Czech Television (Česká televize, CT) is the public television broadcaster in Czechia. It was a part of Czechoslovak Television, the state television of former Czechoslovakia, founded in 1953. In 1993, after the country’s break-up, Czechia and Slovakia went their separate ways. Currently, the broadcaster airs seven channels, including a generalist one (CT1), a sports station (CT Sport), and an all-news channel (CT24).
Media assets
Television: ČT1, ČT2, CT3, ČT24, ČT Sport, ČT Déčko, ČT Art
State Media Matrix Typology: Independent Public (IP)
Ownership and governance
Czech Television was established by the Czech Television Act of 1991 as a public corporation providing independent public television service, accountable to the public and separate from the state.
The main governing body of Czech Television is the Czech Television Council, which consists of 15 members appointed by the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of the Czech Parliament, from nominations submitted by civil society organizations. Politicians and public office holders are ineligible for appointment. To ensure independence and avoid political influence, one-third of the Council members are replaced every two years (they each serve a six-year mandate). This appointment process is designed to prevent control of the board by the ruling political party and, consequently, by the state.
The station also has a Supervisory Commission, which consists of five members elected by the Council from among individuals with expertise in management and finance. The primary responsibility of the Supervisory Commission is to monitor the broadcaster’s financial performance to ensure effective and efficient operations. The commission communicates its findings to the council, especially highlighting any problems that need to be addressed. The Council also appointed the station’s director general.
Source of funding and budget
According to the Czech Television Act, Czech Television is funded through a combination of license fees (a fee for public television paid by all households in the country). The fee is set at CZK 135 (US$ 6) per month.
In 2021, the broadcaster operated with a budget of CZK 6.93bn (US$ 315m or €271m), according to a company annual report. License fees accounted for approximately 87% of that amount, while the remainder came from commercial activities such as advertising sales and sponsorships. The law limits the amount of advertising the station can broadcast. The current financing model, which involves households paying a license fee, is designed to protect the broadcaster from government influence.
In 2022, Czech Television had a total budget of CZK 7.17bn (US$ 290m or €290m). The license fees generated roughly CZK 6.23bn (US$ 252m or €252.m) of that, according to a report issued by the broadcaster.
In 2023, Czech Television had a budget of CZK 7.3bn (US$ 333m or €306m), according to its annual report. Approximately CZK 6.37bn (US$ 288m or €264m) of that amount came from license fee revenues.
Editorial independence
The government does not impose any obligations on Czech Television that would compromise its editorial independence. From time to time, there is evidence of attempts to influence the station by appointing people close to the government to the Czech Television Council. However, despite these attempts, the balance of power in the council has remained stable, preventing politicians from exerting control over the station’s editorial policies.
After his party was removed from power in the latest election held in October 2021, former Prime Minister Andrej Babis began accusing Czech Television of censorship. However, these accusations have so far been proven groundless. In a speech in the Czech Parliament in early July 2022, Babis said that Czech Television failed to broadcast interventions in Parliament by opposition MPs, which, in his opinion, amounted to censorship. However, he didn’t offer any concrete examples. Moreover, he made those accusations while his speech was being broadcast live by Czech Television.
The operations of Czech Television are guided by the Czech Television Code, which is aligned with the legal requirements outlined in the Czech Television Act. This document sets out the principles of public service provision for television broadcasting, which Czech Television and its staff must adhere to.
According to the law, failure to comply with the provisions of the Code will be considered a breach of discipline under the Labour Code as specified by the relevant special law. The code establishes a comprehensive set of principles that govern the station’s news coverage, ensuring its independence and allowing its journalists to work without constraints or restrictions.
Czech Television established an Editorial Panel in 2014 to handle issues related to the station’s editorial independence. The panel comprises independent staff from the News Department, separate from the General Director.
The station also has an Ethics Panel consisting of five members appointed by the General Director in consultation with the CT Council. The general director is responsible for implementing changes proposed through the Editorial Panel’s recommendations. If the director disagrees with some of those recommendations, he or she must submit the issue to the Ethics Panel for analysis.
Finally, Czech Television also has an Ombudsman office responsible for addressing viewer complaints about the station’s programs. The office was founded in 2018. That same year, the director general, Petr Dvorak, created the Audience Council, an advisory body comprising representatives from 60 organizations, such as trade unions, professional associations, cultural institutions, and NGOs. Its main purpose is to identify the needs of citizens that are not currently being met by Czech Television programs.
August 2024