By Jan Lopatka PRAGUE, April 14 (Reuters) - The Czech government plans to scrap user fees for public media and move financing to the state budget from next year, Culture Minister Oto Klempir said on
Czech Government Cuts Media Funding, Plans State-Controlled Finance Model
Government Plans and Implications for Public Media Funding
By Jan Lopatka
Overview of the Funding Shift
PRAGUE, April 14 (Reuters) - The Czech government plans to scrap user fees for public media and move financing to the state budget from next year, Culture Minister Oto Klempir said on Tuesday, effectively cutting their funding by about 1.4 billion crowns ($67.92 million).
Impact on Czech Television
State funding for Czech Television — the most watched broadcaster among viewers aged 15 and over across its entertainment and news channels — would come in at 5.73 billion crowns next year, according to Klempir.
This is less than what the broadcaster expects to raise from user fees this year, returning to levels seen before last year's modest fee increase, the first in nearly two decades.
Its total budget stands at 8.5 billion crowns, also including advertising and licensing income.
Political Reactions and Criticism
Opposition lawmaker and media committee head Frantisek Talir told Reuters the plan was a "frontal attack" aimed at bringing the media under control.
"The government is swearing by west European models, but, in fact, doing what has happened in Slovakia and Hungary," he said.
Comparisons to Slovakia and Hungary
Slovakia has been criticised by watchdogs for its 2024 media revamp.
Legislative Developments and Political Context
The bill to be presented to parliament follows pledges by Prime Minister Andrej Babis to end household licence fees for public media.
Babis, a billionaire businessman, has often criticised coverage by public and independent private media. He is also political ally of Hungarian leader Viktor Orban, whose handling of media has drawn criticism from watchdogs and the opposition that won an election last weekend.
Concerns Over Media Independence
Director Rene Zavoral of Czech Radio, which would also lose hundreds of millions of crows under the proposal, said in an emailed statement that an unwarranted cancellation of the system securing public media's independence could only be seen as "an attempt to pave the way toward their weakening and political subjugation".
Government Assurances
Klempir told a live-streamed news conference that media independence would be preserved, governance would remain unchanged with parliament-appointed boards, and budgets would be automatically inflation-adjusted, unlike user fees.
"The law is written in a way so it does not threaten independence or freedom, nor allow interference," he said.
Future Uncertainties and Additional Proposals
The government has not said how it would cover the funding in budgets already facing a rising deficit.
Separately, a group of ruling parties' lawmakers is proposing a fast-track change to exempt groups such as senior citizens from fees from mid-2026, which public media say could sharply hit operations.
(Reporting by Jan Lopatka; Editing by Janane Venkatraman)
