Czech Television has suspended the modernisation of its news building at Kavčí hory in Prague but continues to plan for the project.
Czech Television has suspended the modernisation of its news building at Kavčí hory in Prague because of an uncertain financial situation. The director general of Czech Television, Hynek Chudárek, said so in an interview with the Czech News Agency, which Hospodářské noviny reported on 21 October 2026. According to him, the broadcaster still plans to carry out the modernisation.
According to Chudárek, the project for studio SK 10 and its modernisation is on hold. The documentation for the building permit is complete, and the opinions of the authorities concerned are being gathered. The permit for the construction and for the reconstruction of part of the film laboratories building is expected in April 2027. For now, the broadcaster will not commission the construction documentation or select a contractor. The news building was built about fifty years ago and, according to Chudárek, does not meet current requirements.
The estimated cost of the modernisation is around 300 million korunas. The then director general Petr Dvořák considered rebuilding the news building during his second term, which began in 2017. Because of the broadcaster's financial situation, the project was postponed several times and was restarted after the television licence fee rose from 135 to 150 korunas in 2025. Chudárek said: "I am an optimist here and believe this is only a short delay of the implementation."
The limit on investment is part of a savings plan worth 350 million korunas that management presented to the Czech Television Council in summer 2026. According to Chudárek, the same approach is to be taken with the completion of the Brno studio in Líšeň and the vacating of the site in Židenice, where construction will be interrupted at the project stage. The government of Andrej Babiš plans to change the funding of Czech Television and Czech Radio from licence fees to a contribution from the state budget, under which Czech Television would receive about 15 percent, or roughly one billion korunas, less than it will collect in fees in 2026. The change was to apply from 2027 but will probably be delayed.
Chronology
- — Czech Television has put the modernisation of its news building at Kavčí hory on hold but still plans it; it expects the building permit in April 2027. Hospodářské noviny
Sources
- Hospodářské noviny — 21 October 2026