Czech coalition votes to scrap household TV fee

Public broadcasting in the Czech Republic is typically funded by a monthly household charge, a model that has faced growing political pressure in recent years. Lawmakers in Prague advanced a bill on Saturday that ends that system entirely.

The governing coalition voted in an overnight session that continued into the early hours to send the measure to committee for further review. The core of the proposal eliminates the 205 crown, or $9.45, fee currently paid by households. Under the new framework, the state budget will cover the cost of public media instead.

The funding shift comes with immediate financial cuts. The plan reduces the budgets for Czech Television and Czech Radio by approximately 15 percent. Following that initial reduction, nominal funding levels are set to remain unchanged for several years. Prime Minister Andrej Babis pledged to abolish the fee before taking office in December 2025. He stated that his three-party government is now fulfilling that promise to voters.

Babis, a billionaire who leads a coalition backed by the far-right SPD party, has defended the new model as fairer to poorer households. He argued that the change would force public outlets to operate with greater efficiency. In a Facebook post late Friday, he rejected claims that the reform threatens press freedom. "There is no war for independent media," he wrote. "There is no fight for democracy and no nationalisation of media is being prepared."

Critics remain skeptical of the government's motives. Opposition parties have compared the changes to media reforms implemented by Viktor Orban, the former prime minister of Hungary. Employees at the public broadcasters expressed alarm during a strike in June. They argued that tying funding to the state budget exposes them to direct government pressure.

Public media holds a strong position in Czech society. Czech Television is the most-watched broadcaster across multiple age groups, and public outlets rank among the most trusted news sources in the country. The stakes of the reform are high given this level of audience reliance.

Protests are scheduled to continue as the bill moves through the legislative process. A civic group has organized a public demonstration for Sunday. Journalists and other employees at the broadcasters have announced a new strike for November 3.