Europe21 June, 20262 min read
Thousands Protest In Prague As Andrej Babiš Overhauls Public Broadcaster Funding
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Plan funds Czech public broadcasters from the state budget starting 2027, abolishing audiovisual fees. Thousands protested in Prague against the overhaul, condemning it as a threat to media independence.
Czech Protest Overhaul
Thousands of Czechs rallied in Prague on Sunday to condemn a plan led by populist Prime Minister Andrej Babiš to overhaul funding for public broadcasters, which protesters said was dangerous for media independence. The plan approved last week would finance public radio and television from the state budget starting next year instead of through fees paid by individuals, households and businesses.
Mikuláš Minář, a main organizer from the Million Moments for Democracy group, said, “The media don’t belong to politicians.” Critics argued the change would give the three-party coalition government a means to take control of the media following examples in Slovakia under Prime Minister Robert Fico and in Hungary under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Funding Model and Cuts
Radio Prague International said that starting in 2027, public service media in the Czech Republic, specifically Czech Television and Czech Radio, should be funded directly from the state budget. Culture Minister Oto Klempíř presented a bill aiming to abolish audiovisual fees, explaining, “Our proposal repeals the obsolete system of TV and radio fees.”
Radio Prague International reported that Czech Television (Česká televize – ČT) and Czech Radio (Český rozhlas – ČRo) would receive 7.8 billion crowns (nearly 320 million euros) directly from public finances, and that this would represent a decrease of about one billion crowns (41 million euros) for ČT and 400 million crowns (16 million euros) for ČRo compared with 2026. René Zavoral, director of ČRo, said, “attaching them to the state budget clearly implies a dependence on political power as well.”
Independence at Risk
Courrier international described the cover of Respekt as warning of “Babis at the Media Assault,” and said the analysis argued that “political pressure threatens society itself more than journalists.” It reported that “hundreds of public-media employees [now nearly 3,000] have signed a petition to preserve their independence,” linking that to the government’s plan to abolish the audiovisual license.
The same article said the coalition’s agenda includes scrapping the license fee, which it described as having monthly amounts of about 6 euros for Czech Public Television and 2 euros for Czech Radio. It also noted that after more than 80,000 people gathered in central Prague on February 1 to express support for Ukraine and opposition to the government, tens of thousands more gathered again on Sunday, February 15, in more than 400 towns and municipalities across the country to express “their concern about the path the Czech Republic will take”.