Media assets

Television: ČT1, ČT2, ČT24, ČT Sport, ČT Déčko, ČT Art

State Media Matrix Typology

Independent Public (IP)

Ownership and governance

ČT was founded under the Czech Television Act of 1991 as a public corporation, institutionally separate and publicly accountable.

Its primary governance structure is the Czech Television Council, comprising members appointed by the Chamber of Deputies (12) and the Senate (6), drawn from civil society organizations, and barred from political office. Council members serve six-year terms, with one-third renewed every two years—mechanisms built into the system to protect against politicization. A Supervisory Commission of five members, elected by the Council, oversees financial performance and reports to the Council. The Council also appoints the Director General.

In October 2023, Jan Souček, the former director of ČT’s Brno studio, was appointed Director-General on a six-year mandate. However, by May 2025, the Czech Television Council voted to dismiss him, a decision confirmed on 6 May 2025, with 15 out of 17 councillors (as the council size was at the moment) supporting his removal. Council members specifically cited managerial misconduct, including non-standard severance payments, excessive redaction of contracts, and damaging public communication, such as threats to cancel channelsm, which fell outside his authority, as key factors in their decision. Souček rejected the criticisms as unfounded, though acknowledged the council’s concerns as serious.

In the aftermath, Hynek Chudárek, the former commercial director, was elected as the new Director-General on 25 June 2025, set to assume office in July; his rival, Milan Fridrich, agreed to serve as his statutory deputy. Chudárek pledged no sweeping personnel upheaval, but announced plans to reduce the executive team from 19 to nine members, signaling a shift towards consolidation and financial discipline.

Source of funding and budget

Funding continues to derive primarily from the monthly television license fee, set at CZK 135 per month, supplemented by limited advertising, sponsorships, and other commercial income. The current financing model, which involves households paying a license fee, is designed to protect the broadcaster from government influence.

In 2021, the broadcaster operated with a budget of CZK 6.93bn (€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.

In 2022, Czech Television had a total budget of CZK 7.17bn (€290m). The license fees generated roughly CZK 6.23bn (€252.m) of that, according to a report issued by the broadcaster.

In 2023, Czech Television had a budget of CZK 7.4bn (€306m), according to its annual report. Approximately CZK 6.37bn (€264m) of that amount came from license fee revenues.

In 2024 and 2025, Czech Television operated with budgets of CZK 7.95bn and CZK 7.49 bn, the license fee revenue accounting for CZK 6.83bn and CZK 6.37bn, respectively.

In April 2025, the Czech Parliament and Senate approved the so-called “big media amendment” (velká mediální novela), a reform of the Czech Television Act and Czech Radio Act that came into force on 1 May 2025, modernizing the funding of the country’s public broadcasters.

For Czech Television, the amendment brought the first increase in license fees since 2008, raising the monthly household fee from CZK 135 to CZK 150. The reform broadened the fee base to all households with internet access, regardless of whether they own a TV set, and introduced a new fee model for businesses, scaled by employee numbers. Importantly, sponsorship on ČT channels was capped at 260 hours per year, with a quarter of those revenues channelled into the State Culture Fund, further reducing dependence on advertising. An automatic inflation-linked mechanism was also added, ensuring future fee adjustments if inflation exceeds 6%. These measures are intended to stabilize ČT’s revenues and shield it from the chronic funding debates that have previously threatened its operations.

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.

To further protect autonomy, Czech Television established an Editorial Panel in 2014 to handle issues related to 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 ČT Council. The Director General is responsible for implementing changes proposed through the Editorial Panel’s recommendations. If the Director disagrees with some of those recommendations, the issue must be submitted to the Ethics Panel for analysis.

Finally, Czech Television also has an Ombudsman office, created in 2018, responsible for addressing viewer complaints about the station’s programs. That same year, Director General Petr Dvořák established the Audience Council, an advisory body comprising representatives from 60 organizations, including trade unions, professional associations, cultural institutions, and NGOs, whose purpose is to identify the needs of citizens not adequately reflected in ČT’s programming.

Developments in 2025 underline both the resilience and the vulnerability of these safeguards. In May 2025, the Czech Television Council dismissed Director General Jan Souček, citing managerial failings and concerns about financial management (see Ownership and governance above), an episode that highlighted how governance disputes can spill over into questions of editorial direction. Although the Council’s decision was formally about management, critics warned that such dismissals risk undermining ČT’s editorial independence by creating an atmosphere of political pressure.

Moreover, in the run-up to the October 2025 elections, public media, including ČT, came under heightened scrutiny. Civil society groups and international watchdogs urged Czech authorities to shield public service broadcasters from attempts at capture, particularly in the context of fierce debates over license fee reform.

Taken together, these developments demonstrate that Czech Television’s editorial safeguards remain robust and multifaceted, anchored in statutory codes, internal panels, and oversight mechanisms, yet they operate within an increasingly contested political and financial landscape. Despite recurrent pressures and governance disputes, there is no evidence of direct government control over editorial output, and the broadcaster continues to merit classification as Independent Public (IP) in our typology.

September 2025

Media assets

Radio: National- Radiožurnál, Dvojka, Vltava, Plus, ČRo Radio Wave, ČRo D-Dur, ČRo Jazz, ČRo Rádio Junior, ČRo Rádio Retro; International- Radio Prague International; Regional- ČRo Brno, ČRo České Budějovice, ČRo Hradec Králové, ČRo Karlovy Vary, ČRo Liberec, ČRo Olomouc, ČRo Ostrava, ČRo Pardubice, ČRo Plzeň, ČRo Rádio DAB Praha, ČRo Střední Čechy, ČRo Vysočina, ČRo Sever, ČRo Zlín

State Media Matrix Typology

Captured Public/State-Managed (CaPu)

Ownership and governance

Czech Radio is governed in the same fashion as Czech Television. It was established through the Czech Radio Act of 1991 as a public corporation tasked with providing independent public-service radio and is accountable to the public, not the state. Its primary governing body is the Czech Radio Council, composed of nine members appointed, following a law amendment in 2023, by the Chamber of Deputies (six) and the Senate (three), based on nominations from civil society organizations. Importantly, politicians and public officeholders are barred from serving on the council.

A Supervisory Commission, comprising five members elected by the Council, oversees financial performance and reports any issues. The Council also appoints the Director General. René Zavoral is the station’s general director, having been re-elected for a second term beginning 21 January 2022.

Source of funding and budget

Czech Radio is funded by a license fee paid by Czech households, alongside limited commercial revenues as allowed by law.

An annual report from Czech Radio shows that, in 2022, that the broadcaster operated with a total budget of CZK 2.2bn. The license fee accounted for over 92% of the budget, with the remainder coming from commercial revenues, primarily from the sale of advertisements. The law limits the amount of time Czech Radio can use to broadcast commercials. By law, households were required to pay a fee of CZK 45 (US$ 2) per month to support the country’s public radio.

In 2024, the budget rose to CZK 2.36 billion (€94 million), with license fees accounting for over 86% of revenues. For 2025, the Czech Radio Council approved a balanced budget of CZK 2.358 billion, slightly lower than the updated 2024 budget. No salary indexation or fee adjustment is foreseen, even amid high inflation; all 25 stations’ operations are fully covered. The current CZK 45 monthly fee is assumed, pending hopeful legislative stabilization via the so-called “big media amendment.” 

In April 2025, the Czech Parliament and Senate approved the so-called “big media amendment” (velká mediální novela), a reform of the Czech Television Act and Czech Radio Act that came into force on 1 May 2025, which modernized the funding framework for the country’s public broadcasters. Czech Radio similarly benefits from the new funding model. Its monthly license fee increased from CZK 45 to CZK 55, the first adjustment in more than 15 years. The law expanded the obligation to pay the fee to all households with internet-enabled devices, phones, tablets, and computers, reflecting the shift to digital listening. Commercial revenues remain tightly regulated, with stricter limits on advertising across ČRo websites and apps. Like ČT, ČRo will now also enter into memoranda with the Ministry of Culture, outlining its public-service obligations and use of resources. The automatic inflation-adjustment clause is especially significant for ČRo, whose revenues are smaller than ČT’s, offering long-term financial predictability and reducing reliance on one-off government subsidies.

Editorial independence

Czech Radio’s editorial agenda is not subject to obligations imposed by state authorities that would undermine its independence. The broadcaster operates under statutes and legal safeguards designed to protect its autonomy, and these remain a cornerstone of its public service mandate. While politicians and state bodies occasionally attempt to exert pressure or influence coverage, such efforts have generally failed to compromise editorial decision-making. In practice, Czech Radio journalists have often resisted political interference, maintaining a strong professional ethos and defending the institution’s editorial integrity.

In recent years, however, growing concerns have emerged over censorship and internal editorial pressures. A widely discussed case involved the planned broadcast of an advertisement for the new media outlet Forum Weekly. Although the ad had been approved, Czech Radio management, acting on legal advice, intervened to remove a description of Forum Weekly as a publication “independent of billionaires.” Management justified the decision by labelling the phrase a “subjective assessment.” The move, however, was seen as unprecedented editorial interference in promotional material and raised serious questions about the boundaries of autonomy in a free media market.

Another controversial episode concerned a podcast commissioned by Czech Radio that investigated shortcomings in the Czech justice system. Despite being planned years earlier, the program was never aired. Reports suggested that some managers within the broadcaster had personal or professional ties to individuals implicated in the investigation, and may have acted to protect those interests. Further controversy arose when the station collaborated with a crime expert whose credibility had been directly challenged in the podcast’s findings. This chain of events ultimately led to the publication of an academic article scrutinizing the case as an example of censorship within Czech Radio.

To reinforce independence, the broadcaster operates under the Czech Radio Code, a binding internal regulation that sets out obligations for all editorial staff. The Czech Radio Council, as the main oversight body, can recommend editorial or structural changes, though implementation remains at the discretion of the Director General. Additionally, Czech Radio has established an Ethics Commission, an advisory body to the CEO, whose role is to review the broadcaster’s work from ethical and legal perspectives. The Commission consists of five members appointed and dismissed by the CEO, usually drawn from diverse professional backgrounds. Its Secretary is the Czech Radio Ombudsman, ensuring that audience concerns and ethical standards are integrated into decision-making.

Despite recent governance and funding reforms introduced by the 2025 big media amendment and the absence of new censorship cases, Czech Radio remains categorized as Captured Public/State-Managed (CaPu). While its legal safeguards and financial stability have improved, past editorial controversies and the continuing risk of political influence through council appointments justify maintaining this classification, with the caveat that ČRo’s trajectory is positive and could support a future upgrade to Independent Public (IP) if reforms consolidate.

September 2025

Media assets

News agency: CTK

State Media Matrix Typology

Independent State Managed (ISM)

Ownership and governance

CTK operates under the CTK Act enacted in 1992. It was established as an independent public corporation, accountable only to the public.

The agency is overseen by the Czech News Agency Council (the CTK Council), comprising five members appointed by the Chamber of Deputies for five-year terms. The Council appoints the General Director. Individuals holding political office or public positions are ineligible for Council membership, although civil society nominations are absent—thus authorities may exert some influence via appointments.

In March 2023, Jaroslav Kábele was appointed the new Director General of CTK for a six-year term, succeeding Jiří Majstr, who stepped down after 12 years as head of the agency. Kábele’s previous roles include Director of Strategy and Development at CTK, and editorial and leadership roles at Mafra and iDNES.cz.

Source of funding and budget

By law, CTK is primarily funded through commercial revenues from content sales. State subsidies are permitted under certain conditions but cannot be used to cover losses.

In 2020, most of CTK’s budget was generated from content sales and other services. Overall, CTK earned total revenues of CZK 267m (€10.2m) in 2020, with the majority of the earnings coming from sales of news content, photos, videos, and other news-related services, as indicated in an annual report.

The agency reported sales of products and services amounting CZK 282.6m (€11.1m) in 2021, as per the company’s annual report. Additionally, its total income in 2021, including compensation and subsidies from the EU, was CZK 291.1m (€11.4m). In 2022, CTK’s total income exceeded CZK 305.8m, an increase of 8.2% compared to the previous year (€12.4m). In the following year, the agency’s income surged further to CZK 312.9m (€13m).

In 2024, CTK’s total revenues reached CZK 342.5 million, exceeding the budget by 19.3 million (6%), while total expenses amounted to CZK 338.2 million, also above the plan by 15.2 million (4.7%); the agency thus closed the year with a net profit of CZK 4.3 million, surpassing the budgeted surplus of just CZK 197,000.

Editorial independence

CTK imposes no restrictive editorial rules. Its financial self-sufficiency has helped safeguard its journalistic independence. No recent evidence suggests pro-government bias in CTK’s coverage. Being commercially viable necessitates fact-based, unbiased reporting. The CTK Code enforces public service principles and editorial standards. The CTK Council oversees CTK’s compliance with these norms, though its appointment mechanism remains politically influenced.

September 2025