Czech Television to cut a hundred jobs and several shows

Czech Television (ČT) has announced a cost-cutting programme for next year: the broadcaster plans to cut around a hundred jobs, close or scale back ten to twelve programmes, and skip the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time. Programming director Milan Fridrich shared the details in an interview.

Why management decided on cuts

According to management, the broadcaster had to prepare for change because of the upcoming reform of public media financing promised to voters by Andrej Babiš's (ANO) cabinet. The coalition's original plan to scrap TV licence fees from January 2027 is no longer feasible in that timeframe, but it hasn't abandoned the idea entirely.

"The goal is to build up a reserve and prepare Czech Television for uncertainty over future funding without a sharp cut to our public service," ČT director general Hynek Hudárek said in mid-September.

Already next year the broadcaster intends to save around 350 million crowns. This year it is operating on a budget of 8.5 billion crowns, so the savings amount to roughly four percent compared with the current year.

Which programmes will disappear

Viewers will have to get used to changes in the schedule: the broadcaster will not take part in the Eurovision Song Contest. According to information that had already surfaced in the media, several programmes will be cut or shut down — among them a crime-themed weekly about police investigations, shows about mysterious stories, a popular-science programme and special interviews. The round-the-clock overnight broadcast of the news channel ČT24 will end, and programmes that used to air weekly will now go out only once a month.

Production will also shrink at the regional studios in Brno and Ostrava — the programme "Home Alone" will no longer be made there and will remain only at the Prague studio. Several programmes on the children's channel ČT:D will also be dropped.

How many employees will lose their jobs

The savings will affect not just programming but also running costs — some investments will be postponed. Management has also decided to speed up staff cuts: from this year until 2030, the broadcaster plans to shed 12% of its workforce, or nearly 350 people. According to Hudárek, the staff cuts fit within long-term plans already approved earlier by the ČT Council.

Read also: Brno: what to see and where to go

Source: seznamzpravy.cz