The International Press Institute (IPI) today welcomes the recent vote by the lower house of parliament to raise the license fee for Czech Television (ČT) and Czech Radio (ČRo) as a vital move to safeguard the long-term sustainability of the public broadcasters.

The government of Prime Minister Peter Fiala has taken a crucial step towards the realization of its manifesto pledge to increase the license fee, long called for by IPI, which will provide much needed and long overdue support to help bolster the finances of the two broadcasters moving forward.

The license fee hike, the first in more than a decade, should come into effect in May 2025. The financial stabilization of both institutions is crucial, given the significant erosion of their real income due to inflation in recent years. Although the bill passed the Chamber of Deputies it still requires confirmation in the Senate, where it could face further delays and obstruction by opposition parties. However, a major hurdle has been passed and the passage of the bill into law now looks secure.

IPI and its Czech National Committee have long advocated for the increase in the license fee. We stress that the financial boost comes at a crucial time for the future of public broadcasting in the country, as fresh threats to its editorial independence begin to mount ahead of the October 2025 general election.

In recent months, former Prime Minister Andres Babiš, whose ANO party currently leads in the polls, has vowed to make the merging of ČT and ČRo a central manifesto pledge, in addition to plans to replace the license fee with direct financing from the state budget. The former PM has meanwhile dialed up verbal pressure against the broadcasters.

The plans partly mirror the move by Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and his SMER party in 2024 to dissolve Radio and Television of Slovakia (RTVS), and replace it with a new, politically controlled organization, the Slovak Television and Radio (STaR). The changes, which also introduced drastic alterations to the appointment and competence of oversight bodies, were strongly opposed by IPI and international press freedom groups at the time. Since the takeover, the serving director general was fired, numerous journalists and editors have quit and reports of editorial interference under the new management have increased, weakening the broadcaster’s editorial independence.

IPI Executive Director Scott Griffen said: “Czech TV and Radio have long been a bastion of professional and independent public service media in the region. IPI welcomes the principled decision by lawmakers to increase the license fee, which should help bolster its finances and strengthen its institutional ability to better withstand future political pressure. However make no mistake, the situation remains fragile and proposals floated by the opposition, if carried out, would pose a serious threat to independent public broadcasting.”

IPI calls on the Senate to pass the vote and the President to swiftly confirm the passage of the bill into law.

The recent license fee increase complements a previous bill passed by the government which amended the law on public broadcasting regarding appointments to its oversight council, which in effect limited the ability of political forces to influence the body and help future-proof the broadcasters against government meddling. IPI also welcomed this change.

Under the previous Babiš-led government, Czech Television in particular came under sustained political pressure, including through well-documented attempts to unseat its director general via politically-motivated appointments to its oversight council.

IPI will continue to closely follow developments in the Czech Republic and push for further steps to uphold free and independent journalism.