TV Republika has paid the remaining part of its annual license fee

The financial dispute between TV Republika and the National Broadcasting Council has ended with the broadcaster making its payment. The station paid the remaining part of its annual license fee, amounting to 1.85 million zloty. The decision was announced on February 25 by the television's president, Tomasz Sakiewicz, who emphasized he was acting "in accordance with a previous promise". This step was a direct consequence of the National Broadcasting Council twice rejecting Republika's application to pay the fee in installments. The application, considered on February 4 and 18, required unanimity from the eight active Council members for acceptance, because the ninth, Maciej Świrski, is suspended due to proceedings before the State Tribunal. Ultimately, only two members supported it: Piotr Górski and Mirosław Staroniewicz. The National Broadcasting Council was established under the 1992 Act as a constitutional body tasked with protecting freedom of speech and the right to information. It consists of nine members appointed by the Sejm, the Senate, and the President of Poland. Its main duties are granting licenses for broadcasting radio and television programs and overseeing broadcasters' compliance with the law. Among those who voted against changing the payment schedule were Council member Marzena Paczuska, appointed by President Andrzej Duda, and Maciej Strzembosz, representing the creative community. Media reports, including from Gazeta Wyborcza, indicate that Paczuska's position changed abruptly. At the beginning of February, she, along with two other female members, was reportedly favorable to a solution beneficial for TV Republika. According to journalists' findings, this change was forced by pressure from the chairman of Law and Justice, Jarosław Kaczyński. The PiS chairman was allegedly "irritated" and "furious" with the television due to materials it broadcast, which he considered too critical of his party or its policies. Kaczyński reportedly "went ballistic" and personally intervened to influence the National Broadcasting Council's negative decision. In his statement, Sakiewicz criticized the Council's stance, thanking only those members who "tried to find a legal solution consistent with social norms". „Zgodnie z wcześniejszą obietnicą, opłaciliśmy pozostałą część rocznej raty koncesyjnej” (In accordance with a previous promise, we have paid the remaining part of the annual license fee) — The entire situation stems from TV Republika's uncertain legal position. In April 2025, the Provincial Administrative Court in Warsaw overturned the National Broadcasting Council's decision to grant the station a license for multiplex 8. The ruling is not yet final, but, as the broadcaster argued, such a legal status makes stable financial planning and company development difficult, thereby justifying the application for greater payment flexibility. Sakiewicz had previously also warned of potential broader consequences for the entire multiplex 8, suggesting that the financial problems of one broadcaster could threaten the broadcast stability of the others.