Public TV Funding Linked to GDP

The Georgian public broadcaster will have the right to operate three TV channels, instead of current two and will be financed from the state budget with sum “not less” than equivalent to 0.12% of the country’s GDP, according to the amendment to the law on broadcasting passed by the Parliament with its third and final reading on December 25.

The amendment restores the previous scheme of financing, which existed till March, 2008 before it was scrapped as a result of the legislative amendment. But the difference is that previously the law envisaged financing of the public broadcaster with the sum equivalent to 0.15%.

The reintroduced funding scheme will not apply to 2010. The law on 2010 state budget, already passed by the Parliament, envisages GEL 22 million funding for the public broadcaster for the next year.

The restoration of the previous system is seen as some sort of financial guarantee for the broadcaster, as its funding will not depend on consideration of the government and the Parliament and instead would be linked to GDP.

The amendment, passed on December 25, also allows the public broadcaster to operate the additional, third TV channel paving the way for the launch of a Russian-language First Caucasian Channel. The channel planned to be launched in January will initially run on the web and then go out on satellite and cable, according to public broadcaster’s head, Gia Chanturia.

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