TURNOVER OF THE AUDIOVISION ROSE LAST YEAR. HOWEVER, THE SUSPENSION OF INCENTIVES AND THE UNCERTAINTY SURROUNDING ČT POSE A THREAT - ScreenVoice.cz

According to the Association of Audiovisual Producers (APA), increased incentives have helped bring foreign productions back to the Czech Republic; however, concerns have been raised both by the suspension of new applications and by the government’s proposal to abolish licence fees for Czech Television (ČT).

The Czech audiovisual industry has returned to growth following a weaker year in 2024. According to figures from the Association of Audiovisual Producers (APA), its turnover in 2025 totalled 11.3 billion CZK, representing a year-on-year increase of 14.5 per cent. The main factor was the return of foreign productions, which was linked to an increase in film incentives following the reform of the State Audiovisual Fund.

The volume of foreign commissions rose by roughly a fifth year-on-year, from 5.5 billion to over 6.6 billion CZK. Domestic film and TV series production also grew slightly, with its volume approaching two billion crowns (6%). Advertising production rose from almost 2.5 billion to 2.7 billion CZK (8%).

Source: APA. Data provided by members of the APA, which currently comprises 177 independent production companies (90 per cent of the market)

Promising growth hampered by suspended incentives

“The Czech audiovisual sector is in a strong starting position. The reform of the State Audiovisual Fund should stabilise the incentive scheme, increase the volume of funding and strengthen support for original domestic productions,” said APA Chairman Vratislav Šlajer.

The reformed State Audiovisual Fund launched its first calls for proposals in September 2025 and, during its first year of operation, is set to allocate approximately 550 million CZK to support development and production by October 2026 – almost double the amount compared with previous years. The fund is now also set to support television production.

From January 2025, the level of incentives increased to between 25 and 35 per cent of eligible costs, and VOD platforms have also become involved in financing the scheme. According to producers, this has helped to stem the outflow of foreign projects to other European countries. Last year, for example, projects such as Resident Evil, The Age of Innocence for Netflix and Ride or Die for Amazon MGM Studios were filmed in the Czech Republic.

However, according to APA, this positive trend was disrupted by a decision taken by the State Audiovisual Fund at the end of March this year, when the acceptance of new applications for incentives was suspended due to funds running out. The sector expects this move to have an impact on the results for 2026 and subsequently in 2027.

In addition to incentives, the association also highlights the uncertainty surrounding the future funding of public service media. According to the APA, a potential reduction in Czech Television’s budget could lead to a decline in investment in original film and television production of between 800 million and one billion crowns a year.

“The situation surrounding public service media is alarming. The government’s amendment to the law abolishing licence fees for Czech Television and Czech Radio is creating a great deal of uncertainty,” said Šlajer.

Positive investment by private television broadcasters and regional stations

Conversely, the APA views the stable investment by private television groups and the development of their streaming platforms positively; according to the association, these create opportunities for new Czech projects. However, according to producers, these investments cannot fully replace the role of public service television, particularly in the areas of documentaries, animation and children’s programmes.

Regional support for audiovisual production has also seen growth. In 2025, the Czech and Moravian regions allocated a record sum of over 109 million CZK to film and television projects. New or expanded support programmes were offered, for example, by the Karlovy Vary, South Moravian, Olomouc and Pardubice regions.

Slowdown in advertising production

At the same time, the Association draws attention to changes in the advertising market. Although advertising production increased year-on-year, the pace of growth has slowed. Whilst production volume rose by 400 million CZK in 2024, last year it was just over 200 million CZK. According to the APA, this increase more or less mirrors price rises, meaning that production companies’ real margins are actually falling. Furthermore, producers are feeling the impact of generative artificial intelligence, the shift of marketing budgets towards digital media, and the growing proportion of agencies’ in-house production teams more and more keenly.

You can read the full report in this document.