The coalition consisting of the populist ANO of Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, the far-right SPD and the Eurosceptic Motoristi will propose the abolition of the monthly subscription for senior citizens, young people and companies. SPD leader Tomio Okamura said that this is the first step towards the complete abolition of the subscription and the transition to financing from the state budget, reports HINA.
Public services, Czech Television and Czech Radio, have an important role in the media space and are highly trusted by citizens. A Reuters Institute survey from 2025 showed that 59% of Czechs trust them, the highest among domestic media. Czech television is also the most watched, with around 29% share among the audience over 15 years old.
Czech Television warns that the reduction of the budget would jeopardize the fulfillment of their obligations and the functioning of the system. It was not specified how much funding would be cut, but Okamura said it would return to 2024 levels. The current budget is around 8.5 billion kroner, and it is mostly filled from a monthly subscription of 155 kroner.
Pavol Szalai, the representative of Reporters Without Borders, assessed that these changes would seriously damage the model that has been a pillar of democracy for decades. Babiš, who often criticizes the media, is connected to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, known for the concept of “illiberal democracy”.
Media independence was also the main topic of a large protest in Prague last weekend, where, according to the organizers, around 250,000 people gathered.
(Vijesti.ba)
