Czech Television and Czech Radio have registered hundreds of thousands of new subscribers among citizens and businesses, though the numbers fall short of initial estimates. According to Czech Television spokesperson Patrik Vacek, May saw 96,000 new individual subscribers—83,000 more than in April—while 7,000 businesses newly registered.
Under the amended broadcasting fee law effective since May, not only have fees increased, but payment obligations now extend to those who don’t own traditional receivers but use internet-connected devices like smartphones, computers, or tablets. New subscribers had until mid-June to register and make their first payment.
Czech Radio reports even higher numbers, with 132,000 new individual subscribers and 181,000 businesses newly registered. However, Culture Minister Martin Baxa (ODS) had initially projected significantly more, estimating around 600,000 households that previously didn’t pay fees would now be obligated to do so.
Starting July, businesses face changing requirements, with fees calculated according to employee count. Companies with fewer than 25 employees pay nothing, while those with 25-49 employees pay five times the base rate, and businesses with over 500 employees pay one hundred times the standard fee. The basic monthly fee for households is 150 Czech crowns for television and 55 crowns for radio.
Both organizations are taking a lenient approach to enforcement initially. Czech Radio won’t penalize small businesses that fail to report employee numbers, while Czech Television notes it can only verify employment data after January 1 of next year. After that date, companies will be asked to clarify their payment obligations.