Czech government scraps TV and radio licence fees, shifting public media to state budget with billion-crown cuts

What the government decided

The government of Andrej Babiš (ANO) today voted to eliminate concession fees for Czech Television (ČT) and Czech Radio (ČRo) from next year. Culture Minister Oto Klempíř (Motoristé) announced that Czech Television will receive 5.74 billion crowns from the state budget, roughly one billion less than the 6.73 billion it planned to collect from fees this year. Czech Radio will get 2.065 billion, a drop of about 350 million crowns compared to the 2.48 billion expected from licence payers in 2026.

Today the government approved an amendment to media laws that, in line with our programme declaration, abolishes concession fees for public-service media. We are joining the majority of EU countries that have already moved away from this outdated method of financing.

The new law includes an automatic indexation formula that triggers an adjustment once cumulative inflation exceeds 10 percent, a figure the government raised from an earlier draft that set the threshold at 5 percent. Klempíř argued the tighter budgets would not erode quality but would force both institutions to become more efficient.

Government's rationale

The cabinet has framed the overhaul as a fulfilment of its coalition programme, promising to lift the financial burden on households and businesses. Babiš stressed that the mechanism would be fair and predictable, with a built-in inflation clause, and that public-service media must learn to save. "The whole of Europe is saving, the BBC is saving," he told reporters.

We never threatened the independence of ČT. We could have rejected the reports and swept everything away. We didn't do that, and we won't do it. We are only fulfilling what we promised.

The prime minister also indicated that the money for the broadcasters would be raised through the electronic sales registration system (EET), dismissing suggestions that ordinary citizens would foot the bill.

Opposition cries 'Slovak path'

Opposition figures reacted sharply. Former culture minister Vít Rakušan (STAN) accused the government of lying about merely altering the financing method and argued it was stripping public-service media of independence while drastically cutting their budgets.

Today's government decision is clear: cut the revenues of Czech Television and Czech Radio and abolish their independent financing. Apparently the Slovak path is on the horizon.

He also quipped that if the executive wants the broadcasters to live on 2024 money, it should likewise manage its own spending at 2024 levels. The directors of ČT and ČRo had asked for safeguards such as a qualified majority in parliament for any change to the financing law, but ministers rejected that idea, with Klempíř arguing that no single ordinary law should be shielded more strongly than any other and that every government should retain the ability to modify budgets with a parliamentary majority.

Strike and street protests

Employees of both Czech Television and Czech Radio declared a 24-hour strike in response to the planned funding shift. Meanwhile, student initiatives "Média nedáme!" and "Stojíme za kulturou!" organised a protest march from Letná to the Government Office, with alarm clocks set to ring at noon outside Straka Academy under the slogan "Government, wake up."

Parliamentary battle ahead

The bill now heads to the lower house, where the ANO-SPD-Motoristé coalition commands a majority and can override a likely Senate veto. President Petr Pavel could also attempt to block the legislation, though the coalition has repeatedly signalled it would push through regardless. The government is simultaneously advancing a companion constitutional amendment that would allow the Supreme Audit Office to scrutinise the finances of ČT and ČRo, a further step that critics see as chipping away at the broadcasters' autonomy.