Georgia

[GE] Innovative method to fund PSB

IRIS 2024-2:1/2

Andrei Richter

Comenius University (Bratislava)

The Parliament of Georgia has adopted amendments in the 2005 broadcasting law (see: IRIS 2013-8:1/23) that would soon change the method of funding the country's national and regional public broadcasters. Currently, the law stipulates that Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) is to obtain at least 0.14% of the national GDP. With the dramatic growth of the Georgian GDP since 2022, the funding for GPB has jumped from GEL 69.6 million in 2021 to 110.3 million (or EUR 38.2 million) in 2024. The note to the bill explained the proposed change by saying that the current increase has not been conditioned by the actual needs of the broadcaster.

The principle to stay shall be that the GPB’s budget will not decrease year-to-year. As of the start of 2026, though, the method of funding for the GPB – still from the national budget – will be based on the fixed amount of GEL 64 multiplied by the number of employed individuals in the previous year as per data officially published by the National Statistics Service of Georgia. Also, the share of the budget to be allocated to the regional Public Broadcaster of Adjara in Batumi shall gradually increase from 16% in 2024 to 21% in 2026.

Prior to the approval of the bill, the European Broadcasting Union and two international CSOs called on the Parliament to refrain from altering the funding mechanism and level, as it “jeopardizes the development and progress of this crucial democratic institution”, particularly in the context of the country’s integration into the European Union.

References

მაუწყებლობის შესახებ“ საქართველოს კანონში ცვლილების შეტანის თაობაზე
https://matsne.gov.ge/ka/document/view/6003234?publication=0
Law of Georgia “On Amendments to the Law of Georgia ‘On Broadcasting’”, 15 December 2023, Nr. 4025-XIIIმს-Xმპ, officially published on 27 December 2023

EBU Leads Calls for Georgian Parliament to Safeguard the Funding and Sustainability of Public Service Media, 18 November 2023
https://www.ebu.ch/news/2023/11/ebu-leads-calls-for-georgian-parliament-to-safeguard-the-funding-and-sustainability-of-public-service-media

IRIS 2013-8:1/23 [GE] Amendments to Broadcasting Law