Georgia plans to amend the Law on Broadcasting to allow specific TV channels to receive foreign funding again, but only in particular cases. This applies to media outlets that do not cover political events or news.
Currently, a rule is in place prohibiting media from being directly or indirectly funded by foreign sources. However, the Georgian Dream (Kartuli Otsneba) party is proposing amendments to ease this ban for some television channels.
The ban will not apply to so-called specialized channels—for example, sports, educational, entertainment, or documentary channels.
Regarding news and socio-political TV channels, everything will remain as before: they will be prohibited from receiving money from abroad.
The explanatory note to the initiative states that the goal of the changes is to differentiate media based on content type and the funding regulation regime.
As a reminder, on April 1, 2025, the Parliament of Georgia approved amendments to the Law on Broadcasting in its third reading, which prohibits TV channels from receiving direct or indirect foreign funding.
The law specifies that a “foreign power” for its purposes includes:
- entities belonging to the power system of a foreign state;
- individuals who are not citizens of Georgia;
- legal entities not registered in accordance with Georgian law;
- organizations, including foundations, associations, corporations, unions, and other groups established under foreign or international law.