PRESS RELEASE

Czech TV joins the Public Media Alliance

9th February 2023
We are thrilled to welcome Czech Television into our association of public service media organisations.
Aerial view of Česká televize.
Aerial view of Česká televize in Prague. Credit: Czech TV.

Czech TV has become the latest public broadcaster to join the Public Media Alliance.

Read more: TVO Media Education Group joins the Public Media Alliance

Who is Czech TV?

Established in 1953, the broadcaster operates six TV channels, including a 24-hour news channel, a sports channel, a children’s educational channel.  The organisation provides an enormous contribution to Czech cultural and educational life. Nearly three quarters of its content is produced in-house.

With an objective of “maintaining and developing civil society and democracy”, Czech TV’s mission goes to the very heart of what a public service broadcaster is and should be. Additionally, it has a commitment to ensuring its content is accessible to all – 82 percent of its programmes are broadcast with closed subtitles or on-screen subtitles, 17.9 percent are equipped with an audio description and 3.9 percent feature sign language accessibility.

At a glance
  • 6 TV channels
  • €5.50 per month licence fee
  • c. 3,500 employees
  • €260 million annual budget

Its expertise in educational programming and content came to the fore during the outbreak of war in Ukraine. In reaction, Czech TV developed a new service providing age-sensitive answers for children about the war.

But the broadcaster has not been immune to the pressures some of its neighbors have experienced. In early 2021, PMA and the Global Task Force for Public Media spoke out about the attempts to influence the broadcaster by the then-government. Since the election of a new government in 2022, PMA has continued its advocacy alongside other civil society organisations, calling for better legislative protections for the public broadcaster.

Headshot of Petr Dvorak, DG of Czech TV.
Petr Dvorak, General Director of Czech TV. Credit: Czech TV
In recent years we have had a chance to observe a growing move away from free and independent media not only across some European countries but also across other continents. This is why today, we must pay all the more attention to protecting the public service media, which represent a benchmark of trust and confidence for all citizens without distinction.
Based on our own experience, at Czech Television we are well aware of the extent to which cooperation through alliances can be crucial to maintaining a healthy media environment. I am therefore greatly delighted to join colleagues from around the world under the umbrella of the Public Media Alliance and I look forward to our future cooperation and mutual exchange of experience.
Petr Dvorak, Director-General, Czech TV
We feel honoured to welcome Czech Television to the Public Media Alliance. The breadth of content for diverse audiences and efforts to ensure better accessibility, are just some of the ways in which they live up to the core values of public media that are so fundamental to healthy democracy.
As public media face ever greater challenges, it is critical that we work together, share ideas, knowledge, and experiences. I am delighted that Czech TV has joined our association and I look forward to working together towards a brighter future for independent public media worldwide.
Kristian Porter, CEO of the Public Media Alliance
Kristian Porter
CEO of Public Media Alliance