Babiš Demands Fees for Every Mention of His Name in the Media¶
/EN/ PRAGUE (INA) - September 22, 2026. Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš announced that he intends to introduce a new system of licensing fees for the use of his name in the media, podcasts, and other commercial formats.
According to the Prime Minister, it is no longer sustainable for media outlets to create paid content based on Andrej Babiš without sharing part of the revenue with Andrej Babiš.
“Babiš is everywhere. All the podcasts are about Babiš, behind paywalls. So if you make money from Babiš, you will pay Babiš,” the Prime Minister said, explaining the principle behind the proposed system.
According to information obtained by INA, the Office of the Government is already preparing an indicative price list. A standard mention of the Prime Minister would cost CZK 12, a photograph of Andrej Babiš CZK 49, and the use of the name “Babiš” directly in a headline CZK 99.
Premium rates would apply to investigative articles, podcasts longer than 30 minutes, and special editions containing more than ten mentions of the Prime Minister.
Public-service media would receive a special flat-rate package, as the government reportedly considers it impossible to predict in advance how many times per day they will use his name.
Media outlets unwilling to purchase a licence would be allowed to use free substitute descriptions such as “the Prime Minister,” “the founder of the ANO movement,” or “the person we are exceptionally not writing about today.”
The new system would also include volume discounts. After the one-hundredth mention in a calendar month, a newsroom would receive Babiš Premium Partner status, making every additional mention ten percent cheaper.
Asked by journalists whether the name of a serving Prime Minister could legally be subject to licensing fees, Babiš said the real issue was not his name, but the media’s obsession with him.
“I am not forcing you to write about me,” he said. “You simply cannot do without me.”
The Ministry of Culture is now expected to examine whether the new system could be incorporated into a future reform of copyright law. Under the first draft, exemptions may apply only to obituaries, encyclopedias, and articles in which Andrej Babiš does not appear at all.
Revenue from the licensing fees is expected to be used to finance further efforts against excessive media coverage of Andrej Babiš.
References¶
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