Further budget cuts for UA:PBC

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) is currently extremly worried about the financial situation about the Ukraining broadcaster UA:PBC. The broadcaster might get a further 43% cut in it’s annual budget for 2019.

Ukraine in trouble for 2019?

First of all the public service media (PSM) has a clear budget by the Law on Public Television and Broadcasting of Ukraine, UA:PBC only received around half of this during this year. Another new draft law on the state budget would reduce the annual budget for UA:PBS to 1 billion UAH (just over 30 million euros). In contrast, the BBC has over 5 billion euros each year and the ARD almost 7 billion euros.

Director General Zurabi Alasaniia believes this might end PSM in Ukraine:

He said: “We are very surprised at such proposals since we are barely surviving the current year. By doing this they violate all laws and lead us to death. It is not an exaggeration. It is impossible to exist this way.”

After their reduction of the 2018 budget UA:PBC already has a deficit of around 220 million UAH (nearly 7 million euros). As a result of this cut was the end of the analog distribution across the majority of the country.

Consequently, the EBU calls on the Ukrainian Government to fix the problems with the budget and ensure appropriate, fair and independent funding for UA:PBC. Therefore, the broadcaster might have to consider different sources of financing for now.

The Ukrainian national final is still scheduled for February 23. The past years have been successful for Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest including their victory in 2016. This year Ukraine was represented by Melovin and his entry “Under The Ladder”.