Czech Parliament Advances Bill to Abolish Household TV Fee

The Czech governing coalition advanced a bill on Saturday morning that would eliminate the 205 crown household broadcasting fee. Lawmakers voted during a session that extended into the early hours to refer the measure to committees for further review.

The proposal replaces the direct household charge with funding from the state budget. It also reduces total allocations for Czech Television and Czech Radio by approximately 15 percent. Under the plan, nominal funding levels would remain static for several years after the initial cut.

Prime Minister Andrej Babis, who leads the coalition government, pledged to abolish the fee before taking office in December. The government includes the far-right SPD party. Babis stated in a Facebook post on Friday that the new model is fairer to poorer households and will force media outlets to operate more efficiently.

"There is no war for independent media," Babis wrote in the post. "There is no fight for democracy and no nationalisation of media is being prepared." He rejected claims that the changes threaten press freedom.

Opposition parties have compared the shift to reforms implemented under former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Employees of the public broadcasters expressed concern that linking their finances to the state budget exposes them to political pressure. The staff staged a strike in June to argue against the proposed funding structure.

Public media occupy a central role in Czech society. Czech Television is the most-watched broadcaster across multiple age demographics. National broadcasters rank among the most trusted news sources in the country.

Civic groups have organized a public demonstration for Sunday. Journalists and other staff at the broadcasters have announced a strike for November 3 to oppose the pending legislative changes.