Babiš overstates state ad spending in Seznam media 15-fold in Czechia

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš gave a figure for government advertising in Seznam outlets that is more than 15 times higher than the real one. This follows from Government Office documents obtained under the freedom of information law: in 2022–2025, Seznam’s portals received just over CZK 8 million, not CZK 132 million.

What the prime minister said

In a video posted on social media on 13 September, Babiš said that while “this man” (Otakar Foltýn) worked there, he ran up campaigns worth CZK 132 million. “Campaigns about nothing. ‘An umbrella against high prices’, ‘We managed it together’, ‘Czechia informs’. And they had money for that! Seznam Zprávy, Novinky,” the prime minister said. He did not name Foltýn directly in the clip.

What the documents show

From 2022 to 2025, the Novinky portal received CZK 3.15 million for StratKom orders. Advertising on other Seznam sites cost CZK 4.7 million, and in 2022 the print daily Právo, owned by the same publisher as Novinky, received an order worth CZK 155,000. All amounts are given without VAT. In total, over four years, it comes to just over CZK 8 million.

For comparison: in 2025 alone, Seznam’s revenue was CZK 6.454 billion — roughly eight hundred times more than all the money from the Government Office over four years. The Government Office did not respond to a request to explain the incorrect figures before publication.

Where the figure might have come from

Apparently, in the 13 September video Babiš confused the Government Office’s total spending on strategic communication with spending on advertising in Seznam’s media. But that money did not go only to Novinky or Seznam Zprávy: the sum includes campaigns on many Czech websites from various publishers, radio airtime, billboards and other outdoor advertising.

Source: novinky.cz