annually from the state budget, and Czech Radio would receive 2.07 billion crowns. These amounts would be set directly by law and would increase automatically if cumulative inflation exceeds ten percent. The current law on radio and television fees would be repealed, and neither households nor businesses would pay a separate fee anymore. The amendment also includes an expansion of the powers of the Supreme Audit Office, which would now be able to audit the financial management of Czech Television and Czech Radio. The government argues, among other things, that the license fee model is outdated and that many other European countries rely on funding from public budgets.
Opponents of the proposal point out, above all, that transferring funding to the state budget could increase the media’s dependence on the current political majority. Although specific amounts are stipulated in the law, a future parliamentary majority could change them through another amendment. The amounts themselves are also drawing criticism: under the current proposal, ČT and ČRo would together receive approximately 1.4 billion crowns less than they expect to collect from license fees this year. The opposition therefore warns of the risk of curtailing the scope of public service broadcasting and points out that abolishing the license fee will not eliminate the costs—it will merely shift them to the state budget, and thus to taxpayers in general. Similar concerns have been expressed by Czech Television, Czech Radio, and international organizations representing media outlets and journalists.
The manner in which the bill was debated is also controversial. The coalition pushed through a fixed voting time in the early morning and, after several hours of debate, sent the bill to a second reading despite the opposition’s efforts to reject it or return it to the government for revision. Critics are calling for a broader expert discussion and stronger safeguards for media independence. The European Act on Media Freedom does not, however, prohibit the direct funding of public media from the state budget. However, member states must establish predetermined, transparent, and objective rules and ensure adequate, sustainable, and predictable funding that protects editorial independence. The question of whether the Czech proposal sufficiently meets these requirements will likely be one of the main topics of further debate.
The proposal has not yet been passed into law. Following the first reading, it will be reviewed by House committees, followed by the second and third readings, consideration by the Senate, and, if applicable, the president’s signature.
