According to Aktuálně.cz, Czech broadcaster Česká televize (ČT) will withdraw from Eurovision and may not be present in Burgas next year, as it faces budget cuts which will also see the reduction or disappearance of other local TV programs.
🇨🇿 Plans to save 350 million crowns
Earlier this month, Hynek Chudárek, general manager of ČT, confirmed that the broadcaster was planning on saving 350 million Czech Crowns on the 2027 budget (which amounts to £12.3m, 14.4m€ and $16.3m), with plans to reduce its workforce by 12% before 2030. This is the broadcaster’s plan to face its change of funding, with Czechia’s government planning to abolish the traditional licence fee used to directly fund ČT, and replace it with a contribution from the state budget.
These cuts will require the reduction or cancellation of shows accross the country, and according to Aktuálně’s sources, Eurovision is one of them. The broadcaster has not confirmed that yet, but it has yet to confirm participation in Eurovision 2027 too.
Historically, the Contest has often suffered from low viewing figures and little interest in Czechia, leading the country to withdraw ahead of the 2010 contest and only coming back in 2015. The viewing figures remained low after their comeback, despite 2026 showing better results than usual (287,000 viewers and a share of 13.37% of the audience, the best since 2016). Their participation has also been in doubt a few times during the last few years, like in 2023.
If they do withdraw, this would be the first country to do so for 2027, after announcements of several comebacks (North Macedonia, The Netherlands) and the newcomer Canada.
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