Czechia skips Eurovision over lack of funds
Czech public broadcaster will not take part in the music competition in 2027.
Česká televize is withdrawing from the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest because of financial pressure. The European Broadcasting Union sees the decision as part of broader problems facing public broadcasters.
The European Broadcasting Union confirmed on Tuesday that Česká televize will not take part in the 2027 edition. According to the EBU, the Czech broadcaster is facing financial pressure and rising costs.
The withdrawal is not an isolated case. The EBU points to cuts and limited budgets at several affiliated broadcasters. In Czechia, the public broadcaster previously presented a budget scenario that is 350 million Czech koruna lower than earlier long-term plans.
When presenting those budget plans, Česká televize said savings would mainly come from postponing investments, lower staffing costs and potentially fewer in-house productions. The broadcaster warned that much deeper cuts could affect news, regional programmes, children's television and documentaries.
Participation in Eurovision is relatively visible, but represents only one part of the broadcaster's overall budget. The decision therefore says more about the public broadcaster's financial room for manoeuvre than about the competition's popularity in Czechia.
For viewers, the decision means that Czechia will not send a candidate to the festival in 2027. The EBU hopes the broadcaster will return in a later year. The festival will be held in Burgas, Bulgaria, in 2027.
The issue also touches on a broader debate about funding public media. A broadcaster that becomes more dependent on annual political budget decisions may have to make cuts more quickly when public finances come under pressure. Funding through fixed levies or statutory guarantees offers greater predictability, but is not politically straightforward everywhere.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Česká televize will not take part in Eurovision in 2027.
- The EBU cites financial pressure as the reason.
- The broadcaster is working on a lower budget.
Left
Arguments Emphasises that public media should be funded on a stable basis so that cuts do not disproportionately affect news, culture and children's programmes.
Values Accessible public information, cultural diversity and media independence.
Consequences Fears that temporary budget pressure will lead to a lasting impoverishment of the offering.
Centre
Arguments Sees participation in Eurovision as defensible as long as the costs are transparent and the broadcaster's core duties are not displaced.
Values Efficiency, public value and financial predictability.
Consequences Wants to weigh up for each programme what visibility and cultural value it offers against the costs.
Right
Arguments Believes that a public broadcaster should focus on news, education and national culture, and should fund commercial events only if they justify themselves.
Values Budget discipline, core duties and limited public spending.
Consequences Sees withdrawal from Eurovision as logical when public funds are scarce.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
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The participation decision has been confirmed by the EBU. The financial context is based on Česká televize's budget information.
- confirmed Česká televize will not take part in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2027. — Confirmed in the EBU statement of 6 October 2026. source
- confirmed The broadcaster is facing financial pressure and rising costs. — The EBU cites financial pressure; Česká televize describes a reduced budget scenario. source
- confirmed The reduced budget scenario is 350 million Czech koruna lower. — Mentioned in Česká televize's official explanation. source
Editor's note
The withdrawal and the financial reason have been confirmed by the EBU. The precise costs of participation and the consequences for programming have not been made fully public.Sources
- Statement on Czech Television being unable to participate in Eurovision Song Contest 2027 — European Broadcasting Union
- Chudárkův návrh rozpočtu ČT pro rok 2027 — Česká televize
More on this in Dutch media
- NRC — „tsjechië eurovisie”
- NU.nl — „tsjechië eurovisie”
- De Telegraaf — „tsjechië eurovisie”